Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

1. An image processing apparatus that selects images for digest reproduction from a plurality of images, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor or circuit configured to perform the operations of the following units:

(a) an information acquisition unit configured to acquire, for every image, shooting information including information on a lens used in shooting the images;

(b) an image evaluation unit configured to derive evaluation values for images based on the shooting information and an evaluation criterion; and

(c) an image selection unit configured to select images for digest reproduction by ranking images based on the evaluation values,

wherein the image evaluation unit derives the evaluation values of the images using different evaluation criteria based on a characteristics of the lens used in shooting the images.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shooting information includes information relating to lens type as the information on the lens used in shooting the images, and

wherein the image evaluation unit classifies the plurality of images by lens type, and sets a selection number according to the number of classified images for every lens type.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image selection unit selects, with regard to the images ranked based on the evaluation values, a plurality of images that are determined based on a predetermined reproduction time in descending order of the evaluation values.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor or circuit is further configured to perform the operations of:

(d) a reproduction unit configured to rearrange and to combine the selected images in chronological order as a single moving image, and to reproduce the moving image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shooting information includes object information detected from the images.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the object information includes a position and a size of the object, and

wherein the evaluation values are calculated using the object information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor or circuit is further configured to perform the operation of:

(d) an expression detection unit configured to detect an expression of a face,

wherein the object is the face of a person, and the object information includes at least one of a position, a size, a distance from a screen center, and a smile factor of the face.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation values are calculated using angular velocity information detected by a gyroscope sensor or an acceleration vector information detected by an acceleration sensor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case of selecting a moving image as the image, the evaluation value is calculated using a motion vector of the object.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor or circuit is further configured to perform the operations of:

(d) a determination unit configured to determine a shooting scene of images,

wherein the image evaluation unit sets a high evaluation value for an image shot with a lens suited to the determined scene.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation value is calculated using a contrast evaluation value obtained from an image, and

wherein a higher contrast evaluation value is set the stronger a strength of an edge portion within a screen.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the image evaluation unit sets a higher evaluation value for a lens with a greater focal length than for a lens with a lesser focal length, in a case of evaluating edge portions of equivalent strength, with regard to the contrast evaluation value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the image evaluation unit sets a higher evaluation value for a fixed focal length lens than for a zoom lens, in a case when the evaluation values are equivalent.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processing apparatus is an interchangeable lens-type image capturing apparatus, and

wherein the image evaluation unit sets a higher evaluation value for an image shot with a lens currently mounted in the image capturing apparatus.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor or circuit is further configured to perform the operations of:

(d) a lens information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the lens currently mounted in the image capturing apparatus, information on the lens.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising a display unit configured to display information on the lens currently mounted in the image capturing apparatus at a time of digest reproduction.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image evaluation unit derives the evaluation values of the images using different evaluation criteria based on the focal length of the lens used in shooting the images.

18. An image processing method that selects images for digest reproduction from a plurality of images, the method comprising:

acquiring, for every image, shooting information including information on a lens used in shooting the images;

deriving evaluation values for images based on the shooting information and an evaluation criterion; and

selecting images for digest reproduction by ranking images based on the evaluation values,

wherein, in deriving the evaluation values of the images, deriving the evaluation values of the images using different evaluation criteria based on characteristics of the lens used in shooting the images.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method that selects images for digest reproduction from a plurality of images, the method comprising:

acquiring, for every image, shooting information including information on a lens used in shooting the images;

deriving evaluation values for images based on the shooting information and an evaluation criterion; and

selecting images for digest reproduction by ranking images based on the evaluation values,

wherein, in deriving the evaluation values of the images, deriving the evaluation values of the images using different evaluation criteria based on characteristics of the lens used in shooting the images.