Image forming method and image forming apparatus

1 . A method of forming an image by performing image processing on each of optically photographed images that belong to one group, comprising the steps of:

performing first image processing and then second image processing on a specific image out of all the images in one group to create a processed image;

storing, in a given memory, at least one image including the specific image out of all the images in one group as an unprocessed image on which at least the second image processing has not been performed; and

reading the specific image stored as the unprocessed image in the memory to output, along with the processed image, a half-processed specific image which is obtained by performing the first image processing but not the second image processing on the specific image.

2 . The image forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the half-processed specific image is stored in the memory as an unprocessed image, and

wherein in creating the processed image by performing the first image processing and then the second image processing on the specific image and outputting the processed image, the half-processed specific image is read out of the memory, in concert with the progress of the second image processing for creating the processed image, to be outputted with the processed image.

3 . The image forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein an unprocessed specific image that has not received the first image processing is stored in the memory, and

wherein in creating the processed image by performing the first image processing and then the second image processing on the specific image and outputting the processed image, the unprocessed specific image that has not received the first image processing is read out of the memory in concert with the progress of the second image processing for creating the processed image, the first image processing is performed on the read image to create the half-processed specific image, and the half-processed specific image are outputted with the processed image.

4 . The image forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the specific image is chosen out of all the images in one group in accordance with an inputted instruction, and

wherein the memory stores the chosen half-processed specific image, which has not received the second image processing.

5 . The image forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the memory stores half-processed images of all images in one group except an image for which the second image processing is judged as unnecessary from information on the image, and

wherein the specific image is automatically chosen, out of the half-processed images that the memory stores, in accordance with the result of analyzing information on the image in a preset manner.

6 . The image forming method according to claim 5 , wherein the information on the image is one of image data, the image's shooting information, and both thereof.

7 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein all the images in one group, including the specific image, are stored in the memory.

8 . The image forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein one of a first mode and a second mode is chosen to form an image,

wherein, in the first mode, the specific image is chosen out of all the images in one group in accordance with an inputted instruction, and the memory stores the unprocessed specific image that has not received the second image processing, and

wherein, in the second mode, the memory stores such an unprocessed image that has not received the second image processing and that is not an image for which the second image processing is judged as unnecessary from information on the image, and the specific image is automatically chosen, out of images stored in the memory, in accordance with an analysis result obtained by analyzing information on the image.

9 . The image forming method according to claim 1 ,

wherein one of a first mode and a second mode is chosen to form an image,

wherein, in the first mode, the specific image is chosen out of all the images in one group in accordance with an inputted instruction, and the memory stores the unprocessed specific image that has not received the second image processing, and

wherein, in the second mode, the memory stores all unprocessed images in one group that have not received the second image processing.

10 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein the second image processing is processing for analyzing information on an image and repairing a defect of an image when an image defect is detected in the image from the result of analyzing information on the image.

11 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein the second image processing includes at least one correction selected from the group consisting of red eye correction, dust/scratch removal, aberration correction due to a lens used to photograph an image, and correction of darkening around an image's edge due to a lens used to photograph the image.

12 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein, in outputting the half-processed image with the created processed image, each of a hard copy on which the processed image is reproduced and a hard copy on which the half-processed specific image is reproduced is outputted to an identical type of recording medium by an identical image recording method.

13 . The image forming method according to claim 12 , wherein the recording medium is printing paper.

14 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein the processed image is reproduced on one side of a hard copy and the specific image in an unprocessed state is reproduced on the other side of the hard copy.

15 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein the specific image is a reference image with which the effect of the second image processing is measured, and is automatically chosen out of all the images in one group by analyzing information on the image.

16 . The image forming method according to claim 15 ,

wherein the specific image is automatically chosen in accordance with the result of analyzing information on the image, and

wherein the memory stores such an unprocessed specific image that has not received the second image processing and that is other than an image for which the second image processing is judged as unnecessary from the analysis result, or the memory stores all the unprocessed images in one group are fed to the memory.

17 . The image forming method according to claim 16 , wherein after all images in one group are stored in the memory, the specific image is chosen out of all the images fed.

18 . The image forming method according to claim 15 ,

wherein all the images in one group receive the second image processing in an order that the images are fed,

wherein a first image of the images in one group that has received the second image processing earlier than any other images in the group is evaluated in accordance with a preset determination standard from the result of the image processing, and the result of the evaluation is stored in the memory,

wherein a second and subsequent processed images on which the second image processing has been performed are sequentially evaluated in accordance with the determination standard, and a process in which, each time the evaluation is made, the result of the evaluation is compared against the evaluation result stored in the memory to store the higher one of the two evaluations in the memory is repeated until the processed image that has been fed last is evaluated, and

wherein an image whose evaluation result remains stored in the memory at the end is chosen as the specific image.

19 . The image forming method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of checking whether the half-processed specific image is effective in demonstrating the effect of the second image processing,

wherein, when the half-processed specific image is confirmed to be effective, the specific image is reproduced and, when the specific image is found to be ineffective, a new specific image is formed under different conditions from conditions under which the ineffective specific image is formed.

20 . The image forming method according to claim 19 , wherein the forming of a new specific image is repeated until the repetition count reaches a given number of times, and if an effective specific image is not obtained at that point, an attempt to form a half-processed specific image anew is stopped.

21 . The image forming method according to claim 19 , wherein the forming of a new specific image is performed by changing at least one of previous conditions of forming the half-processed specific image, a format of reproducing the half-processed specific image, and an image to be selected as the specific image.

22 . The image forming method according to claim 19 ,

wherein the second image processing is red eye correction in which red eye in an image is detected to correct the detected red eye, and

wherein, the effectiveness of the specific image in demonstrating the effect of the second image processing is judged by whether the specific image has detectable red eye, and the specific image is deemed as effective when red eye is detected whereas the specific image is deemed as ineffective when red eye is not detected.

23 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image obtaining section for obtaining, in groups, optically photographed images, each group containing plural images;

a processing section for executing, on an obtained image, one of first image processing, second image processing, and both, in which case the second image processing is performed after the first image processing;

a selection section for selecting, by analyzing information on images, which of the images in one group is to serve as a specific image, the specific image being a reference image with which the effect of the second image processing is demonstrated;

a memory for storing an image chosen by the selection section as a specific image or all images fed including the specific image; and

a sorting section for sending, to the memory, all the images in one group, or all the images in one group except an image for which the second processing is judged as unnecessary from the result of analyzing information on the image, in one of a state before the first processing image is performed and a half-processed state in which the first image processing alone has been performed,

wherein an image that is chosen by the selection section as a specific image is read out of the memory, and a half-processed specific image which is obtained by performing the first image processing but not the second image processing at the processing section is outputted along with a processed image which is obtained by performing the first image processing and the second image processing on the specific image at the processing section.

24 . The image forming method according to claim 23 , wherein the memory stores all images fed, and the selection section selects the specific image after images in one group are all fed to the memory.

25 . The image forming method according to claim 23 ,

wherein images are fed to the processing section sequentially to receive the second image processing,

wherein the memory stores at least one image in one group, and also stores result of evaluation made on the stored image to evaluate the effect of the second image processing in accordance with an evaluation standard, and

wherein the selection section obtains the result of evaluation made in accordance with the evaluation standard on processed image, which have sequentially been fed and received the second image processing, and, each time the evaluation is made, the result of the evaluation is compared against an image's evaluation result stored in the memory, an image that is evaluated higher than the other is stored in the memory as the specific image, thereby replacing the previously stored image, and the selection section ultimately determines, as a specific image, an image that remains stored in the memory when the evaluation result comparison is finished for the image that has been fed last out of the fed images.

26 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image obtaining section for obtaining, in groups, optically photographed images, each group containing plural images;

a processing section for executing, on an obtained image, one of first image processing, second image processing, and both, in which case the second image processing is performed after the first image processing;

a selection section for selecting, from images in one group, at least one image as a specific image; and

a memory for storing an unprocessed image that has not received the second image processing;

wherein the specific image is stored as an unprocessed image in the memory, the specific image is read out of the memory, and a half-processed specific image which is obtained by performing the first image processing but not the second image processing is outputted with a processed image which is obtained by performing the first image processing and the second image processing on the specific image.

27 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 26 , wherein the memory stores the half-processed specific image and the half-processed specific image is read out of the memory and outputted.

28 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 26 , wherein the memory stores as the unprocessed image the specific image which has not received the first image processing, and the stored unprocessed specific image is read out of the memory to receive the first image processing before outputted.

29 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 26 ,

wherein the selection section has at least one of a first selection section for selecting the specific image in accordance with an instruction inputted by an operator and a second selection section for selecting the specific image by analyzing information on the image.

30 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 26 ,

wherein the selection section has a first selection section for selecting the specific image in accordance with an instruction inputted by an operator, and a second selection section for selecting the specific image by analyzing information on the image, and which one of the selection sections is to operate is selected.