Color imaging device and method

Claim 1

A color imaging apparatus comprising: imaging means for imaging, in an adjustment mode, an object having different predetermined grey levels from one pre-set region to another; pre-set area extraction means for sequentially extracting color imaging signals of a plurality of pre-set areas in a picture of said imaged object, each of said pre-set areas corresponding to a different one of said pre-set regions of said object having a distinct grey level, each color imaging signal comprising a plurality of color signals; level balance control data generating means for generating level balance control data, for each of said pre-set areas, based on a relationship between signal levels of the color signals contained in each of said pre-set areas, respectively; storage means for storing said level balance control data in a plurality of look-up tables, with each look-up table provided for a different color corresponding to one of said color signals, and each look-up table having a level balance control data entry for its color for each of said grey levels; display means for displaying a graph of said level balance control data of at least one of said look-up tables; adjustment means for adjusting, responsive to a user input, said graph of level balance control data; registration means for registering adjusted level balance control data in the at least one look up table in accordance with said adjusting; and a level balance control section; wherein in an imaging mode, said imaging means is operable to capture an image to generate a plurality of image-mode color signals, and said level balance control section reads out level balance control data from said look-up tables, based on the signal levels of the image-mode color signals, to thereby adjust the levels of said color signals to grey balance the captured image.