Multi-Take Compositing of Digital Media Assets

• US 20080255687A1
• Filed: 04/14/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Eppolito, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

Methods, graphical user interfaces, computer apparatus and computer readable medium for producing media content are disclosed. For example, a user of a computing device can utilize the methods, graphical user interfaces, computer apparatus, and computer readable medium to edit the media content. In one embodiment, the media content pertains to media tracks, such as audio or video tracks. The media content can be a plurality of individual media tracks that can be segmented and the resulting segments from different media tracks can be combined into a composite media track.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for producing a composite media asset from a plurality of digital media assets, said method comprising:

accessing a plurality of digital media assets;

forming media segments with respect to the digital media assets; and

receiving selections of the media segments from one or more of the digital media assets.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

combining the selected media segments into a composite audio recording.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

concurrently displaying the digital media assets.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital media assets are individual recordings.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein said accessing comprises recording the individual recordings.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

resizing at least one of the media segments.

7. A computer-implemented method for producing a composite audio recording from a plurality of individual recordings, said method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of individual recordings;

concurrently displaying the individual recordings;

configuring transition points with respect to the individual recordings, thereby forming media segments with respect to the individual recordings;

receiving selections of the media segments from different ones of the individual recordings; and

combining the selected media segments into a composite audio recording.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said displaying operates to display the individual recordings in an adjacent manner.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the individual recordings are different takes of a particular audio content.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the individual recordings are of substantially the same length.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said displaying operates to concurrently display the individual recordings left-to-right with the individual recordings being arranged vertically stacked one on another.

12. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the transition points are the same for all of the individual recordings.

13. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said configuring of each of the transition points forms an media segment with respect to each of the individual recordings.

14. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the media segments for each of the individual recordings are aligned.

15. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said method further comprises:

moving at least one of the transition points.

16. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said method further comprises:

sizing at least one of the transition points into a transition region; and

associating a transition effect to the transition region.

17. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the transition effect is at least one of a crossfade, fade out, or fade in.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the transition effect is a fade of a configurable type.

19. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the selected media segments are displayed in a visually distinctive manner as compared to other non-selected media segments.

20. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said method further comprises:

playing the composite audio recording.

21. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said method further comprises:

subsequently receiving at least one selection that differs from the previously selected media segments; and

combining the currently selected media segments to update the composite audio recording.

22. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the media segments are audio segments.

23. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the media segments are video segments.

24. A graphical user interface for producing a composite digital media asset from a plurality of available digital media assets, said graphical user interface comprising:

a time line;

a plurality of digital media track representations displayed with respect to said time line, the digital media track representations corresponding to and representing available digital media asset tracks;

at least one region indicator that denotes different regions for the available digital media asset tracks, the at least one region indicator being user configurable; and

a user control that enables a user to select one or more of the available digital media asset tracks for utilization in each of the different regions.

25. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 24, wherein said user control enables the user to interact with the digital media track representations to select the one or more of the available digital media asset tracks for utilization in each of the different regions.

26. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 24, wherein said graphical user interface comprises:

a composite media track representation displayed with respect to said time line, the composite media track representation corresponding to and representing a composite media track formed from the selected one or more of the available digital media asset tracks.

27. A graphical user interface for producing a composite media asset from a plurality of individual assets, said graphical user interface comprising:

a time line;

a plurality of individual media track representations displayed with respect to said time line, the individual media track representations corresponding to and representing individual media tracks; and

a composite media track representation displayed with respect to said time line, the composite media track representation corresponding to and representing a composite media track formed from different portions of the individual media tracks.

28. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 27, wherein the different portions of the individual media tracks are user-selectable.

29. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 28, wherein after or as one or more of the different portions of the individual media tracks are selected, said composite media track representation is automatically updated.

30. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 27, wherein said graphical user interface further comprises:

at least one segment established with respect to the media track representations.

31. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 27, wherein said graphical user interface further comprises:

a least one transition point established with respect to the media track representations.

32. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 31, wherein said at least one transition point forms at least one media segment for each of the individual media track representations.

33. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 27, wherein the different portions of the individual media tracks are segments.

34. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 33, wherein the segments for each of the individual media track representations are individually selectable.

35. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 34, wherein for each of the segments of a given time period, the segment corresponding to one of the media track representations is selected.

36. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 35, wherein after or as the segments are selected, said composite media track representation is automatically updated.

37. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 34, wherein the selected one of the media track representations that is selected for each of the segments of a given time period is visually distinctively identified from other of the segments of the given time period that are not selected.

38. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 33, wherein said graphical user interface further comprises:

a resize user interface control configured to enable a user to alter a transition point into a transition region having a transition duration.

39. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 38, wherein said graphical user interface further comprises:

a transition effect user interface control configured to enable a user to designate a transition effect to be applied in the transition region.

40. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 27, wherein the individual media track representations are waveforms of audio content of audio tracks.

41. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 40, wherein the composite media track representation is a waveform that is a composite of certain portions of certain portions of the waveform.

42. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 27, wherein at least a plurality of individual media tracks are re-takes of generally common audio content.

43. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for producing a composite audio recording from a plurality of digital media assets, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for obtaining a plurality of digital media assets;

computer program code for concurrently displaying the digital media assets;

computer program code for forming regions with respect to the digital media assets;

computer program code for receiving selections of the regions from different ones of the digital media assets; and

computer program code for forming a composite recording based on the region selections.

44. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 43, wherein the different regions of the digital media assets are user-selectable.

45. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 44, wherein after or as one or more of the different regions of the digital media assets are selected, said composite audio track representation is automatically updated.

46. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 43, wherein the digital media assets and the composite recording are audio recordings.

47. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 43, wherein said computer program code for displaying operates to display the digital media assets in an adjacent manner.

48. A computer-implemented method for producing a composite audio recording from a plurality of individual recordings, said method comprising:

displaying a first audio track representation, the first audio track representation including a waveform of audio content of a first audio track;

displaying a second audio track representation, the second audio track representation including a waveform of audio content of a second audio track;

displaying a first transition indicator, the first transition indicator being displayed across both the first audio track representation and the second audio track representation;

segmenting the first audio track into a plurality of segments based on at least the first transition indicator;

segmenting the second audio track into a plurality of segments based on at least the first transition indicator;

receiving a first user selection of one of the segments of the first audio track or the second audio track as a first selected segment;

receiving a second user selection of one of the segments of the first audio track or the second audio track as a second selected segment, the second selected segment being from a different one of the audio tracks than the audio track associated with the first selected segment; and

displaying a composite audio track representation, the composite audio track representation including a waveform of audio content of a composite audio track, the composite audio track representation is a waveform that is a composite from (i) at least a portion of the waveform of audio content of the first audio track or the second audio track corresponding to the first selected segment and (ii) at least a portion of the waveform of audio content of the first audio track or the second audio track corresponding to the second selected segment.

49. A computing apparatus, comprising:

an audio pickup device suitable for obtaining multiple takes of a particular audio recording;

a display device capable of concurrently displaying a representation of the multiple takes;

a memory configured to store at least audio content pertaining to the multiple takes; and

a processing device operatively connected to said audio pickup device, said display device and said memory, said processing device operating to at least;

cause the multiple takes to be displayed on the display device in an adjacent manner;

form regions with respect to the multiple takes;

receive region selections from the regions formed with respect to the multiple takes; and

associating audio segments associated with the region selections to form a composite audio recording.

50. A computing apparatus as recited in claim 49, wherein said processor is further configured to play the composite audio recording.