JP2004221772A - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce an output image subjected to processing desired by a user independently of an apparatus used by the user or not so much affected by the apparatus in the case that an image input means, an image processing means, and an image output means are distributedly placed on a network. <P>SOLUTION: The image processing apparatus is characterized by including: an image read means 101 or the like for reading an image and outputting the read information as digital image data; an image processing contents decision means 111 for deciding image processing contents according to an input characteristic when the input characteristic of the image read means is known and deciding the image processing contents on the basis of the statistic obtained from the digital image data when the input characteristic of the image read means is unknown; an image processing means 112 for applying processing to the digital image data received from the image read means according to the image processing contents decided by the image processing contents decision means and generating the digital image data subjected to the processing; and an image output means 103 for outputting an image related to the digital image data processed by the image processing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing system for improving readability of digital image data obtained by a scanner, a digital camera, and the like, and more particularly, to an image input unit, an image processing unit, an image An image processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus capable of generating an output image on which a process desired by a user has been performed, regardless of the device used by the user or when the output units are arranged in a distributed manner. The present invention relates to a method and an image processing system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Examples of image processing using an image processing device arranged on a network include data input devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 4. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, characteristics of an input device and an output device specified by a user are read from a database, and image processing is performed based on the read characteristics. Therefore, if the input device and the output device cannot be specified, or if the related characteristics do not exist in the database even if they can be specified, appropriate processing cannot be performed.
[0003]
Techniques developed to cope with the case where the characteristics of an input device are unknown include, for example, techniques described in Patent Documents 5 and 6. This is an input-output processing system that processes a specific color sample and calculates the characteristics of the input-output processing system by comparing the result with data calculated in advance for the color sample. It is. Such a processing system requires a specific color sample and a calibration process using the color sample as described above. In a state where unspecified devices are mixed on a network, the calibration becomes very difficult. A similar problem also occurs in the technique described in Patent Document 6 using a statistical learning method.
[0004]
Under these circumstances, means for preventing image quality deterioration due to input characteristics of unknown input devices without requiring complicated calibration means is required, but the problem here is that unknown input characteristics are required. It is difficult to uniquely calculate the characteristics of the input / output system unless calibration using a specific color sample is performed. Therefore, in such a processing system, the characteristics of the input device are estimated by some method.
[0005]
A technique described in Patent Document 7 is known as a technique for performing the above-described estimation under such a premise. In the technique of Patent Document 7, an exposure state of an input image is estimated from a histogram of the input image, and parameters used for image processing to be performed on the input image are calculated. However, this technique is disadvantageous because image processing is performed in a device used by a user, and the processing itself is heavy and slow. Further, when the above-described processing based on the guess is applied to the image data, if the processing is irreversible, the user cannot respond to the request for the original image.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2001-243135
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2001-358938
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-07-271702
[Patent Document 4]
JP-A-10-327305
[Patent Document 5]
JP-A-2002-010095
[Patent Document 6]
JP-A-2002-204364
[Patent Document 7]
JP-A-11-154235
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In conventional image processing on a network, when the characteristics of an input device, an image processing device, and an output device are unknown, there are problems with gradation such as coloring of a background and color mismatch, and spatial frequency characteristics such as moire. There were problems with features. This problem is caused by the fact that the characteristics of the input device cannot be used during image processing.
[0008]
In Patent Literature 7, the characteristics of the input / output device are estimated. However, as described above, the processing is heavy, and the load on the client device used by the user increases. Further, since many of such processes are irreversible processes, there is a problem that information of an input image cannot be maintained when operating an image on a network.
[0009]
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device, an image processing method, and an image processing system for improving the readability of digital image data obtained by a scanner, a digital camera, or the like.
[0010]
In addition, the present invention is particularly advantageous when the image input means, the image processing means, and the image output means are dispersedly arranged on the network, and the user can operate without being affected by the device used by the user or without being affected so much. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing system that can easily generate an output image on which a desired process has been performed.
[0011]
This allows the user to obtain an image suitable for display and output with a small amount of labor simultaneously with the original image, and at the same time keeps information on the input image.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The image processing apparatus of the present invention has an image reading means (scanner, digital camera) for reading an image and outputting the read information as digital image data, and input characteristics (scanner γ, etc.) of the image reading means are known. In the case, the image processing content is determined according to the input characteristics, and when the input characteristics of the image reading means are unknown, the image processing content is determined based on a statistic obtained from the digital image data. Means for processing digital image data received from the image reading means in accordance with the image processing content determined by the image processing content determining means to generate digital image data subjected to the processing; and the image processing means Image output means for outputting an image relating to the digital image data on which the above-described processing has been performed. And it features.
[0013]
The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an input characteristic attaching unit, and when the input characteristic of the image reading unit is known, the input characteristic attaching unit attaches the input characteristic to the digital image data. When the input characteristics of the image reading unit are unknown, the input characteristics of the image reading unit may be estimated based on statistics obtained from the digital image, and the estimated input characteristics may be attached to the digital image data. it can.
[0014]
In the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, the input characteristic attaching means can record the input characteristic in header information of the digital image data.
[0015]
The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an input characteristic registration unit and a database, wherein the input characteristic registration unit associates the input characteristic with the digital image data when the input characteristic of the image reading unit is known. Recorded in the database, if the input characteristics of the image reading means is unknown, the input characteristics are estimated by statistics obtained from the digital image data, the input characteristics are associated with the digital image data and Can be recorded in the database.
[0016]
The image processing apparatus according to the present invention may include an input characteristic availability notification unit that explicitly informs the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available in an application used by the user. For example, in the information of the image file related to the digital image data, the name of the input device, a display indicating whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, and the name of the already-processed image processing, readability is improved. At least one of the names of image processing recommended for causing the digital image data to be displayed.When displaying a thumbnail of an image according to the digital image data, the name of the input device and the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown. Fewer indications of presence, names of image processing already applied, and names of image processing recommended to improve readability It is also possible to display one.
[0017]
An image processing method according to the present invention comprises: an image reading step of reading an image and outputting the read information as digital image data; and, if input characteristics in the image reading step are known, image processing contents are performed in accordance with the input characteristics. If the input characteristics in the image reading step are unknown, an image processing content determining step of determining image processing content by a statistic obtained from the digital image data; and An image processing step of performing processing in accordance with the image processing content determined by the content determining means and generating digital image data subjected to the processing.
[0018]
The image processing method of the present invention has an input characteristic attaching step, wherein in the input characteristic attaching step, when the input characteristic in the image reading step is known, the input characteristic is attached to the digital image data, When the input characteristics in the image reading step are unknown, the input characteristics in the image reading step are estimated based on statistics obtained from the digital image, and the estimated input characteristics are attached to the digital image data. It is characterized by.
[0019]
In the image processing method of the present invention, in the input characteristic attaching step, the input characteristic can be recorded in header information of the digital image data.
[0020]
The image processing method according to the present invention includes an input characteristic registration step. In the input characteristic registration step, if the input characteristic in the image reading step is known, the input characteristic is associated with the digital image data and the predetermined characteristic is determined. If the input characteristic in the image reading step is unknown, the input characteristic is estimated by a statistic obtained from the digital image data, and the input characteristic is correlated with the digital image data, and the predetermined characteristic is correlated with the digital image data. Can be recorded in the database.
[0021]
The image processing method according to the present invention may include an input characteristic availability notification step of explicitly notifying the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available in an application used by the user. In the information of the image file related to the digital image data, the name of the input device, a display indicating whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, and the name of the already processed image processing, readability are improved. And at least one of the names of image processing recommended for the digital image data. When displaying a thumbnail of an image according to the digital image data, the name of the input device and the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown. At least the name of the image processing that has already been performed, and the name of the image processing that is recommended to improve readability. It is possible to display one.
[0022]
An image processing system according to the present invention includes: an image reading unit that reads an image and outputs the read information as digital image data; and, when input characteristics of the image reading unit are known, image processing contents according to the input characteristics. If the input characteristics of the image reading means are unknown, an image processing content determining means for determining image processing content based on a statistic obtained from the digital image data, and a digital image received from the image reading means. The image processing unit performs a process according to the image processing content determined by the image processing content determining unit on the data to generate digital image data subjected to the process, and the digital image data processed by the image processing unit is processed. Image output means for outputting an image, wherein at least one of the means has another means. Via the network and characterized by comprising interconnected.
[0023]
The image processing system of the present invention includes an input characteristic attaching unit, and the input characteristic attaching unit converts the input characteristic to the digital data when the input characteristic of the image reading unit is known. Attached to image data, if the input characteristics of the image reading means are unknown, the input characteristics of the image reading means are estimated based on statistics obtained from the digital image, and the estimated input characteristics are converted to the digital values. Can be attached to image data.
[0024]
In the image processing system of the present invention, the input characteristic attaching means can record the input characteristic in header information of the digital image data.
[0025]
The image processing system of the present invention includes an input characteristic registration unit and a database, and the input characteristic registration unit associates the input characteristic with the digital image data when the input characteristic of the image reading unit is known. Recorded in the database, if the input characteristics of the image reading means is unknown, the input characteristics are estimated by statistics obtained from the digital image data, the input characteristics are associated with the digital image data and Can be recorded in the database.
[0026]
The image processing system according to the present invention further includes an input characteristic availability notifying unit that explicitly informs the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available in an application used by the user, In the information of the image file related to the data, the name of the input device, a display indicating whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, and the name of the already processed image processing, recommended to improve readability Including at least one of the following image processing names:
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, the name of the image processing that has already been performed, and the name of the image processing that is recommended to improve readability. Can be displayed.
[0027]
In the present invention, for example, in the case of an input device that has a function of adding a scanner γ and resolution to an image file as header information, the information is added to the image data. The image data subjected to these processes is sent from the input device to the image file server via an appropriate network. Next, the file server performs a process for improving the readability of the image. At this time, there is a possibility that some of the characteristics of the input device are described in the image file header information and some of the characteristics are not described. Those described can be processed according to the information, but for those not described, the characteristics of the input device are estimated from the image data. For estimating the input device characteristics from the image data, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-154235 can be used. The input device characteristics estimated in this way are added as image file header information. At this time, a flag indicating that this information is calculated by estimation instead of the input device itself may be added at the same time. At the same time, the type of the document is determined based on information obtained from the input image. The technique described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-292308 can be used to determine the document type. Based on the document type data obtained here, the image processing recommended for the user is determined. For example, if it is determined that the image is a document image, black character enhancement processing is performed to enhance readability of characters, and if it is determined to be a photographic image, smoothing processing is performed. These measures are determined in advance. The correspondence can be set according to a user's request.
[0028]
Next, the image stored in the file server is sent to the client machine used by the user according to the user's request. In the display of the image on the client machine, an image that does not reflect the characteristics of the input image device is displayed. At the same time, if the displayed image is unsatisfactory, image processing considering the characteristics of the input device is performed. A display is made to indicate that it is possible. Thus, if the user is satisfied with the displayed image, the user can use the image as it is. If the user is not satisfied, the user can generate an image with better image quality by a very simple operation. At this time, since the parameters required for the image processing have already been calculated by the file server machine, the image processing load on the client used by the user is reduced.
[0029]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
One embodiment of the present invention is described below. The following description shows an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the content of the present invention.
[0030]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a scanner (image reading unit) 101, a display (display unit) 102, a printer (printing unit) 103, and an image information acquisition device 104 such as a memory drive. The control device 11 of the image processing apparatus 1 has functions as an image processing content determination unit 111, an image processing unit 112, an input characteristic attachment unit 113, an input characteristic registration unit 114, and an input characteristic availability notification unit 115. Further, the image processing apparatus 1 has a database 12.
[0031]
The input characteristics of the scanner are added to the header information of the image read by the scanner 101. This addition is performed by the input characteristic attaching means 113. Here, the input characteristics of the scanner 101 indicate information that is not covered by the normal file format, such as the scanner γ and the color balance. For example, since resolution information is covered by many file formats, it is necessary to add the input characteristics as input characteristics. There is no.
[0032]
The image processing content determining unit 111 determines the processing content of the image data to which the input characteristics have been added by the input characteristic attaching unit 113.
[0033]
Further, the image processing content determining unit 111 estimates the characteristics of the digital camera or the like with respect to the image data of the digital camera or the like acquired from the image information acquiring device 104. This characteristic is recorded in the header information of the image data by the input characteristic attaching means 113, and at the same time, a flag indicating that this information is guessed is described.
[0034]
The input characteristic availability notification unit 115 explicitly informs the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available for the application used by the user.
[0035]
FIG. 3 shows an image 1 read by the scanner 101 and added with the input characteristics by the input characteristic attaching means 113. When the image 1 is used, image processing using information on the characteristics of the scanner 101 included in the header information of the image 1 can be performed. The input characteristic availability notification unit 115 more clearly notifies the user of the fact.
[0036]
Further, the input characteristic availability notification unit 115 notifies the user of the estimated characteristics of the image data of the digital camera or the like acquired from the image information acquisition device 104. FIG. 3 shows an image 2 whose characteristics have been estimated.
[0037]
In the thumbnail image of FIG. 3, a description of the thumbnail image is displayed, and in addition to the image information, a recommended image process for improving readability, an execution button thereof, and a redo (undo) button are mounted. In the case of the image 1, since the background color is too strong, the removal of the background (in FIG. 3, denoted as High light-Cut) is recommended.
[0038]
Next, a case where the image 2 in FIG. 3 is used will be described. Image 2 is an image in which the characteristics of the input device are unknown, and the characteristics are estimated by the file server. Therefore, a flag indicating an estimated value is set in the input device characteristic recorded in the header information of the image 2. In the thumbnail image of FIG. 3, the information about the input device is unknown, and the input gamma, which is one of the input device characteristics, is shown as an estimated value. Also in the case of the image 2, recommended image processing, its execution button, and an undo button are displayed in the thumbnail display.
[0039]
One embodiment of the image processing system of the present invention is described below. The following description shows an example of an embodiment of the image processing system of the present invention, and does not limit the content of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the image processing system 2 of the present invention. The image processing system 2 of FIG. 2 includes image reading means (scanners) 211, 212, and 213, terminal devices (clients) 221 and 222, and a file server 23.
[0040]
The terminal devices (clients) 221 and 222 include display units (displays) 2211 and 221 and printing units (printers) 2221 and 2222.
[0041]
It is assumed that the scanner 211 has the input characteristics of the scanner 211 added to the header information of the read digital image data. This image is assumed to be image 1 in FIG. 3 described above.
[0042]
Here, the input characteristics of the scanner 211 indicate information that is not covered by the normal file format, such as the scanner γ and the color balance. For example, resolution information is covered in many file formats and need not be added here.
[0043]
At the same time as adding the information, the file server 23 does not perform image processing, but only stores. At this time, by performing image indexing or the like at the same time, the convenience in the search by the clients 221 and 222 may be improved.
[0044]
The scanner 212 accumulates the read digital image data as it is in the file server, and it is assumed that the digital image data does not include a description regarding the characteristics of the scanner 212. This image is assumed to be the image 2 in FIG. 3 described above. Also in this case, as described above, it is possible to improve search convenience by image indexing.
[0045]
Since there is no description about the characteristics of the scanner 212 in the header information of the image 2, the file server 23 estimates the scanner characteristics. For estimating the scanner characteristics, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-154235 can be used. The estimated scanner characteristics are described in the header information of the image 2 as shown in FIG. 3, and at the same time, a flag indicating that the information is estimated is described.
[0046]
It is assumed that the device information of the scanner 213 exists in the file server 23.
The scanner 213 stores the image data in the file server. At this time, a description about the characteristics of the scanner is added to the image data. It is assumed that the device information exists in the file server. For example, this corresponds to registering information on the scanner γ in the file server when installing the hardware of the network scanner. The image scanned by the scanner 213 and stored in the file server is referred to as an image 3 (not shown). The header information of the image 3 describes the characteristics of the scanner 213 by the previous file server. This processing is performed in the file server.
[0047]
In any of the examples of the scanners 211 to 213, the document type of the input image is determined in the file server 23, and the recommended image processing is determined.
A case in which a specific user obtains the image file from the file server using the client 221 and performs display and output will be described.
[0048]
When the image 1 is used, image processing using information on the characteristics of the scanner 211 included in the header information of the image 1 is possible, and the user is explicitly notified of the fact. FIG. 3 shows an example of a thumbnail image obtained when the user refers to the file server.
[0049]
In the thumbnail image of FIG. 3, a description of the thumbnail image is displayed, and in addition to the image information, a recommended image process for improving readability, an execution button thereof, and a redo (undo) button are mounted.
In the case of image 1, the background color is too strong, so the background color is removed (in FIG. 3, High is used).
light-Cut).
[0050]
Next, the case where the image 2 is used will be described. Image 2 is an image in which the characteristics of the input device are unknown, and the characteristics are estimated by the file server. Therefore, a flag indicating an estimated value is set in the input device characteristics described in the header information of the image 2. In the thumbnail image of FIG. 3, the information about the input device is unknown, and the input gamma, which is one of the input device characteristics, is shown as an estimated value.
Also in the case of the image 2, recommended image processing, an execution button thereof, and an undo button are displayed in the thumbnail display.
[0051]
The image 3 (not shown) is sent to the file server in a state where the characteristics of the input device are not described in the header information of the image 3. At this time, it is assumed that a code (manufacturer name, model number) for identifying the input device is described in the header information. When the file server receives the image 3 and has the input device characteristic information corresponding to the identification code in the header information, the file server describes the input image device characteristic in the header information of the image 3. When the input device characteristic information is not provided, the input image device characteristic is estimated and described in the header information of the image 3 as in the case of the image 2 above. At this time, a flag indicating that the input device characteristic is an estimated value is also described.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
If the characteristics of the input device are known, the process based on the input characteristics is performed, and if the characteristics are unknown, the process based on the estimated input characteristics is performed, whereby an unspecified image device is used. In image processing on a network, a user can select a desired image more than before, and this effect can be achieved without largely depending on the performance of the client machine used by the user.
[0053]
For a data path from the scanner to the file server and from the file server to the client, for example, a network managed by a protocol such as TCP / IP can be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the image processing system of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an image read by a scanner and having input characteristics added by input characteristic attachment means.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Image processing device
2 Image processing system
11 Control device
12 Database
23 File Server
101 scanner (image reading means)
102 Display (display means)
103 Printer (printing means)
104 Image information acquisition device
111 Image processing content determination means
112 Image processing means
113 Input characteristic attachment means
114 Input characteristic registration means
115 Input characteristic availability notification means
211, 212, 213 Image reading means (scanner)
221, 222 Terminal device (client)
2211,2211 display means (display)
2221, 2222 Printing means (printer)

Claims (21)

Image reading means for reading an image and outputting the read information as digital image data;
If the input characteristics of the image reading means are known, the content of image processing is determined according to the input characteristics. If the input characteristics of the image reading means are unknown, a statistic obtained from the digital image data is determined. Image processing content determining means for determining image processing content by:
Image processing means for performing, on the digital image data received from the image reading means, processing in accordance with the image processing content determined by the image processing content determining means, and generating digital image data subjected to the processing;
Image output means for outputting an image according to the digital image data subjected to the processing by the image processing means,
An image processing apparatus comprising: Input characteristic attaching means, wherein the input characteristic attaching means comprises:
If the input characteristics of the image reading means is known, attach the input characteristics to the digital image data,
When the input characteristics of the image reading unit are unknown, the input characteristics of the image reading unit are estimated based on statistics obtained from the digital image, and the estimated input characteristics are attached to the digital image data.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input characteristic attaching unit records the input characteristic in header information of the digital image data. Equipped with input characteristic registration means and database,
The input characteristic registration means,
If the input characteristics of the image reading means is known, the input characteristics are recorded in the database in association with the digital image data,
If the input characteristic of the image reading means is unknown, the input characteristic is estimated by a statistic obtained from the digital image data, and the input characteristic is recorded in the database in association with the digital image data.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input characteristic availability notifying unit for explicitly notifying the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available for an application used by the user. The image processing device according to any one of the above. In the information of the image file according to the digital image data,
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristic of the input device is known or unknown, and the name of an already-processed image process or the name of an image process recommended for improving readability. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus includes one of the plurality of image processing apparatuses. Upon displaying a thumbnail of an image according to the digital image data,
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, the name of the image processing that has already been performed, and the name of the image processing that is recommended to improve readability. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing device displays the following. An image reading step of reading an image and outputting the read information as digital image data;
If the input characteristics in the image reading step are known, the contents of image processing are determined according to the input characteristics. If the input characteristics in the image reading step are unknown, a statistic obtained from the digital image data is determined. An image processing content determining step of determining image processing content by:
An image processing step of performing a process according to the image processing content determined by the image processing content determining means on the digital image data, and generating digital image data subjected to the process,
An image processing method comprising: It has an input characteristic attaching step, and in the input characteristic attaching step,
If the input characteristics in the image reading step are known, attach the input characteristics to the digital image data;
If the input characteristics in the image reading step are unknown, the input characteristics in the image reading step are estimated by statistics obtained from the digital image, and the estimated input characteristics are attached to the digital image data.
9. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein: The image processing method according to claim 9, wherein in the input characteristic attaching step, the input characteristic is recorded in header information of the digital image data. It has an input characteristic registration step,
In the input characteristic registration step, if the input characteristic in the image reading step is known, the input characteristic is recorded in a predetermined database in association with the digital image data,
When the input characteristic in the image reading step is unknown, the input characteristic is estimated by a statistic obtained from the digital image data, and the input characteristic is recorded in the predetermined database in association with the digital image data.
The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein: The method according to claim 8, further comprising an input characteristic availability notification step of explicitly notifying the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available in an application used by the user. The image processing method according to any one of the above. In the information of the image file according to the digital image data,
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristic of the input device is known or unknown, and the name of an already-processed image process or the name of an image process recommended for improving readability. 13. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein the image processing method includes: Upon displaying a thumbnail of an image according to the digital image data,
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, the name of the image processing that has already been performed, and the name of the image processing that is recommended to improve readability. 14. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein the image is displayed. Image reading means for reading an image and outputting the read information as digital image data;
If the input characteristics of the image reading means are known, the content of image processing is determined according to the input characteristics. If the input characteristics of the image reading means are unknown, a statistic obtained from the digital image data is determined. Image processing content determining means for determining image processing content by:
Image processing means for performing, on the digital image data received from the image reading means, processing in accordance with the image processing content determined by the image processing content determining means, and generating digital image data subjected to the processing;
Image output means for outputting an image according to the digital image data subjected to the processing by the image processing means,
Wherein at least one of the units is interconnected with another unit via a network. Input characteristic attaching means, wherein the input characteristic attaching means comprises:
The input characteristic attaching means,
If the input characteristics of the image reading means is known, attach the input characteristics to the digital image data,
When the input characteristics of the image reading unit are unknown, the input characteristics of the image reading unit are estimated based on statistics obtained from the digital image, and the estimated input characteristics are attached to the digital image data.
The image processing system according to claim 15, wherein: 17. The image processing system according to claim 16, wherein the input characteristic attaching unit records the input characteristic in header information of the digital image data. Equipped with input characteristic registration means and database,
The input characteristic registration means,
If the input characteristics of the image reading means is known, the input characteristics are recorded in the database in association with the digital image data,
If the input characteristic of the image reading means is unknown, the input characteristic is estimated by a statistic obtained from the digital image data, and the input characteristic is recorded in the database in association with the digital image data.
The image processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein: 19. The input characteristic availability notifying means for explicitly notifying the user that the information on the estimated input characteristic is available in an application used by the user, the input characteristic availability notifying unit is provided. The image processing system according to any one of the above. Image file information related to digital image data,
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristic of the input device is known or unknown, and the name of an already-processed image process or the name of an image process recommended for improving readability. The image processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein one of the image processing systems is included. When displaying thumbnails of images related to digital image data,
At least one of the name of the input device, an indication of whether the characteristics of the input device are known or unknown, the name of the image processing that has already been performed, and the name of the image processing that is recommended to improve readability. 21. The image processing system according to claim 15, wherein is displayed.

Images