Image processing apparatus

Claim 2

An image processing apparatus for processing a photographic image comprising: an image processing unit for subjecting digital image data of a photographic image to image processing; an image buffer for storing the image data processed in said image processing unit; and a recording device for recording the processed digital image data on a recording medium, wherein the processed digital image data is output in parallel to both the recording device for recording on a recording medium, and an external printer for printing the photographic image, wherein said image processing unit includes a color/gradation processing unit for correcting color and gradation of digital image data of the photographic image, a scale convention processing unit for enlarging and reducing the digital image data of the photographic image, a dynamic range processing unit for compressing and expanding a dynamic range of the digital image data of one frame of the photographic image and a sharpness processing unit for enhancing a sharpness of the digital image data of the photographic image, and carries out color/gradation processing, scale conversion processing, dynamic range processing and a sharpness processing in parallel.

Claim 3

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said external printer outputs a finished photographic print on which said processed image data is recorded and wherein said recording device records said processed image data of the finished photographic print on a recording medium.

Claim 4

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said image processing unit carries out image processing by pipeline processing.

Claim 5

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said digital image data is image data of the photographic image photoelectrically read out at a low resolution by an image reading apparatus.

Claim 6

The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a condition setting unit for setting image processing conditions of said image processing unit.

Claim 7

An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a compression/expansion unit for compressing the digital image data to be stored by the recording device and expanding the compressed image data read out by the recording device.

Claim 8

An image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said image processing unit carries out image processing on high resolution digital image data of the photographic image photoelectrically read out at a high resolution after the image processing conditions have been set by the condition setting unit.

Claim 9

The image processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the condition setting unit sets image processing conditions of the image processing unit based on data of the photographic image photoelectrically read out at a low resolution.

Claim 10

The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the recording device records the processed digital image data on a computer readable recording medium.

Claim 11

The image processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable recording medium is a floppy disk.

Claim 12

The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the recording device records the processed digital image data on a magneto-optical recording medium.

Claim 13

The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processed digital image data is simultaneously output to both the recording device and external printer.

Claim 14

A digital photoprinter, comprising: a scanner for scanning a photographic image and producing digital image data; an image processing apparatus for subjecting the digital image data to image processing, and including an image buffer for storing the processed digital image data and a recording device for recording the processed digital image data on a recording medium, wherein said image processing unit includes a color/gradation processing unit for correcting color and gradation of digital image data of the photographic image, a scale convention processing unit for enlarging and reducing the digital image data of the photographic image, a dynamic range processing unit for compressing and expanding a dynamic range of the digital image data of one frame of the photographic image and a sharpness processing unit for enhancing a sharpness of the digital image data of the photographic image, and carries out color/gradation processing, scale conversion processing, dynamic range processing and a sharpness processing in parallel; and a printer for printing the photographic image from the processed digital image data, wherein the processed digital image data is output in parallel to both the recording device and the printer.

Claim 15

A digital photoprinter, comprising: a scanner for scanning a photographic image and producing digital image data; an image processing apparatus for subjecting the digital image data to image processing, and including an image buffer for storing the processed digital image data and a recording device for recording the processed digital image data on a recording medium, wherein said image processing unit includes a color/gradation processing unit for correcting color and gradation of digital image data of the photographic image, a scale convention processing unit for enlarging and reducing the digital image data of the photographic image, a dynamic range processing unit for compressing and expanding a dynamic range of the digital image data of one frame of the photographic image and a sharpness processing unit for enhancing a sharpness of the digital image data of the photographic image, and carries out color/gradation processing, scale conversion processing, dynamic range processing and a sharpness processing in parallel; and a printer for printing the photographic image from the processed digital image data, wherein the processed digital image data is output in parallel to both the recording device and the printer.

Claim 16

The digital photoprinter of claim 13 , wherein the scanner photoelectrically generates the digital image data.

Claim 17

The digital photoprinter of claim 13 , wherein the processed digital image data is simultaneously output to both the recording device and the printer.

Claim 18

The digital photoprinter according to claim 13 , wherein the image processing apparatus includes an image data bus for inputting and outputting image data, which includes the digital image data and the processed digital image data, and a control bus for inputting and outputting control data.

Claim 19

The digital photoprinter of claim 13 , wherein the image processing apparatus carries out image processing by pipeline processing.

Claim 20

The digital photoprinter of claim 13 , wherein the scanner produces low resolution digital image data for setting image processing conditions of the image processing apparatus and high resolution digital image data for processing based on the set image processing conditions.

Claim 21

The digital photoprinter of claim 13 , wherein the recording device records the processed digital image data on a computer readable recording medium.

Claim 22

The digital photoprinter of claim 13 , wherein the recording device records the processed digital image data on a magneto-optical recording medium.

Claim 23

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an image data bus for inputting and outputting image data, which includes the digital image data and the processed image data, and a control bus for inputting and outputting control data.