APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMAGE DATA ENCODING

An image processing apparatus entropy encodes plural encoding target data by using a first entropy encoding table to provide respective data amounts of plural encoded data and compares the data amounts of plural encoded data with each other. One of the plural encoding target data is selected according to the result of the comparison and a second entropy encoding table is produced according to the content of the selected encoding target data. The apparatus then entropy encodes the selected encoding target data utilizing the second entropy encoding table.