DIRECTOR-STYLE BASED 2D TO 3D MOVIE CONVERSION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120194506A1
• Filed: 02/01/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Legend3D, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Legend3D, Inc.
• Inventors: PASSMORE, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/50 Lighting effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/32 Image data format
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion

Abstract

Automated or semi-automated conversion of 2D movies into 3D movies through generation and use of director-style statistics or characteristics to determine which processes to apply to convert regions of images based on the director'"'"'s movie making style, without requiring the creation, moving or reshaping of masks. System works by breaking a movie down into scenes and shots and identifying lighting, lens, camera moves and color schemes habitually utilized by a director. The characteristics or statistical information is stored in a database accessible by a computer over a network for example. Swarms of computers or any other architecture employing any required amount of computing power allows for the desired speed of conversion to take place. Once a director'"'"'s style has been analyzed, embodiments utilize the director-style characteristics to determine the specific processes to utilize to convert the movie from 2D to 3D.

Claims

1. A system for director-style based 2D to 3D movie conversion comprising:

memory configured to store at least one director-style characteristic;

at least one computer configured to

break a series of related images comprising a motion picture made by a particular director into one or more shots that each comprise one or more two-dimensional or 2D format images;

analyze a current shot selected from said one or more shots and determine at least one director-style characteristic associated with said current shot;

access a director-style parameters data structure in said memory to obtain existing director-style characteristics associated with said particular director;

check said existing director-style characteristics accessed from said director-style parameter data structure to determine if any existing director-style shot associated with said particular director have said at least one director-style characteristic associated with said current shot;

compare said at least one director-style characteristic associated with said current shot with said existing director-style characteristics associated with said existing director-style shot and

if said current shot is not similar to any said existing director-style shot,

accept inputs for processing component settings and store said processing component settings in said memory;

or

if said current shot is similar to any said existing director-style shot,

retrieve said processing component settings associated with said existing director-style shot and store said processing component settings in said memory to convert said current shot from 2D to 3D format;

apply said processing component settings to said processing components;

convert said shot from said 2D to said 3D format; and

,

accept any modifications to said processing component settings and update said director-style parameters data structure associated with said current shot.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises camera characteristics.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises camera characteristics comprising an estimated focal length.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises camera characteristics comprising an estimated field of view.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises lighting characteristics.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises lighting characteristics comprising a first brightness in an area of said one or more 2D format images that denotes a background distance.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises lighting characteristics comprising a second brightness in an area of said one or more 2D format images that denotes a midrange distance.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises lighting characteristics comprising a third brightness in an area of said 2D one or more format images that denotes a foreground distance.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises color characteristics.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises color characteristics comprising a first color and/or first saturation in an area of said one or more 2D format images that denotes a background distance.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises color characteristics comprising a second color and/or second saturation in an area of said one or more 2D format images that denotes a midrange distance.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said director-style characteristic comprises color characteristics comprising a third color and/or second saturation in an area of said one or more 2D format images that denotes a foreground distance.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to operate in conjunction with a positive integer number of other computers to convert said movie from said 2D format images to said 3D format.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to white balance a shot before said analyze said shot occurs.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to obtain an order in which to execute said processing components.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to tween processing component settings between keyframes.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to display and obtain settings for workflow status values associated with said shot.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to display and obtain a depth range for said one or more 2D format images.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to utilize face recognition software to automatically apply depth to said one or more 2D format images.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one computer is further configured to utilize texture detection software to automatically apply depth to said one or more 2D format images.