Producing video and audio-photos from a static digital image

• US 20050008343A1
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Glenn Peter, Grosvenor, David Arthur, Frohlich, David Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/239
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal

Abstract

Systems and methods of producing video data and/or audio-photos from a static digital image are disclosed. One such method, among others, comprises receiving input from a user indicating sequentially, in real time, a plurality of regions of the static digital image. The method also includes processing the user input to determine the visual content of each of a sequence of video frames and generating output data representative of the sequence of video frames. The sequence and composition of the video frames are determined such that the visual content of the video frames is taken from the static digital image. For each region of the static image indicated by the user, a video frame is composed such that the said region occupies a substantial part of the video frame. The sequence of video frames shows the regions indicated by the user in sequential correspondence with the sequence in which the user indicated the regions and substantially in pace with the time in which the user indicated the regions.

Claims

1. A method of producing video data from a static digital image, comprising:

receiving input from a user indicating sequentially, in real time, a plurality of regions of the static digital image;

processing the user input to determine the visual content of each of a sequence of video frames; and

generating output data representative of the sequence of video frames;

wherein the sequence and composition of the video frames are determined such that;

the visual content of the video frames is taken from the static digital image;

for each region of the static image indicated by the user, a video frame is composed such that the region occupies a substantial part of the video frame; and

the sequence of video frames shows the regions indicated by the user in sequential correspondence with the sequence in which the user indicated the regions and substantially in pace with the time in which the user indicated the regions.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output data comprises a sequence of instructions specifying the position of video frames with respect to the static image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising applying said sequence of instructions to the static digital image to generate video data.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output data comprises a stream of video data.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the video data is generated in real time.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising showing the video substantially in real time with receiving the user'"'"'s input.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving input from a user further comprises displaying the static image and receiving data representative of the user'"'"'s manual movements relative to the image.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein receiving input from a user further comprises displaying the static image on a visual display and superimposing a movable cursor on the image, the cursor being controllable by a cursor control device operable to generate data representative of the user'"'"'s manual movements.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein receiving an activation signal on the cursor control device causes the region pointed to by the cursor to be indicated.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein displaying the static image further comprises printing the image and placing the printed static image on a digitizing tablet operable to detect the movement of a pointing device thereon and to generate data representative of the user'"'"'s manual movements.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein displaying the static image further comprises displaying the static image on a touch sensitive device operable to detect the movement of a pointing device thereon and to generate data representative of the user'"'"'s manual movements.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein receiving data further comprises using a camera directed at the image, the camera having movement processing means operable to detect the user'"'"'s hand movements relative to the image and to generate data representative of the user'"'"'s hand movements.

13. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a region is indicated by a user by pointing to a point within that region.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the visual content of a video frame corresponding to the indicated region is determined by processing means performing visual feature analysis around the point indicated to determine the extent of the region of interest to be included in the video frame.

15. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a region is indicated by a user tracing a shape around that region.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the visual content of a video frame corresponding to the indicated region is determined by processing means plotting a video frame within the traced shape and optimizing the size of the video frame relative to the static image so as to include as much of the traced shape as possible.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the visual content of a video frame corresponding to the indicated region is determined by processing means plotting a video frame outside the traced shape, so as to include substantially all of the traced shape.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the process of receiving input from a user comprises:

using a microphone to receive speech from the user on the subject of the static image;

using speech processing means to analyze the content of the speech; and

using image processing means to locate the regions in the static image relating to the speech content to thereby produce data representative of the indicated regions.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 for use in giving a video presentation, wherein the sequence of video frames shown to an audience is determined in real time in correspondence with regions related to the speech content of a narrator during the video presentation.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sequence of video frames is determined so as to give the effect of panning and zooming between the regions indicated by the user.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the sequence of video frames comprises key video frames corresponding to the regions indicated by the user, and intermediate video frames corresponding to regions between those indicated by the user.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising recording audio narration contemporaneously with receiving the user'"'"'s input.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the output data further comprises the audio narration.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, further comprising saving the output data for subsequent audiovisual reproduction.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising showing the sequence of video frames and replaying the audio narration.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25 for use in giving a video presentation, wherein the sequence of video frames is shown to an audience and the audio narration is replayed to a narrator via an earpiece to act as a prompt for live verbal narration by the narrator.

27. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising displaying the static image, receiving input from a user selecting a region of the static image, and reproducing the audio narration corresponding to that region.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising reproducing the video corresponding to the selected region.

29. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving input from a user comprises

receiving narrative input from a user.

30. A computer program for implementing the method as claimed in claim 1.

31. A computer program stored on a data carrier for implementing the method as claimed in claim 1.

32. Processing means programmed to execute the method as claimed in claim 1.

33. A computer program for generating video data from a static digital image, the computer program controlling a processor to execute the method as claimed in claim 1.

34. A video processing device comprising:

means for receiving input from a user indicating sequentially, in real time, a plurality of regions in a static image;

means for determining the visual content of each of a sequence of video frames in accordance with the user input and for capturing the temporal relationship between the regions as indicated by the user; and

means for generating output data representative of the sequence of video frames;

wherein the sequence and composition of the video frames are determined such that;

the visual content of the video frames is taken from the static digital image;

for a region of the static image indicated by the user, a video frame is composed such that the region occupies a substantial part of the video frame; and

the sequence of video frames shows the regions indicated by the user in sequential correspondence, and substantially temporal correspondence, with the sequence of regions indicated by the user.

35. A method of creating a digital image having accompanying audio, comprising:

receiving input from a user indicating a region in a first digital image;

receiving audio from the user;

cropping the first image to the region indicated by the user, thereby creating a second image comprising the indicated region from the first image; and

associating the audio with the second image.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, further comprising storing the second image and the accompanying audio in the same data file.

37. The method as claimed in claim 35, further comprising storing the second image and the accompanying audio in separate but associated data files.

38. The method as claimed in claim 35, further comprising specifying the second image by storing a set of cropping instructions specifying the position and extent of the second image within the first image.

39. The method as claimed in claim 38, further comprising storing the audio as part of the data file of the first image.

40. The method as claimed in claim 38, further comprising storing the audio in a data file separate from but associated with that of the first image.

41. A computer program for implementing the method as claimed in claim 35.

42. A computer program stored on a data carrier for implementing the method as claimed in claim 35.

43. Processing means programmed to execute the method as claimed in claim 35.

44. A computer program operable to create a digital image having accompanying audio by controlling a processor to execute the method of:

receiving input from a user indicating a region in a first digital image;

receiving audio from the user;

cropping the first image to the region indicated by the user, thereby creating a second image comprising the indicated region from the first image; and

associating the audio with the second image.

45. An image processing device comprising:

means for receiving input from a user indicating a region in a first digital image;

means for receiving audio from the user; and

means for cropping the first image to the region indicated by the user, thereby creating a second image comprising the indicated region from the first image, and for associating the audio with the second image.