IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

To perform suitable subject tracking by switching matching methods according to an imaging situation and the state of a subject.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus tracks an image of a predetermined subject included in an input picked-up image, and the image processing apparatus has: first acquisition means that acquires the picked-up image; tracking means that executes tracking processing of identifying the position of the image of the predetermined subject included in the picked-up image, the tracking means including first tracking means and second tracking means each executing the tracking processing in a different matching method; second acquisition means that acquires situation information indicating at least one of the state of the predetermined subject and the imaging situation of the picked-up image; and control means that, based on the situation information, switches between the first tracking means and the second tracking means to execute the tracking processing on the picked-up image acquired by the first acquisition means. The matching method adopted for the first tracking means consumes less power related to the execution of the tracking processing than the matching method adopted for the second tracking means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】撮像状況や被写体の状態に応じてマッチング方式を切り替えて好適な被写体追尾を行う。【解決手段】画像処理装置は、入力された撮像画像に含まれる所定の被写体の像を追尾する画像処理装置であって、撮像画像を取得する第１の取得手段と、撮像画像に含まれる所定の被写体の像の位置を特定する追尾処理を実行する追尾手段であって、各々異なるマッチング方式で追尾処理を実行する第１の追尾手段と第２の追尾手段とを含む追尾手段と、所定の被写体の状態及び撮像画像の撮像状況の少なくともいずれかを示す状況情報を取得する第２の取得手段と、状況情報に基づいて、第１の取得手段により取得された撮像画像について第１の追尾手段と第２の追尾手段のいずれを用いて追尾処理を行うかを切り替える制御手段と、を有し、第１の追尾手段に採用されるマッチング方式は、第２の追尾手段に採用されるマッチング方式よりも、追尾処理の実行に係る消費電力が少ない。【選択図】図１