Automatic Avatar Creation

• US 20110292051A1
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nelson, Alex Tremain, Bray, Cédric, Goossens, Thomas, Serlet, Bertrand, van der Merwe, Rudolph, Crandall, Richard E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,692,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/467
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships

Abstract

A three-dimensional (“3D”) avatar can be automatically created that resembles the physical appearance of an individual captured in one or more input images or video frames. The avatar can be further customized by the individual in an editing environment and used in various applications, including but not limited to gaming, social networking and video conferencing.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving one or more digital images of an individual;

determining, in a computer, digital representations of facial elements of the individual from the one or more digital images;

searching a population of avatars using a genetic process, where the genetic process includes using the computer to evaluate the overall fitness of the avatars using a fitness function that compares the digital representations of the individual'"'"'s facial elements to digital representations of corresponding avatar facial elements; and

selecting or receiving a selection of one or more avatars from the population of avatars based on fitness values associated with the avatars.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining digital representations of facial elements of the individual, further comprises:

image processing the input images to identify the individual'"'"'s facial elements; and

generating binary masks or images for the identified facial elements.

3. The method of claim 1, where the digital representations of the corresponding avatar facial elements are binary masks.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing the genetic process by randomly generating a population of avatars having the facial elements.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing the genetic process by seeding the avatar population with avatars having the facial elements.

6. The method of claim 1, where evaluating the overall fitness of the avatars using a fitness function, further comprises:

calculating fitness values for individual facial elements of the avatars; and

calculating the overall fitness values for the avatars based on the individual fitness values.

7. The method of claim 6, where the overall fitness function is given by

8. The method of claim 1, where the facial elements are from a group of facial elements including face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin and hair.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preprocessing the input images using one or more of the following processes;

resizing, color space conversion, inverted square root y channel, fine texture, cartoon texture and face detection.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the selected one or more avatars on a touch sensitive display; and

receiving input from the touch sensitive display selecting an avatar.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and including instructions, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving one or more digital images of an individual;

determining, in a computer, digital representations of facial elements of the individual from the one or more digital images;

searching a population of avatars using a genetic process, where the genetic process includes using the computer to evaluate the overall fitness of the avatars using a fitness function that compares the digital representations of the individual'"'"'s facial elements to digital representations of corresponding avatar facial elements; and

selecting or receiving a selection of one or more avatars from the population of avatars based on fitness values associated with the avatars.

12. The system of claim 11, where determining digital representations of facial elements of the individual, further comprises:

image processing the input images to identify the individual'"'"'s facial elements; and

generating binary masks or images for the identified facial elements.

13. The system of claim 11, where the digital representations of the corresponding avatar facial elements are binary masks.

14. The system of claim 11, where evaluating the overall fitness of the avatars using a fitness function, further comprises:

calculating individual fitness values for the facial elements of the avatars; and

calculating the overall fitness values for the avatars based on the individual fitness values.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

preprocessing the input images using one or more of the following processes;

resizing, color space conversion, inverted square root y channel, fine texture, cartoon texture and face detection.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

presenting the selected one or more avatars on a touch sensitive display; and

receiving input from the touch sensitive display selecting an avatar.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving one or more digital images of an individual;

determining, in a computer, digital representations of facial elements of the individual from the one or more digital images;

searching a population of avatars using a genetic process, where the genetic process includes using the computer to evaluate the overall fitness of the avatars using a fitness function that compares the digital representations of the individual'"'"'s facial elements to digital representations of corresponding avatar facial elements; and

selecting or receiving a selection of one or more avatars from the population of avatars based on fitness values associated with the avatars.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, where determining digital representations of facial elements of the individual, further comprises:

image processing the input images to identify the individual'"'"'s facial elements; and

generating binary masks or images for the identified facial elements.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, where the digital representations of the corresponding avatar facial elements are binary masks.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, where evaluating the overall fitness of the avatars using a fitness function, further comprises:

calculating fitness values for individual facial elements of the avatars; and

calculating the overall fitness values for the avatars based on the individual fitness values.