Graphical user interface for a motion video planning and editing system for a computer

• US 20040066395A1
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brett D. Granger, Darrell N. Leblanc, Ivan M. Cavero-Belaunde, Kevin J. Foreman
• Original Assignee: Brett D. Granger, Darrell N. Leblanc, Ivan M. Cavero-Belaunde, Kevin J. Foreman
• Inventors: LeBlanc, Darrell N., Granger, Brett D., Foreman, Kevin J., Cavero-Belaunde, Ivan M.
• Application Number:
  US10/673,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20040066395A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a computer-assisted motion video editing system directs a user through the process of editing a video program. The graphical user interface may also enables a user to plan a video program. Alternatively selectable interfaces within a single window interface, each of which provide a group of planning, capturing, editing, and recording functions can provide such an interface for producing a video program. Other simplifications to the user interface can be provided to assist in editing, such as by maintaining a video display window for displaying the edited video program at a fixed position for all available editing operations. Additionally, video information can be captured directly into a timeline representation of a video program, rather than a bin. Using a storyboard tied to the capturing process, a user is directed through the process of collecting and capturing the video clips to be used in the video program.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium storing computer program instructions that, when processed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a process for facilitating editing of a motion picture, comprising;

automatically generating in the computer system a sequence of clips representing the motion picture from a description of the motion picture, wherein each clip has an initial duration defined by the description of the motion picture;

receiving input from a user indicating instructions to associate motion video information stored in computer data files with clips in the automatically generated representation of the motion picture, and storing for each clip a reference to the associated data file and a time range of the motion video information from the associated data file; and

updating the duration of each clip to which motion video information is associated to correspond to the duration of the motion video information from the time range.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein receiving input comprises:

receiving input from the user to select a clip; and

receiving input from the user to specify motion video information to be associated with the selected clip.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, further comprising displaying to the user an indication of each clip to which motion video information has not been associated.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein receiving input comprises:

receiving input from the user to select a clip;

receiving input from the user instructing the computer to capture motion video information into a data file on the computer while the selected clip is selected; and

associating the captured data file with the selected clip.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising displaying to the user an indication of each clip to which motion video information has not been associated.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the description of the motion picture includes a plurality of shot descriptions.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing a reference to a single still image descriptive of the shot.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing a number identifying the shot.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing text providing a tip for filming a shot during production.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing text providing a tip for editing a shot in the motion picture.

11. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium storing computer program instructions that, when processed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a process for facilitating editing of a motion picture, comprising;

storing in a computer system a representation of a plan for the motion picture, wherein the plan specifies a sequence of shots, wherein each shot is specified by a shot description including a reference to a textual description of the shot and a duration of the shot, wherein at least one shot lacks a reference to a source of motion video information for the shot;

displaying to a user a storyboard on a display for the computer system according to the sequence of shots specified by the plan;

allowing the user to modify the representation of the plan in the computer system;

automatically generating in the computer system a sequence of clips representing the motion picture from the stored representation of the plan, wherein each clip corresponds to a shot in the sequence of shots and has a duration that corresponds at least initially to the duration of the corresponding shot;

storing motion video information from the sources in data files on the computer system;

associating motion video information stored in the data files on the computer system with each clip in the representation of the motion picture and storing for each clip a reference to the associated data file and a range within the data file, such that the duration of each clip corresponds to the associated motion video information;

displaying to the user the sequence of clips as a timeline and in a video window on a display for the computer system according using the associated motion video information; and

allowing the user to modify the sequence of clips in the computer system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein associating motion video information stored in the data files on the computer system with each clip comprises:

receiving input from the user to select a clip; and

receiving input from the user to specify motion video information to be associated with the selected clip.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising displaying to the user an indication of each clip to which motion video information has not been associated.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein associating motion video information stored in the data files on the computer system with each clip comprises:

receiving input from the user to select a clip;

receiving input from the user instructing the computer to capture motion video information into a data file on the computer while the selected clip is selected; and

associating the captured data file with the selected clip.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising displaying to the user an indication of each clip to which motion video information has not been associated.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing a reference to a single still image descriptive of the shot.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing a number identifying the shot.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing text providing a tip for filming a shot during production.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein each shot description includes a field for storing text providing a tip for editing a shot in the motion picture.