An image processing method for converting a first image that is expressed in a colorimetric system made up of a plurality of color components and comprises a plurality of pixels each having color information corresponding to one of the color components into a second image that comprises a plurality of pixels each having at least a common type of color information, includes: a color judgment step that includes a color difference information generation step in which color difference information is generated for a processing target pixel in the second image by using color information in the first image through one of at least three different methods and a color evaluation step in which a color evaluation is individually executed for each of processing target pixels in the second image by using the color difference information; and an image conversion step in which the first image is converted to the second image based upon results of the color evaluation executed in the color judgment step.

The use of the orientation-sensitive interpolation filter coefficients generates the RGB signal values that are substantially same as those with the prior art filter coefficients for image data without abrupt intensity gradients. At the same time, the use of the same orientation-sensitive interpolation filter coefficients also helps generate the RGB signal values that represent the substantially reduced colors on the black-and-white horizontal stripes.

The first image processing apparatus that converts a first image having a plurality of pixels and expressed in a first calorimetric system constituted of a plurality of color components with each of the pixels corresponding to one of the color components to a second image expressed in a second calorimetric system constituted of a plurality of color components which are different from the first calorimetric system, comprises: a similarity decision-making device that determines levels of similarity manifesting at a processing object pixel in the first image along a plurality of directions; and a new component generating device that generates color information representing at least one of the color components constituting the second calorimetric system at a pixel in the second image corresponding to the processing object pixel through a weighted addition executed by using predetermined coefficients to add together a plurality of sets of color information selected from color information present at the processing object pixel and color information present at pixels near the processing object pixel, based upon results of a decision made with regard to the levels of similarity by the similarity decision-making device.

The present invention relates to interpolating a missing color value of a given pixel in an array of pixels. The missing color value is determined from color values of neighboring pixels using a median-based technique in which the median is taken of the four pixels values of the horizontally and vertically neighboring pixels (G1 G4) having a same color as the missing color value, and color information from at least one other color (R/B) at the given pixel.