Light table for editing digital media

• US 8,621,357 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Weber, Ralf, Diaconu, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/497,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 715/719, 715/723, 715/730, 715/731, 715/732
• US Class Current: 715/731
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• 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

A system in accordance with the present invention may include one or more processors, memory that receives instructions from the one or more processors according to a clock operating at a frequency, one or more programs stored in the memory, with instructions to: access media content, wherein the media content is associated with meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data; couple certain of the media content to a style; and, organize the coupled certain of the media content according to the style and the meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for authoring media presentations, comprising:

receiving a selection of media content by a processor-based system, the selection of media content being associated with meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data;

coupling the selection of media content to a style;

detecting a drag-and-drop operation on the selection of media content, moving the selection of media content to a media authoring portion of a graphical user interface; and

in response to the detecting the drag-and-drop operation, automatically organizing, by the processor-based system, the selection of media content into a stack with media content previously-moved into the media authoring portion, the stack organized according to the style and the meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data of the selection of media content, the stack interposing a foreground layer over a background layer such that at least a portion of the background layer is obscured from view.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the stack.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selection of media content comprises an image, video, or audio.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the style determines the behavior of the selection of media content.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data determine the relation among the selection of media content and the media content previously-moved into the media authoring portion.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each media content of the stack comprises additional meta data.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the additional meta data comprises relation data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the additional meta data is for organizing or managing the stack.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the presenting comprises displaying the stack using a graphical user interface.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a light table.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

one or more programs stored in memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions to;

receive a selection of media content, the selection of media content being associated with meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data;

couple the selection of media content to a style;

detect a drag-and-drop operation on the selection of media content, moving the selection of media content to a media authoring portion of a graphical user interface; and

in response to the detecting the drag-and-drop operation, automatically organize the selection of the media content into a stack with media content previously-moved into the media authoring portion, the stack organized according to the style and the meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data of the selection of media content, the stack interposing a foreground layer over a background layer such that at least a portion of the background layer is obscured from view.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising the instruction to present the stack.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the selection of media content comprises an image, video, or audio.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the style determines the behavior of the selection of media content.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data determine the relation among the selection of media content.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein each media content of the stack comprises additional meta data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the additional meta data comprises relation data.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the additional meta data is to organize or manage the stack.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the present instruction comprises the instruction to display the stack using a graphical user interface.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a light table.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a computer, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:

receive a selection of media content, the selection of media content being associated with meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data;

couple the selection of media content to a style;

detect a drag-and-drop operation on the selection of media content, moving the selection of media content to a media authoring portion of a graphical user interface; and

in response to the detecting the drag-and-drop operation, automatically organize the selection of media content into a stack with media content previously-moved into the media authoring portion, the stack organized according to the style and the meta data, media characteristics, or other media-related data of the selection of media content, the stack interposing a foreground layer over a background layer such that at least a portion of the background layer is obscured from view.