IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS

The present invention provides an image processing apparatus that constantly and efficiently obtains stable high-grade images. Sorting means sorts a target image into a first site and a second site. Extraction means and statistical-amount acquisition means extract the characteristic amounts of at least two pixels contained in at least either the first or second site and determine the statistical amount of the characteristic amounts for at least either the first or second site. Transformation means transforms pixel values based on the statistical amount. Dynamic-range compression processing is executed depending on the characteristic of the target image and in a manner optimal to the features of this image.