Video processing for composite images
First Claim
1. An image composition system comprising:
- a first input for first digital video image signals representing a first video image;
first frame store means for storing a frame of said first digital video image signals;
a second input for second digital video image signals representing a second video image;
second frame store means for storing a frame of said second digital video image signals;
a third input for third digital video image signals representing a first control image;
third frame store means for storing a frame of said third digital video image signals;
said third frame store means storing third digital video image signals having a first value for pixels of a composed image consisting of said first or said second digital video image signals output from one of said first and second frame store means, a second value for pixels of said composed image consisting of said first or of said second digital video image signals output from the other of said first and second frame store means, and respective intermediate values for pixels of the composed image consisting of respective proportions of the first and second digital video image signals output from said first and second frame store means;
addressing means for writing and reading said first, second and third digital video image signals into and from selected addresses of the respective frame store means, said addressing means maintaining upon said reading a desired pixel relationship between said third digital video image signals representing said first control image and said second digital video image signals representing said second video image; and
processor means for forming a composed image by;
(i) selectively outputting the first or the second digital video image signals read from one or from the other of said first and second frame store means when the third digital video image signals representing said first control image have respectively one or the other of said first and second values; and
(ii) combining and outputting the first and the second digital video image signals from said first and from said second frame store means in proportions dependent upon the values of the third digital video image signals representing said first control image when said third digital video image signals have said intermediate values;
wherein said addressing means modify the spatial relationship of the second video image and the first control image represented by the second and third digital video image signals input at said second and third inputs relative to the first video image represented by the first digital video image signals input at said first input to cause said composed image formed by said processor means to show a smooth movement of a portion of said second video image defined by said first control image relative to said first video image due to said modifying of said spatial relationship by said addressing means, before a selection of said spatial relationship for storage of the composed image corresponding to said selection.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A video image composition system and method in which the artist can move an insert cut out of a foreground image relative to a background image while continuously observing on the monitor the instantaneous artistic effects of the varying composition, without any need to make an initial decision on exactly where to pin the insert. A soft-edged control image operates on the foreground image to cut the insert. By using a pen and a tablet, the artist moves the control and foreground images as a unit relative to the background image while being able at all times to view the monitor display of the dynamically changing, full composited image. The artist can thus rapidly assess a great number of different composited images before deciding where and how to pin the insert for the final composited image. An additional control image allows the artist to select from the background image a foreground object which always will be in front of the insert from the foreground image. The insert moving around the background image will then appear to pass behind this foreground object. The foreground and/or background images can be displayed as transparent images to give more artistic freedom in the selection on where and how to pin an insert by making it possible to observe not only what is around the insert but also what is behind or in front of an image portion.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. An image composition system comprising:
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a first input for first digital video image signals representing a first video image; first frame store means for storing a frame of said first digital video image signals; a second input for second digital video image signals representing a second video image; second frame store means for storing a frame of said second digital video image signals; a third input for third digital video image signals representing a first control image; third frame store means for storing a frame of said third digital video image signals; said third frame store means storing third digital video image signals having a first value for pixels of a composed image consisting of said first or said second digital video image signals output from one of said first and second frame store means, a second value for pixels of said composed image consisting of said first or of said second digital video image signals output from the other of said first and second frame store means, and respective intermediate values for pixels of the composed image consisting of respective proportions of the first and second digital video image signals output from said first and second frame store means; addressing means for writing and reading said first, second and third digital video image signals into and from selected addresses of the respective frame store means, said addressing means maintaining upon said reading a desired pixel relationship between said third digital video image signals representing said first control image and said second digital video image signals representing said second video image; and processor means for forming a composed image by; (i) selectively outputting the first or the second digital video image signals read from one or from the other of said first and second frame store means when the third digital video image signals representing said first control image have respectively one or the other of said first and second values; and (ii) combining and outputting the first and the second digital video image signals from said first and from said second frame store means in proportions dependent upon the values of the third digital video image signals representing said first control image when said third digital video image signals have said intermediate values; wherein said addressing means modify the spatial relationship of the second video image and the first control image represented by the second and third digital video image signals input at said second and third inputs relative to the first video image represented by the first digital video image signals input at said first input to cause said composed image formed by said processor means to show a smooth movement of a portion of said second video image defined by said first control image relative to said first video image due to said modifying of said spatial relationship by said addressing means, before a selection of said spatial relationship for storage of the composed image corresponding to said selection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system comprising:
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a first input for first digital signals representing pixels forming a first image; a first framestore for storing a frame of said first digital signals; a second input for second digital signals representing pixels forming a second image; a second framestore for storing a frame of said second digital signals; a third input for first control digital signals representing pixels forming a first control image; a third framestore for storing a frame of said first control signals; said third framestore storing first control signals having a first value for pixels of a composed image based on spatially corresponding first digital signals output from said first framestore, a second value for pixels of said composed image based on spatially corresponding second digital signals output from said second framestore, and intermediate values for pixels of the composed image based on combining proportions of spatially corresponding first and second digital signals in proportions dependent on said intermediate values; address generator circuits coupled with said first, second and third framestores to write and read said first and second digital signals and said first control signals into and from selected addresses of the respective framestores, said address generator circuits maintaining a selected spatial relationship between said second image and said first control image upon reading said second digital signals and said first control signal from the respective framestores; and a processor coupled with said first, second and third framestores to receive said first and second digital signals and said first control Signals read out therefrom and to generate therefrom composed image signals representing pixels of Said composed image where;
(a) for pixels of said composed image corresponding spatially to said first control signals which have said first value, said composed image signals are based on spatially corresponding first digital signals;
(b) for pixels of said composed image corresponding spatially to said first control signals which have said second value, said composed image signals are based on spatially corresponding second digital signals; and
(c) for pixels of said composed image corresponding spatially to said first control signals which have said intermediate values, said composed image signals are based on combining spatially corresponding first digital signals and second digital signals in proportions dependent on spatially corresponding ones of said intermediate values;a monitor coupled to said processor to receive therefrom said composed image signals and display said composed image represented by said composed image signals; and a manually controlled circuit coupled with said address generator circuits to smoothly modify the spatial relationship between said second image and said first control image on the one hand and said first image on the other hand and to cause said monitor to display a corresponding smooth change in said composed image; whereby at least a portion of the second image from the second framestore can be defined by the first control image and moved progressively relative to the first image from the first framestore by selective manual operation of said manually controlled circuit while observing on the monitor the composed image which changes smoothly to show the movement of the defined portion of the second image relative to the first image. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method comprising:
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providing first digital signals representing pixels forming a first image; storing a frame of said first digital signals in a first addressable memory portion; providing second digital signals representing pixels forming a second image; storing a frame of said second digital signals in a second addressable memory portion; providing first control signals representing pixels forming a first control image; storing a frame of said first control signals in a third addressable memory portion; said first control signals having a first value for pixels of a composed image based on one of said first or said second digital signals, a second value for pixels of said composed image based on the other of said first and second digital signals, and intermediate values for pixels of the composed image based on combining proportions of said first and said second digital signals in dependence on said intermediate values; writing and reading said first and said second digital signals and said first control signals into and from selected addresses of the respective memory portions to maintain upon reading a desired spatial relationship between pixels represented by said second digital signals and said first control signals; and forming composed image signals representing the pixels of said composed image by selectively outputting;
(a) first or second digital signals read from said first or from said second memory portions when said first control signals read from said third memory portion have respectively one or the other of said first and second values; and
(b) combining said first and said second digital signals read from said first and second memory portions in proportions dependent upon the values of said first control signals read from said third memory portion when said first control signals have said intermediate values;displaying said composed image; and providing a manual input controlling said addressing to cause the spatial relationship between said second image and said first control image on the one hand and said second image on the other hand to be selectively modified smoothly while said composed image is being displayed to show a resulting smooth change in the displayed composed image; whereby at least a portion of the second image can be defined by the first control image and moved smoothly relative to the first image by selective manual control of the addressing while observing on the monitor said composed image undergoing a smooth spatial change to reflect said movement of the defined portion of the second image relative to the first image. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A method comprising:
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providing first pixel signals representing pixels forming a first image; storing a frame of said first pixel signals in a first addressable memory area; providing second pixel signals representing pixels forming a second image; storing a frame of said second pixel signals in a second addressable memory area; providing first control pixel signals representing pixels forming a first control image; storing a frame of said first control pixel signals in a third addressable memory area as signals having a first value for pixels of a composed image based on one of said first pixel signals and said second pixel signals, a second value for pixels of said composed image based on the other of said first pixel signals and said second pixel signals, and intermediate values for pixels of said composed image based on combining proportions of said first pixel values and said second pixel values; providing addresses for writing and reading said first and second pixel signals and said first control pixel signals into and from selected addresses of the respective memory area to maintain upon reading the respective pixel signals a desired pixel relationship between said second pixel signals and said first control pixel signals; forming composed pixel signals representing the pixels of said composed image by;
(a) selectively outputting pixel signals read from one or from the other of said first memory area and said second memory area when the first control pixel signals have respectively said first value or said second value; and
(b) selectively combining said first and said second pixel signals output from said first memory area and said second memory area in proportions dependent upon the first control pixel values when said first control pixel signals have said intermediate values;displaying said composed image; and manually controlling the step of providing addresses to cause the spatial relationship of the second image together with the first control image to be smoothly and selectively modified relative to the first image; whereby the second image from the second memory area, as defined by said first control image, moves progressively and selectively relative to the first image from the first memory area by said manual control of the addressing while the corresponding selective and progressive spatial changes of the displayed composed image are observable. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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Specification