Video editing by locating segment boundaries and reordering segment sequences

• US 5,537,530 A
• Filed: 01/23/1995
• Issued: 07/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Edgar, Albert D., Penn, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fetting, Anton W.
• Application Number:
  US08/376,696
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 395/152-157, 345/119, 360/14.2, 348/700, 382/190
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/49 Segmenting video sequences, i.e. computational techniques such as parsing or cutting the sequence, low-level clustering or determining units such as shots or scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• 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: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/142 Detection of scene cut or scene change
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/179 the unit being a scene or a shot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/87 involving scene cut or scene change detection in combination with video compression

Abstract

Frames associated with sequences of video source material representing a series of scene changes are digitized. A computerized process analyzes the digitized information and identifies one or more frames of the source material associated with and representative of each such scene change and/or sequence. The representative frames are displayed, A selected frame from the display will thereby cause automatic selection and association of a sequence of frames comprising a corresponding video sequence from which the frame was selected for subsequent playback, In a preferred embodiment, the entirety of the representative frames or a subset thereof are specified and ordered. The order of the corresponding frames of video segments or scenes corresponding to each such selected and ordered representative frame are thereby automatically also ordered. Simplified video editing is accomplished by manipulating these representative frames, each associated with a different scene or video sequence.

Claims

1. A method for use in a computer system for editing video comprised of a sequence of video segments comprising

automatically analyzing with said system contents of said video said analyzing step comprising the steps of;

deriving characteristics of different images of said video segments corresponding to palette and composition; and

generating fingerprints corresponding to said different images;

automatically selecting, in response to said analyzing, video segment frame boundaries between said segments with said computer, said automatically selecting step comprising the step of

generating first weighting functions each associated with different images of said one of said segments of video and corresponding to the past;

displaying indicators each corresponding to and representing one of said boundaries; and

automatically detecting a most representative image from said different images of said one of said segments comprising the steps of

determining a change difference between images comprising said one of said segments;

measuring the average of said change difference between said images; and

selecting as said most representative image one of said images in said one of said segments with the lowest said average.

2. The method of claim 1 further including

selecting one of said indicators;

and

displaying one of said video segments comprised of a sequence of frames of said video corresponding to said one of said indicators in response to said selecting.

3. The method of claim 2 including

selecting a next one of said indicators;

and

displaying a next one of said video segments comprised of a next sequence of frames of said video corresponding to said next one of said indicators in response to said selecting a next one of said indicators.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said one of said indicators corresponds to a frame of video from said sequence of frames and said next one of said indicators corresponds to a frame of video from a said next sequence of frames.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of displaying indicators comprises

displaying said indicators in a physical sequence corresponding to a sequence in which one of said said segments of video and said next one of said segments of video is to be displayed.

6. The method of claim 5 further including reordering said indicators after said displaying of said indicators in said physical sequence to change said physical sequence and further to change said corresponding sequence in which said one of said segments of video and said next one of said segments of video is to be displayed.

7. Apparatus for use in a computer system for editing video comprised of a sequence of video segments, comprising

means for automatically analyzing with said system contents of said video, said means for analyzing comprising

means for deriving characteristics of different images of said video segments corresponding to palette and composition;

means for generating fingerprints corresponding to said different images;

means for automatically selecting, in response to said analyzing, video segment frame boundaries between said segments with said computer, said means for selecting including

means for generating first and second weighting functions each associated with different images of said one of said segments of said video and said next one of said segments of video respectively;

means for determining difference between at least one of said first functions associated with different images of said one of said segments and at least one of said second functions associated with different images of said next one of said segments of video;

means for displaying indicators each corresponding to and representing one of said boundaries; and

means for automatically detecting a most representative image from said different images of said one of said segments comprising

means for determining a change difference between images comprising said one of said segments;

means for measuring the average of said change difference between said images; and

means for selecting as said most representative images one of said images in said one of said segments with the lowest said average.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including

means for selecting one of said indicators;

and

means for displaying one of said video segments comprised of a sequence of frames of said video corresponding to said one of said indicators in response to said selecting.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 including

selecting a next one of said indicators;

and

displaying a next one of said video segments comprised of a next sequence of frames of said video corresponding to said next one of said indicators in response to said selecting a next one of said indicators.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said one of said indicators corresponds to a frame of video from said sequence of frames and said next one of said indicators corresponds to a frame of video from said next sequence of frames.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further including

means for displaying said indicators in a physical sequence corresponding to a sequence in which each said segment of video

is to be displayed.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including means for re-ordering said indicators after said displaying of said indicators in said physical sequence to change said physical sequence and further to change said corresponding sequence in which said one of said segments of video and said next one of said segments of video is to be displayed.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 the further including

means for selecting one of said first and second functions in response to said means for determining difference as corresponding to one of said segment boundaries.

14. The apparatus of claim 7 further including

means for displaying said indicators in a physical sequence corresponding to a sequence in which said one of said segments of video and said next one of said segments of video are desired to be displayed.