Image processing apparatus and method

Claim 1

An image processing apparatus, comprising: display means for displaying plural sources of first and second additional information to be embedded into input image data; first input means for selecting and inputting first additional information of one of the plural sources of first additional information by a first data input method; second input means for selecting and inputting second additional information from one of the plural sources of second additional information by a second data input method different from said first data input method; selection means for selecting one of said first input means or said second input means; embedding means connected to said first input means, said second input means and said selection means, for embedding the first additional information or second additional information selected by the selection means into input image data so that said additional information cannot be easily identified by a human eye in a visible image formed in accordance with said input image data; and output means connected to said embedding means, for outputting the image data to which said additional information is embedded by said embedding means, wherein said input image data is converted into a plurality of generated frequency components, and wherein said first additional information or second additional information is embedded into only a specific component of the plurality of generated frequency components, the specific component comprising high-frequency components.