Features such as titles, transitions, and/or effects which vary according to positions

• US 7,752,548 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mercer, Ian Cameron
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano; Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US10/976,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 715/202, 715/204, 715/731, 715/732
• US Class Current: 715/731
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

A software program for creating features for use with a plurality of media objects in a sequence. The program comprises a feature component specifying a feature having parameters affecting at least one variable aspect of the feature. An indicator component identifies a position of the specified feature relative to the media objects in the sequence. The program comprises a sequence generator for modifying the specified feature by varying its parameters of the specified feature as a function of the position of the specified feature relative to the media objects and/or relative to other features in the sequence. The sequence generator also modifies the specified feature by varying its parameters of the feature as a function of the content of the media objects around it or to which it has been applied. A rendering component renders the specified feature according to the varied parameters at the identified position.

Claims

1. A computer storage medium having computer-executable components included in a software program for creating features for use with a plurality of media objects in a sequence, said computer storage medium being executable by a processor of a computing device, said computer storage medium comprising:

a feature component specifying a type of features having parameters affecting at least one variable aspect of the type of features, said specified type of features being dynamically modifiable by the parameters thereof;

in response to receiving a user instruction, an indicator component for identifying a plurality of positions of instances the specified type of features to be inserted in the sequence relative to the plurality of media objects in the sequence;

a sequence generator for dynamically modifying the instances of the specified features by varying the parameters thereof as a function of the identified plurality of positions of the instances of the specified type of features within the sequence relative to remaining instances of the specified type of features; and

a rendering component for rendering the instances of the specified type of features according to the varied parameters of the specified type of features at the identified positions when the media objects are sequentially displayed.

2. The computer storage medium of claim 1 wherein the sequence generator modifies the specified type of features by varying its parameters of the instances thereof as a function of one or more of the following:

a position of the specified feature within the sequence relative to the media objects, a position of the specified feature within the sequence relative to other features, the content of the media objects on either side of the media object in the sequence, and the content of the media objects.

3. The computer storage medium of claim 2 wherein the type of features comprises at least one of the following types:

a transition applied between two of the plurality of media objects, an effect applied to one of the plurality of media object, a title created as one of the plurality of media object, and a title applied to one or more media objects.

4. The computer storage medium of claim 2 wherein the plurality of media objects comprises a plurality of at least one of the following:

video clips, photographs, and images.

5. The computer storage medium of claim 2 wherein the type of features comprises one or more parameters that are used to determine how the type of features is rendered.

6. The computer storage medium of claim 5 wherein the parameters includes at least one of the following:

family local sequence number, family global sequence number, individual local sequence number, individual global sequence number, family local total count, family global total count, individual local total count, individual global total count, motion properties of a media object, image color properties of a media object, a duration of a media object, camera settings of a media object, and GPS information of a media object.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 6 wherein the motion properties includes at least one of the following:

camera velocity in the x-axis, camera velocity in the y-axis, camera velocity in the z-axis, subject velocity in the x-axis, subject velocity in the y-axis, subject velocity in the z-axis, camera steadiness, and camera zoom velocity.

8. The computer storage medium of claim 6 wherein the image color properties include at least one of the following:

a dominant color in a media object, a frequency of other colors within a media object, and a color histogram of a media object.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 2 wherein the feature is part of a particular family of features.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 2 wherein each of the instances is part of a particular type of features.

11. A computer storage medium having computer-executable components stored thereon for applying one or more features to a plurality of media objects in a sequence, each of said features having at least one variable property, said components comprising:

in response to receiving a user instruction, an indicator component for identifying a specified one instance of the features in a plurality of positions in the sequence of the plurality of media objects, said identified instance of the features having parameters affecting at least one variable property, said identified instance of the features being dynamically modifiable by the parameters thereof;

a modification component for modifying the identified instance of the features by varying the parameters thereof as a function of the identified plurality of positions of the identified instance of the feature within the sequence relative to other instances of the features in the sequence; and

a rendering component for rendering the instances of features according to the varied parameters of the specified of features at the identified positions when the media objects are sequentially displayed.

12. The computer-storage medium of claim 11 wherein the modification component modifies the instance of the features by varying its parameters as a function of one or more of the following:

a position of the identified instance of the features within the sequence relative to the media objects, the content of the media objects on either side of the media object in the sequence, and the content of the media objects.

13. The computer-storage medium of claim 12 wherein one or more features comprises at least one of the following types:

a transition applied between two of the plurality of media objects, an effect applied to one of the plurality of media object, a title created as one of the plurality of media object, and a title applied to one or more media objects.

14. The computer-storage medium of claim 12 wherein the plurality of media objects comprises a plurality of at least one of the following:

video clips, photographs, and images.

15. The computer-storage medium of claim 13 wherein the parameters include at least one of the following:

family local sequence number, family global sequence number, individual local sequence number, individual global sequence number, family local total count, family global total count, individual local total count, individual global total count, a duration of a media object, camera settings of a media object, GPS information of a media object, camera velocity in the x-axis, camera velocity in the y-axis, camera velocity in the z-axis, subject velocity in the x-axis, subject velocity in the y-axis, subject velocity in the z-axis, camera steadiness of a media object, camera zoom velocity of a media object, a dominant color in a media object, a frequency of other colors within a media object, and a color histogram of a media object.

16. The computer-storage medium of claim 12 wherein the identified instance of the features is part of a particular family of features.

17. The computer-storage medium of claim 12 wherein the identified instance of the features is part of a particular type of features.

18. The computer-storage medium of claim 11 further comprising a rendering component for rendering the feature according to the modified parameters of the identified instance of the features at the identified position.

19. The computer-storage medium of claim 18 wherein the feature comprises one or more varying parameters that are used to determine how the feature is rendered.

20. A computerized method for creating features for use with a plurality of media objects in a sequence, said method comprising:

specifying a type of features having parameters affecting at least one variable aspect of the feature, said specified type of the features being dynamically modifiable by the parameters thereof;

receiving a user instruction for positioning a plurality of instances the specified type of the features in the sequence of the plurality of media objects;

in response to the received user instruction, identifying a plurality of positions of the plurality of instances of the specified type of the features to be inserted in the sequence of the plurality of media objects relative to the plurality of media objects in the sequence;

dynamically modifying the plurality of instances of the specified type of the features by varying the parameters thereof as a function of the identified plurality of positions of the plurality of instances of the specified type of the features within the sequence relative to instances of other type of the features; and

rendering the specified feature according to the varied parameters of the specified feature at the identified positions when the media objects are sequentially displayed, said computerized method being executable by a processor of a computing device.

21. The computerized method of claim 20 comprising modifying the plurality of instances of the specified feature by varying its parameters as a function of one or more of the following:

a position of the plurality of instances of the specified features within the sequence relative to the media objects, the content of the media objects on either side of the plurality of instances of the specified feature in the sequence, and the content of the media objects.

22. The computerized method of claim 21 wherein the feature comprises at least one of the following types:

a transition applied between two of the media objects, an effect applied on a media object, a title created as a media object, and a title applied to one or more media objects.

23. The computerized method of claim 21 wherein the plurality of media objects comprises a plurality of at least one of the following:

video clips, photographs, and images.

24. The computerized method of claim 21 wherein the parameter includes at least one of the following:

family local sequence number, family global sequence number, individual local sequence number, individual global sequence number, family local total count, family global total count, individual local total count, and individual global total count, a duration of a media object, camera settings of a media object, GPS information of a media object, camera velocity in the x-axis, camera velocity in the y-axis, camera velocity in the z-axis, subject velocity in the x-axis, subject velocity in the y-axis, subject velocity in the z-axis, camera steadiness, camera zoom velocity, a dominant color in a media object, a frequency of other colors within a media object, and a color histogram of a media object.

25. The computerized method of claim 21 wherein the feature is part of a particular family of features.

26. The computerized method of claim 21 wherein each feature is part of a particular type of features.

27. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 20.

28. A computer storage medium having computer-executable components included in a software program for creating features for use with a plurality of media objects in a sequence, said computer storage medium being executable by a processor of a computing device, said computer storage medium comprising:

a feature component specifying a feature having parameters affecting at least one variable aspect of the feature, said specified feature being dynamically modifiable by the parameters thereof;

in response to receiving a user instruction, an indicator component for identifying a plurality of positions of a plurality of instances of the specified feature to be inserted in the sequence of the plurality of media objects relative to the plurality of media objects in the sequence;

a sequence generator for dynamically modifying the plurality of instances of the specified feature by varying the parameters thereof as a function of other features in a family of features as the specified feature within the sequence; and

a rendering component for rendering the specified feature according to the varied parameters of the specified feature at the identified positions when the media objects are sequentially displayed.

29. The computer storage medium of claim 28 wherein the sequence generator modifies the plurality of instances of the feature by varying its parameters as a function of one or more of the following:

the content of the media objects on either side of the plurality of instances of the specified feature in the sequence, and the content of the media objects.

30. The computer storage medium of claim 29 wherein the parameters relating to the content of each of the plurality of media objects include one or more of the following:

a duration of a media object, camera settings of a media object, GPS information of a media object, camera velocity in the x-axis, camera velocity in the y-axis, camera velocity in the z-axis, subject velocity in the x-axis, subject velocity in the y-axis, subject velocity in the z-axis, camera steadiness, camera zoom velocity, a dominant color in a media object, a frequency of other colors within a media object, and a color histogram of a media object.

31. The computer storage medium of claim 29 wherein the feature comprises at least one of the following types:

a transition applied between two of the media objects, an effect applied on a media object, a title created as a media object, and a title applied to one or more media objects.

32. The computer storage medium of claim 29 wherein the plurality of media objects comprises a plurality of at least one of the following:

video clips, photographs, and images.

33. The computer storage medium of claim 29 wherein the feature is part of one of the following:

a particular family of features or a particular type of features.

34. The computer storage medium of claim 28 wherein the sequence generator further modifies the plurality of instances of the specified feature by varying its parameters as a function of one of the following:

a position of the plurality of instances of the specified feature within the sequence relative to the media objects, a position of the plurality of instances of the specified feature within the sequence relative to other features.

35. The computer storage medium of claim 34 wherein the parameters relating to the position of the plurality of media objects include one or more of the following:

family local sequence number, family global sequence number, individual local sequence number, individual global sequence number, family local total count, family global total count, individual local total count, and individual global total count.