US Patent 7715643 Image processing apparatus and method, and image pickup apparatus

An image processing device for processing images of background images and moving objects. A region specifying unit specifies a mixed region made up of a mixture of a foreground object component and a background object component, and a non-mixed region made up of one or the other of a foreground object component and a background object component, and outputs region information corresponding to the specifying results. A foreground/background separation unit separates the input image into foreground component images and background component images, corresponding to the region information. A separated image processing unit processes the foreground component images and background component images individually, corresponding to the results of separation.