Editor for effect tree parameters

• US 6,621,504 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1999
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Mathur, Shailendra, Eid, Michel, Sheasby, Michael C., Nadas, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/369,688
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 345/723, 345/764, 345/762, 345/716, 345/722, 345/738, 345/726
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take 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

Abstract

The present invention provides for a property editor in a graphics image system in order to specify parameter values for effects in an effect tree. A separate instance of the property editor is not invoked for each effect within the effect tree, but rather the property editor permits the modification of multiple effects from the same instance of the editor. Advantageously, the user is not required to navigate between a view of the effect tree and the property editor in order to edit effects.

Claims

1. A property editor, operable on a computer system, for displaying parameter values associated with properties of an effect tree, wherein the effect tree includes a directed acyclic graph of a plurality of individual effects wherein an output of one effect is an input to another effect, and wherein the effect tree is displayed as a graph associated with the property editor in which each of the individual effects is a node of the graph, the property editor comprising:

means for enabling a user to specify effects and to link effects together to define the effect tree;

an identification means for identifying the individual effects in the effects tree;

a presentation means for presenting, in the property editor, a list of the individual effects in the effects tree;

a selection means for receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one individual effect from the list of individual effects;

display means for displaying, in the property editor, said parameter values of said selected individual effect; and

means for receiving changes by the user to the displayed parameter values of the selected individual effect.

2. The property editor of claim 1, wherein the presentation means presents the list of individual effects in one instance of the property editor.

3. The property editor of claim 1, wherein the identification means identifies only exposed individual effects in the list of individual effects.

4. The property editor of claim 3, wherein each of the individual effects includes an expose data element that determines if the individual effect is exposed within the property editor.

5. A method for displaying in a property editor parameter values associated with an individual effect within an effect tree, wherein the effect tree includes a directed acyclic graph of a plurality of individual effects wherein an output of one effect is an input to another effect, and wherein the effect tree is displayed as a graph associated with the property editor in which each of the individual effects is a node of the graph, the method comprising:

enabling a user to specify effects and to link effects together to define the effect tree;

identifying the individual effects in the effect tree;

presenting, in the property editor, a list of the individual effects in the effect tree;

receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one individual effect from the list of individual effects in the effect tree;

displaying the parameter values of the selected individual effect in the property editor; and

receiving changes by the user to the displayed parameter values of the selected individual effect.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein presenting includes presenting the list of individual effects in one instance of the property editor.

7. The property editor of claim 5, wherein identifying further includes identifying only exposed individual effects in the list of individual effects.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the individual effects includes an expose data element that determines if the individual effect is an exposed individual effect.

9. A computer readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon for implementing a method for displaying in a property editor parameter values associated with an individual effect within an effect tree, wherein the effect tree includes a directed acyclic graph of a plurality of individual effects wherein an output of one effect is an input to another effect, and wherein the effect tree is displayed as a graph associated with the property editor in which each of the individual effects is a node of the graph, said method comprising:

enabling a user to specify effects and to link effects together to define the effect tree;

identifying the individual effects in the effect tree;

presenting, in the property editor, a list of the individual effects in the effect tree;

receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one individual effect from the list of individual effects in the effect tree;

displaying the parameter values of the selected individual effect in the property editor; and

receiving changes by the user to the displayed parameter values of the selected individual effect.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the list of individual effects presented in the property editor includes only exposed individual effects.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein each of the individual effects includes an expose data element that determines if the individual effect is an exposed individual effect.

12. A graphical user interface for a system for editing an effect, wherein an effect is defined in a tree-like structure of a plurality of individual effects wherein an output of one individual effect is an input to another individual effect, the graphical user interface comprising:

means for enabling a user to specify individual effects and to link the individual effects together to define the effect as a tree-like structure;

means for displaying a graphical representation of the effect as a tree-like structure displaying each of the plurality of individual effects in the effect;

means for presenting a property editor associated with the effect, wherein the property editor includes;

means for presenting a list of a plurality of the individual effects in the property editor;

means for receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one of the plurality of the individual effects from the presented list;

means for displaying parameter values associated with the selected individual effect in the property editor; and

means for receiving changes by the user to the parameter values of the selected individual effect.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 12, wherein the list of individual effects presented in the property editor includes only exposed individual effects.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein each of the individual effects includes an expose data element that determines if the individual effect is exposed within the property editor.