A flash-based strategy is used to separate foreground information from background information within image information. In this strategy, a first image is taken without the use of flash. A second image is taken of the same subject matter with the use of flash. The foreground information in the flash image is illuminated by the flash to a much greater extent than the background information. Based on this property, the strategy applies processing to extract the foreground information from the background information. The strategy supplements the flash information by also taking into consideration motion information and color information.