In some examples, luminance-biased sharpening for thermal media printing may include converting an input image to a grayscale luminance representation. For each pixel of a plurality of specified pixels of the converted input image, a sharpening lightness value may be determined. Further, a ratio of the sharpening lightness value to a corresponding original lightness value may be determined. A resulting sharpened pixel may be determined by applying a corresponding value of the determined ratio to each of the specified pixels. A dark correction factor may be applied to the resulting sharpened pixels that are darkened and a light correction factor may be applied to the resulting sharpened pixels that are lightened. Based on application of the dark correction factor and the light correction factor, a sharpened output image corresponding to the input image may be generated.

A method for printing an image on a substrate is provided. The method includes: providing image template data; analyzing the image template data by identifying image components; printing the image using the image template data using a printing procedure based on printing parameters with a printer operating using printer configuration parameters; capturing the printed image; providing captured image data of the captured image; analyzing the captured image data. The analyzing including determining the region of interest within the captured image data based on definition parameters, identifying an image component and an image metric for the region of interest, relating the image metric to the image component, relating the identified image component to the identified image component of the region of interest, selecting parameters based on the image metric and/or the image component, and computing an actual correction parameter based on an optimization computing procedure using the image metric.

An image processing apparatus with a processor and a memory storing instructions, that, when executed, cause the processor to obtain HDR data representing a high-dynamic range (HDR) image, in an image transfer function of the HDR data, a tone of each pixel is defined based on a relative luminance value, to obtain print information to perform printing based on the obtained HDR data, to set luminance information to be a target absolute luminance value, and to perform a luminance conversion on the HDR data so that a tone of each pixel is defined based on an absolute luminance value and the target absolute luminance value being a maximum luminance, to convert a dynamic range of luminance of the HDR data, on which the luminance conversion has been performed, into a dynamic range corresponding to printing of an image on a print medium performed based on the print information.

An image forming system includes: a background member of a black color provided at an opposite side to a reading unit with respect to a conveyance path; and at least one processor configured to form a test chart on a first printing medium based on RIP data corresponding to the test chart, and inspect an inspection target image formed on a second printing medium by an image forming apparatus based on first image data obtained by reading the inspection target image formed on the second printing medium and the RIP data corresponding to the inspection target image. The test chart includes light patch images and dark patch images surrounding the light patch images, and each one of the light patch images and the dark patch images has different density.

An image processing apparatus corrects a measured value obtained by measuring a measurement image formed using a printing element configured to discharge ink, the measured value being used to identify a density characteristic of the printing element. The image processing apparatus obtains a measured value; and corrects the measured value based on a density of the measurement image.

First quantization data for printing by the first nozzle group and second quantization data for printing by the second nozzle group are generated based on multi-valued data. By use of mask patterns, first print data and second print data are generated based on the first quantization data and the second quantization data. The first mask pattern for generating first print data and the second mask pattern for generating second print data are formed so as to include a pixel in which printing of a dot is allowed in both and a pixel in which printing of a dot is not allowed in both. The pixel value of each pixel indicated by the multi-valued data has a correlation with the sum of the number of dots indicated by the first print data and the number of dots indicated by the second print data in the area corresponding to each pixel.

First quantization data for printing by the first nozzle group and second quantization data for printing by the second nozzle group are generated based on multi-valued data. By use of mask patterns, first print data and second print data are generated based on the first quantization data and the second quantization data. The first mask pattern for generating first print data and the second mask pattern for generating second print data are formed so as to include a pixel in which printing of a dot is allowed in both and a pixel in which printing of a dot is not allowed in both. The pixel value of each pixel indicated by the multi-valued data has a correlation with the sum of the number of dots indicated by the first print data and the number of dots indicated by the second print data in the area corresponding to each pixel.

An image processing apparatus comprises: a first obtainment unit configured to obtain HDR data which represents a high-dynamic range (HDR) image; a second obtainment unit configured to obtain print information to perform printing based on the HDR data obtained by the first obtainment unit; a setting unit configured to set luminance information to be a target of the HDR data obtained by the first obtainment unit; and a conversion unit configured to convert a dynamic range of luminance of the HDR data, which has been obtained by the first obtainment unit and has been set by the setting unit with the luminance information to be the target, into a dynamic range by which printing is to be performed based on the print information obtained by the second obtainment unit.

In some examples, luminance-biased sharpening for thermal media printing may include converting an input image to a grayscale luminance representation. For each pixel of a plurality of specified pixels of the converted input image, a sharpening lightness value may be determined. Further, a ratio of the sharpening lightness value to a corresponding original lightness value may be determined. A resulting sharpened pixel may be determined by applying a corresponding value of the determined ratio to each of the specified pixels. A dark correction factor may be applied to the resulting sharpened pixels that are darkened and a light correction factor may be applied to the resulting sharpened pixels that are lightened. Based on application of the dark correction factor and the light correction factor, a sharpened output image corresponding to the input image may be generated.

Conventionally, three-dimensional appearance of an output image in an output apparatus such as a printer or display differs from that of an input image in that output characteristics of the output apparatus that influences sharpness of an image is not considered. According to an embodiment of this present invention, an image processing apparatus sets an image processing condition for executing image processing, that is set based on output characteristics of an output apparatus and image characteristics related information obtained when image data is obtained, and performs image processing for the image data using information equivalent to a distance from a focal plane at the time of image-capturing an object and the set image processing condition.