Method of judging background/foreground position relationship between

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of judging the back-and-forth positional relationship between subjects. Amounts of horizontal movement of the subjects which are detected for detecting areas set in an image area constituting a 2D image are compared after being assigned plus or minus signs depending on the direction of the movement, thereby to classify all the detecting areas into two types of detecting areas in such a manner that the detecting areas where a relatively large amount of horizontal movement is detected are taken as first detecting areas, while the detecting areas where a relatively small amount of horizontal movement is detected are taken as second detecting areas. A target area is set in a peripheral portion in the image area, to judge which of the total number of first detecting areas existing in the target area and the total number of second detecting areas existing in the target area is larger. It is judged that the subjects in all the detecting areas whose total number existing in the target area is judged to be larger are positioned behind the subjects in all the detecting areas whose total number existing in the target area is judged to be smaller.