JP2003250115A - Camera and apparatus for recording additional information of image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera and an apparatus for recording additional information of an image capable of recording items of additional information desired by a user with required information accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: After a user selects an 'additional information' menu from a setting picture displayed on a camera for recording additional information such as a photographing condition or the like by each photographed image and confirms the setting of additional information at present, the user can enter propriety of revision of the setting. When the user gives instruction to revise the setting, the camera displays a list of additional information items to be settable and also displays the remaining capacity of an additional information recording area and the number of setting available items together with the current setting contents. The user can designate any one of 'OFF (no recording)', 'STD ON (recording with ordinary accuracy)', and 'Fine (recording with high accuracy)' as to each information item. When photographing is executed after the designation of the items to be recorded and information accuracy, the additional information is recorded on an image file according to the setting. Moreover, the item can be deleted/added after the image recording. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera and an additional information recording apparatus for an image, and more particularly to a technique for changing an item or information content of additional information such as a shooting condition to be recorded in association with an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-56610, an electronic camera for data communication with an external device is disclosed.
The captured image data and the additional information received by the information receiving means are compared and stored in separate areas. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-239764 discloses an APS (Advanced Photo System) with a frame checking function by an electronic image.
There has been disclosed a technology in which the additional information recorded on the magnetic recording layer of the photographic film can be easily rewritten in the compatible camera after photographing.

[0003]

However, in a general electronic camera, the date and time information at the time of shooting, the lens aperture value, the shutter speed,
Shooting information such as the presence / absence of strobe light emission, white balance, and other additional information are included (attached) in the image data and recorded. Since the amount of additional information that can be included in the image file is limited to a certain amount, the following problems occur.

When an attempt is made to increase the precision of the additional information relating to the photographing information (for example, the shutter speed information is normally recorded as 1/500 sec, but the precision is increased to be recorded as 1 / 512.381 sec. In this case), the capacity per item of information increases, and if all the additional information is recorded, the capacity limit will be exceeded.

When user-specific information other than date / time information and photographing information to be recorded as additional information is additionally recorded, recording all the additional information causes the capacity to be exceeded. In this case, as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-56610, a method of recording the user unique information in a file different from the image can be considered, but it is necessary to always manage the image file and the additional information of the different file in association with each other. Yes, file management is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a camera and an additional information recording apparatus for an image, which can record an item of additional information desired by a user with required information accuracy. And

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a camera according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image recording means for executing photographing and recording an image of a subject, and photographing for each photographed image. Additional information recording means for recording additional information such as conditions, setting operation means for performing an operation for setting an item of additional information to be recorded, and additional information corresponding to the items set by the setting operation means are displayed as an image. And a control means for controlling the additional information recording means so that the additional information is recorded together.

According to the present invention, in the camera for recording the additional information in association with the photographed image, the user can previously set the item of the additional information desired to be recorded from the setting operation means before recording the image. When shooting is performed after the setting, additional information of items related to the setting is recorded together with the shot image. This makes it possible to selectively record the necessary additional information.

A camera according to a second aspect of the present invention includes image recording means for executing photographing and recording an image of a subject, and additional information recording means for recording additional information such as photographing conditions for each photographed image. , Setting operation means for performing an operation of setting the information accuracy of an item of additional information to be recorded, and according to the setting of the setting operation means, the additional information is recorded together with the image with the information accuracy set for the item related to the setting. And a control means for controlling the additional information recording means.

According to the present invention, in the camera for recording the additional information in association with the photographed image, the user can previously set the information accuracy of the item of the additional information to be recorded from the setting operation means before recording the image. . When shooting is performed after the setting, the additional information is recorded together with the shot image with the information accuracy specified for the item related to the setting. As a result, it is possible to record the additional information with the required information accuracy, and it is possible to improve the image quality of print correction using the additional information and the reproducibility at the time of re-imaging.

Of course, the camera according to claim 1 and claim 2
It is also possible to combine the camera described in 1), and it is preferable to set the item of additional information to be recorded and the information accuracy of each item.

As an aspect of the present invention, as set forth in claim 3, there is provided a setting information display means for displaying the current setting information regarding the recording of the additional information in order to assist the setting operation by the setting operation means. A preferred embodiment is that comprising. The user can easily confirm the setting information by the setting information display means.

In a camera according to another aspect of the present invention, as described in claim 4, an operation of selecting an item of additional information to be deleted from the additional information associated with the recorded image, or recording Change operation means for performing an operation of setting an item of additional information to be newly added to a completed image, and information processing means for executing processing of deleting or adding additional information according to the operation of the change operation means after image recording It is characterized by having and.

According to this aspect, it is possible to delete or add the additional information after recording the image, and it is possible to selectively record only the necessary items.

A camera according to another aspect of the present invention is
As described in claim 5, change operation means for performing an operation of selecting an item of additional information whose information accuracy is to be reduced among the additional information associated with the recorded image, and the change after the image is recorded. And an information processing unit that executes a process of recording the additional information while reducing the information accuracy of the corresponding item according to the operation of the operation unit.

According to this aspect, it is possible to record the additional information that has already been recorded with reduced information accuracy after recording the image.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to provide an additional information recording apparatus for an image that achieves the above object, an additional information item to be deleted is selected from the additional information recorded in association with the image. Change operation means for performing an operation to set or an item of additional information to be newly added to a recorded image, and information for executing processing of deleting or adding additional information according to the operation of the change operation means And a processing means.

An additional information recording apparatus for an image according to a seventh aspect of the present invention performs an operation of selecting an item of additional information whose information accuracy is to be reduced from the additional information recorded in association with the image. And the information processing means for executing the processing of recording the additional information by reducing the information accuracy of the corresponding item in accordance with the operation of the changing operation means.

The image additional information recording apparatus according to the inventions of claims 6 and 7 can be realized by a computer. A program for realizing the additional information recording function of the image according to the present invention is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk or the like, and the program is provided to a third party through the recording medium, or a communication line such as the Internet. It is also possible to provide the download service of the program through.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of a camera and an image additional information recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the electronic camera. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic camera 10 includes a taking lens 12, a CCD solid-state image sensor (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 14, an analog processing unit 16,
A / D converter 18, image processing unit 20, system control unit 22, system memory (ROM / RAM) 24,
A recording medium 26 for recording captured images and the like, an external device interface unit 28 as a means for performing data communication with a personal computer (PC) or other external devices (not shown), a user operation unit 30, and various information and images are displayed. The display unit 32 and the like for performing the operation. Note that the communication system of the external device interface unit 28 is not particularly limited.
Appropriate methods can be applied regardless of wired / wireless such as B, IEEE1394, and Bluetooth.

According to the electronic camera 10 of this example, the optical image of the subject formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 14 through the taking lens 12 is photoelectrically converted by the CCD 14. CCD
A large number of photosensors are arranged in a plane on the light-receiving surface 14 and are provided with a Bayer arrangement or other predetermined color filter arrangement structure. Further, the CCD 14 has an electronic shutter function for controlling the charge storage time (shutter speed) of each photo sensor. A CMOS image sensor or other imaging device may be used instead of the CCD 14.

The image signal output from the CCD 14 is sent to the analog processing section 16 and subjected to correlated double sampling (CD
S) After performing necessary processing such as processing, color separation, and gain adjustment, the signal is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 18 and sent to the image processing unit 20.

The image processing section 20 is an image signal processing means including a luminance / color difference signal generation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a contour correction circuit, a white balance correction circuit, a compression / expansion circuit, etc., and a command given from the system control section 22. Process the image signal according to. The image data input to the image processing unit 20 is converted into a luminance signal (Y signal) and a color difference signal (Cr, Cb signal), and after being subjected to predetermined processing such as gamma correction, it is temporarily stored in the system memory. 24
Stored in RAM.

When the photographed image is output to the monitor, the RA
Image data is read from M, and a signal of a predetermined system for display (for example, NT
Displayed on the display unit 3 after being converted into an SC color composite video signal)
2 is output. The image data in the RAM is periodically rewritten by the image signal output from the CCD 14, and the video signal generated from the image data is displayed on the display unit 3.
2 is supplied to the display section 32 as a moving image in real time. The photographer
Real-time video (through image) displayed on the display unit 32
You can check the shooting angle of view.

The display unit 32 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and in addition to the through image described above, the display unit 32 reproduces a recorded image, information on the currently set mode, and image compression. Rate information, date and time information, frame numbers, etc. are displayed. The display unit 32 is also used as a user interface display screen when the user performs various setting operations and the like, and also displays menu information such as setting items as necessary.

The system control unit 22 includes a central processing unit (CPU), functions as a control unit that controls the camera system in accordance with a predetermined program in the system memory 24, and serves as a calculation unit that performs various calculation processes. It functions and controls the operation of each circuit in the electronic camera 10 based on an instruction signal from the user operation unit 30. That is, the system control unit 22 controls the taking lens 12, the exposure and readout control of the CCD 14,
Image processing control, image data recording control, read / write control of the recording medium 26, file management in the recording medium, data communication control with external devices, display control of the display unit 32, and the like are performed.

The system memory 24 is composed of a ROM storing operation programs and various constants, and a high-speed readable / writable RAM serving as a work area during program execution and a temporary storage area for image data. There is.

The user operation unit 30 is means for the user to input various instructions to the electronic camera 10,
The release button 40 and the mode dial 4 shown in FIG.
2, cross button 44, menu / OK button 46, BA
It includes various operating means such as a CK button 48, a power switch and a zoom switch (not shown).

The mode dial 42 is a means for selecting the operation mode of the electronic camera 10. By turning this dial, "automatic photographing mode", "manual photographing mode", "playback mode", "data communication mode". , Can be set to various modes such as "setup mode". The “automatic shooting mode” is a shooting mode in which the electronic camera 10 automatically controls exposure (combination of shutter speed and aperture value) and focus according to the shooting situation. The "manual shooting mode" is a shooting mode in which the user can manually set conditions such as white balance setting, exposure compensation, strobe brightness setting, and focus adjustment. The "playback mode" is a mode in which a recorded file is played back. The "data communication mode" is a mode for performing data communication with an external device. "Setup mode" includes the number of recorded pixels, compression rate (image quality), sharpness,
In this mode, the date and time, the item of additional information to be recorded, the information accuracy, etc. can be set.

The photographing mode is selected and the release button 4
When 0 is pressed, a shooting start instruction (release ON) signal is issued. The release button 40 is composed of a two-stage switch having a switch S1 which is turned on when half-pressed and a switch S2 which is turned on when fully pressed. The system control unit 22 shown in FIG.
When the half-press of (S1 = ON) is detected, automatic focus adjustment (A
F) Control and automatic exposure (AE) control are performed, and when full-pressing of the release button 40 (S2 = ON) is detected, CCD exposure and readout control for capturing a recording image is started.

The image processing section 20 uses automatic focus adjustment (AF).
Control and automatic exposure (AE) control, including means for functioning as an auto-calculation unit, performing focus evaluation value calculation and AE calculation based on the input image signal, and the calculation result is the system control unit. Tell 22.

The system control section 22 controls the driving means including a motor (not shown) based on the calculation result received from the automatic calculation section to move the focus adjustment lens of the photographing optical system to the in-focus position. The aperture is set to an appropriate aperture value and the mechanical shutter and the charge storage time (electronic shutter) of the CCD 14 are controlled. The system control unit 22 also controls strobe light emission as necessary.

Fully press the release button 40 (S2 = O
The image data captured in response to N) is stored in the RAM of the system memory 24 after undergoing YC processing and other predetermined signal processing in the image processing unit 20. The system control unit 22 sends a command to the compression / expansion processing unit of the image processing unit 20, whereby the compression / expansion processing unit operates in the RAM.
The image data (luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr, Cb) held on the upper side is converted into a predetermined format (for example, JPE).
G method).

The system control unit 22 associates the compressed image data with the auxiliary information such as the photographing conditions regarding the image to generate one image file. In this example, Exif (Exchangeable Image File Fo
The image file is generated according to the rmat) file format, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the Exif file format. The image file thus generated is recorded on the recording medium 26.

In the electronic camera 10 of this example, for example, a smart media (Solid-
State Floppy Disk Card) is applied. Recording medium 26
The form of is not limited to this, and may be a PC card, a compact flash, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory stick, etc., electronically, magnetically,
Alternatively, various media capable of being read and written can be used according to a method of optical or a combination thereof. The signal processing means and interface according to the medium used are applied. Regardless of recording media of different types or the same type, a plurality of media may be mountable. The recording medium (internal memory) included in the electronic camera 10 is not limited to the removable medium.

When the electronic camera 10 is set to the reproduction mode, the latest image file recorded on the recording medium 26 (the last recorded image file) is read. The compressed data of the read image file is expanded into an uncompressed YC signal via the compression / expansion processing unit.

The expanded YC signal is converted into a display signal, and the display section 32 is passed through the system control section 22.
Is output to. As a result, the reproduced image is displayed on the display unit 32. During such single-frame playback, the cross button 44 (see FIG.
The file to be reproduced can be switched by operating the right key or the left key of (see).

The cross button 44 is a multifunctional operation button capable of inputting an instruction for up, down, left, and right. As described above, it is possible to input an instruction for frame advance / reverse of a reproduced image, and to select a menu item ( It is used as a means for inputting an instruction to move the cursor) or to change the electronic zoom magnification.

The menu / OK button 46 shown in FIG.
Is an operation means having both a function as a menu button for instructing display of a menu screen and an function as an OK button for instructing confirmation (registration) of a selected item and execution of an operation. The BACK button 48 is an operation means for erasing a desired object such as a selected item, canceling (instructing) the instruction content, or instructing to return to the previous operation screen. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 50 is a finder, and reference numeral 52 is a grip portion.

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of an image file recorded by the electronic camera 10 of this example. The image file 60 is a "data start marker" 61 indicating the beginning of the file.
Followed by "Application marker segment (AP
P) ”62 is recorded. Then, following this, "quantization table / Huffman table" 63, "image data"
64 is recorded in order, and finally an “image data end marker” 65 indicating the end of the file is recorded.

The APP 62 is an area for recording various additional information and thumbnail images attached to the main image, and has an additional information recording area 70 and a thumbnail image recording area 80. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the additional information recording area 70 is an area (hereinafter, referred to as “prescribed tag area”) 71 for recording information in which description items and description formats are defined by the Exif standard, and each. It has a MakerNote Tag area 72 in which information freely defined by the manufacturer can be recorded.

In the standard tag area 71, tags defined in TIFF Rev. 6.0, Exif private tags, and Exif-specific attached information are written. For example, image size, resolution, compression type, image color space, compression type, reference white point value, file modification date, copyright holder, image title, Ex
if version, original image data generation date / time, file creation date / time, shutter speed, aperture value, brightness value (BV),
Exposure correction value, subject distance, metering method, light source, flash O
N / OFF, lens focal length, exposure time, F number,
Information such as a user comment and an image compression mode is recorded in the specified tag area 71.

The operation of the maker note tag area 72 is left to each maker, and the electronic camera 10 of this embodiment is used.
Then, the maker note tag area 72 is utilized to record high-precision additional information. That is, regarding the additional information defined in the specified tag area 71, the capacity limit is set for each data item, and recording of highly accurate information content itself is not permitted by the standard. Therefore, in the electronic camera 10 of the present embodiment, highly accurate additional information is written in the maker note tag area 72.
Although the capacity of the maker note tag area 72 is also limited, the manufacturer can freely define the usage method of the area, so that highly accurate information can be recorded for various information items within the range of the capacity limit.

Next, the electronic camera 1 constructed as described above
A procedure for setting additional information in 0 will be described. Figure 5
6 is a flow chart showing an additional information setting operation, and FIG. 6 shows an example of screen transition of the display unit 32 associated with the setting operation.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the electronic camera 10 is turned on (step S110) and the electronic camera 10 is set in the Setup mode (step S11).
2), the setup menu screen is displayed on the display unit 32 (step S114). As shown in Fig. 6 (a), the setup menu screen displays pixels (number of pixels).
/ Presents various setting items such as quality (image quality), sharpness, additional information, date and time, and accepts user's instruction input.

When the menu of "additional information" is selected from the setup menu screen and the instruction is confirmed by pressing the menu / OK button 46, the electronic camera 10 enters the "additional information setting mode" (step S116 in FIG. 5),
A screen for confirming and changing the additional information setting as shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the display unit 32.

The user can confirm the current additional information setting on the display screen and instruct whether or not the setting can be changed. The electronic camera 10 is controlled according to the instruction input by the user (step S118 in FIG. 5). That is, when the user instructs to change the setting (step S1
18 (when YES is determined), a change designation screen as shown in FIG. 6C is displayed. On the change designation screen, a list of additional information items that can be set is displayed, and along with the current setting contents, the remaining capacity of the additional information recording area and the number of items that can be set are displayed (step S120 in FIG. 5). For each information item, "OFF (do not record)", "STD ON
It is possible to specify one of "(record with normal accuracy)" and "Fine (record with high accuracy)".

It should be noted that, of the additional information, deletion / change of information related to shooting conditions such as shutter speed and aperture is permitted, but of the additional information, information necessary for opening the file itself (related to the number of pixels and compression format). (Information) cannot be deleted / changed. A list of items permitted to be deleted / changed is displayed on the change designation screen, and a special display form indicating that the items prohibited to be deleted / changed are not displayed or cannot be selected.

After that, the user selects a desired setting item from the change designation screen and inputs an instruction to change the setting content (step S122). For example, FIG. 6 (c)
As shown in FIG. 6, when the item “shutter speed” is selected and the “OK button” is pressed, the screen for selecting the setting content in FIG. 6D is displayed. If "Fine" is selected and the "OK button" is pressed here, a confirmation screen for setting contents is displayed as shown in FIG. 6 (e). As the settings are changed, the information display of the remaining capacity and the number of items that can be set is automatically changed. When the "OK button" is pressed on the screen of FIG. 6 (e), the setting contents are registered, and the screen returns to the setup menu screen as shown in FIG. 6 (f) (step S124 of FIG. 5).

When "No" is selected on the screen of FIG. 6B, "NO" is selected in step S118 of FIG. 5, and the screen returns to the setup menu screen (step S1).
24).

As described above, in the electronic camera 10 of this example, the user can appropriately select the item of additional information and the information accuracy thereof by a simple operation using the graphical user interface. In this way, when shooting is performed after specifying the item of additional information to be recorded and the accuracy of the information, the additional information is recorded in the image file according to the setting.

The recorded additional information is used for automatic correction during printing, condition setting during re-imaging, and the like. If the information accuracy of the additional information increases, the accuracy of correction during printing will also improve,
It is possible to perform more appropriate correction, and print with good image quality can be realized.

In the above description, the example of setting the item of additional information recorded with the image and the information accuracy thereof in the setup mode at the time of recording the image has been described, but the additional information may be deleted or added after the image is recorded. Is.

For example, if the menu / OK button 46 is pressed during the reproduction of one frame image in the reproduction mode, the display unit 3
A menu of "additional information" is displayed in 2. When the menu of "additional information" is selected, a change confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 6B is displayed, and deletion or addition of additional information is performed according to the same operation procedure as described below with reference to FIGS. 6C to 6E. Is possible. When an item of additional information is added, the user can input data corresponding to the item by key input or the like, if necessary.

In this way, it is possible to delete or add additional information for each recorded image. Of course, a mode is also possible in which the setup screen is read from the reproduction mode and the additional information is deleted or added according to the procedure described in FIGS.

When selling photographed images, it may not be necessary to give information such as photographing conditions to the outside.
With the electronic camera 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to delete the information content of the additional information items that the third party does not want to be notified of.

In the above embodiments, the Exif file format has been described as an example, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to a file format in which image data and additional information are recorded in one file.

In this example, the additional information recording area 70
Has been described as being divided into a prescribed tag area 71 and a maker note tag area 72, and a capacity limit is set in each of the areas 71 and 72, but the present invention is not limited to this example and additional information A capacity limit may be set for the recording area 70 as a whole.

The present invention can also be applied to a file format in which the capacity limit is not set for the additional information recording area.

Although an electronic camera has been illustrated in the above embodiment, the present invention can be applied to all apparatuses (APS cameras, scanners) that electronically record additional information of an image. Of course, the present invention can be applied not only to the input device but also to various image display systems such as a portable information terminal, a personal computer, an electronic image reproducing device, and a printer for changing additional information after image input.

[0062]

As described above, according to the present invention, the user can appropriately set the item and the information accuracy of the additional information to be recorded, so that the required additional information can be selectively recorded. Therefore, it is possible to improve the image quality during printing and the reproducibility during reshooting.

Further, according to the present invention, not only at the time of recording the image but also after the image is recorded, the operation of deleting the item of the additional information relating to the recorded image or lowering the accuracy of the information is possible. Therefore, only the truly necessary information can be recorded.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an electronic camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the electronic camera according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of an image file recorded by the electronic camera of this example.

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a recording area for additional information shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an additional information setting operation in the electronic camera of this example.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a display unit associated with the setting operation shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Electronic camera, 12 ... Photographing lens, 14 ... CCD,
22 ... System control section, 26 ... Recording medium, 30 ...
User operation unit, 32 ... Display unit, 40 ... Release button,
42 ... Mode dial, 44 ... Cross button, 46 ... Menu / OK button, 48 ... BACK button

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C022 AA00 AC12 AC42 AC69                 5C053 FA07 FA14 JA16 KA01 KA24                       LA01

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An image recording means for executing photographing and recording an image of a subject, an additional information recording means for recording additional information such as photographing conditions for each photographed image, and setting items of additional information to be recorded. Setting operation means for performing an operation for performing the operation, and control means for controlling the additional information recording means so as to record the additional information corresponding to the item set by the setting operation means together with the image. And the camera. 2. An image recording unit for executing photographing to record an image of a subject, an additional information recording unit for recording additional information such as photographing conditions for each photographed image, and information on items of additional information to be recorded. Setting operation means for performing an operation for setting accuracy, and controlling the additional information recording means according to the setting of the setting operation means so as to record the additional information together with the image with the information accuracy set for the item related to the setting. A control means for controlling, and a camera. 3. The setting information display means for displaying the current setting information relating to the recording of the additional information in order to assist the setting operation by the setting operation means. The listed camera. 4. An operation of selecting an item of additional information to be deleted from additional information associated with a recorded image, or an operation of setting an item of additional information to be newly added to a recorded image. 4. The change operation means for performing the operation, and the information processing means for executing the processing of deleting or adding the additional information according to the operation of the change operation means after the image recording, according to claim 1, 2 or 3. The listed camera. 5. A change operation means for performing an operation of selecting an item of additional information whose information accuracy is to be reduced among additional information associated with a recorded image, and an operation of the change operation means after image recording. 5. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising: an information processing unit that executes a process of recording the additional information while reducing the information accuracy of the corresponding item. 6. An operation of selecting an item of additional information to be deleted from additional information recorded in association with an image or an operation of setting an item of additional information to be newly added to a recorded image. An additional information recording apparatus for an image, comprising: a change operation means for performing the operation; and an information processing means for executing a process of deleting or adding the additional information according to the operation of the change operation means. 7. A change operation means for performing an operation of selecting an item of additional information whose information accuracy is to be reduced among the additional information recorded in association with the image, and corresponding according to the operation of the change operation means. An additional information recording apparatus for an image, comprising: an information processing unit that performs a process of recording additional information while reducing information accuracy of an item.