1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; an image forming section which forms image patterns for a compensation operation on the image carrier; a detection section which detects the image patterns formed on the image carrier; and a control section which controls at least the image forming section and the detection section, wherein the control section controls the image forming section and the detection section to form the image patterns at a non-image area between image areas on the image carrier, to detect the image patterns as required, and to execute various types of compensation operations for correcting the image forming conditions, and, when a timing of executing a first compensation operation coincides with a timing of executing a second compensation operation and the image pattern for the first compensation operation and the image pattern for the second compensation operation have a non-overlapping relationship at a position where the image patterns are to be formed on the image carrier, controls the image forming section to form both the image patterns in the same non-image area.