Video special effects apparatus

• US 6,469,723 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gould, Antony James, Foster, Richard Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/364,706
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 345/719, 345/722, 345/723, 345/726, 345/769, 345/771, 345/810, 345/835, 345/837, 345/845, 345/846, 345/853, 348/571, 348/575, 348/578, 348/584, 348/598
• US Class Current: 715/837
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

Video special effects apparatus comprises a plurality of video special effects processing modules; a display screen; a palette area on the display screen, the palette area displaying module screen icons representing video special effects processing modules; a graph area on the display screen; user-operable means for moving screen icons from the palette area to the graph area and for graphically linking the screen icons together to form a representation of a composite video special effects process; and user-operable means for a group of selecting two or more linked screen icons displayed in the graph area and transferring the group to the palette area, the group being represented in the palette area as a composite process screen icon in the palette area.

Claims

1. Video special effects apparatus comprising:

a plurality of video special effects processing modules;

a display screen;

a palette area on said display screen, said palette area displaying module screen icons representing video special effects processing modules;

a graph area on the display screen;

user-operable means for moving screen icons from said palette area to said graph area and for graphically linking said screen icons together to form a representation of a composite video special effects process; and

user-operable means for selecting a group of two or more linked screen icons displayed in said graph area and transferring said group to said palette area, said group being represented in said palette area as a composite process screen icon in said palette area.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which a composite process screen icon transferred from said palette area to the graph area is displayed as a single icon in said graph area.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which a composite process screen icon transferred from said palette area to the graph area is displayed as a group of icons in said graph area.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, comprising a user-operable control for changing between representation of a composite process screen icon as a group of icons in said graph area and as a single icon in said graph area.