Polygon reshaping in picture colorization

• US 6,049,628 A
• Filed: 09/08/1995
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cerulean Colorization, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cerulean Colorization, LLC
• Inventors: Chen, Stan, Norton, Jack, Rajagopalan, Santhanam
• Primary Examiner(s): Tadayon, Bijan
• Application Number:
  US08/525,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 382/254, 382/256, 382/257, 382/258, 382/259, 382/266, 382/267, 382/268, 382/269, 382/275, 382/282, 382/283, 382/293, 382/294, 382/295, 382/296, 382/298, 382/299, 382/300 , 382/309, 382/311, 382/168, 382/171, 382/172, 382/173, 382/175, 382/180, 382/181, 382/190, 382/209, 382/203, 382/217, 382/240, 382/241, 382/242, 382/243, 382/239 , 382/286, 382/291, 382/307, 382/308, 382/310, 382/238, 358/517, 358/506, 358/531, 358/536, 358/537, 358/538, 358/539, 358/540, 348/578, 348/596, 348/661
• US Class Current: 382/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77

Abstract

Polygon reshaping methods either add or subtract sides of lines of a polygon around an object of a digitized frame of picture stock. A line may be added by selecting a line of a polygon and adding a point to the line, thereby defining two lines with the point as their vertex. The point may be move along the line and away from the line to create an angle between the two lines on either side of the vertex. A line may be subtracted from a polygon either by selecting a line of the polygon and simply deleting it or by selecting a vertex of the polygon and deleting the two lines which shared the vertex. In the former line-removal case, the now-free endpoints of the lines adjacent to the removed line are moved and connected at a point defined along the removed line. In the latter vertex-removal case, a new line is drawn between the now-free endpoints of the lines which were respectively adjacent the removed lines. Any of the changes made to a particularly polygon may be propagated or interpolated through other frames of the shot.

Claims

1. A method for reshaping a polygonal mask located on a digitized frame of picture stock including a plurality of digitized frames, the method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying polygon mask to be modified on the frame;

b. selecting one of the lines which comprise the polygon mask;

c. selecting a point on the selected line, thereby defining a new line on each side of the point;

d. dragging the point away from the selected line, thereby defining an angle between the new lines; and

automatically performing steps a-d for a corresponding polygon mask in another digitized frame of the picture stock.

2. A method for reshaping a polygonal mask located on a digitized frame of picture stock including a plurality of digitized frames, the method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying said polygon mask to be modified on the frame;

b. selecting one of the lines which comprise the polygon mask;

c. removing the selected line, thereby defining two free endpoints of the lines adjacent to the removed line;

d. connecting the two endpoints at a point which was one of the points of the removed line; and

automatically performing steps a-d for a corresponding polygon mask in another digitized frame of picture stock.

3. A method for reshaping a polygonal mask located on a digitized frame of picture stock including a plurality of digitized frames, the method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying said polygon mask to be modified on the frame;

b. selecting one of the vertices which comprise the polygon mask, the selected vertex being common to two lines;

c. removing the two lines to which the selected vertex is common, thereby defining two free endpoints of the two lines which were respectively adjacent the two removed lines;

d. drawing a new line between the two endpoints; and

automatically performing steps a-d for a corresponding polygon mask in another digitized frame of the picture stock.

4. A method for masking a selected object on a digitized frame pertaining to a motion picture for the purpose of editing said selected object, said method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying a polygon mask to be modified on the frame;

b. selecting one of the lines which comprise the polygon mask;

c. selecting a point on the selected line, thereby defining a new line on each side of the point;

d. dragging the point away from the selected line, thereby defining an angle between the new lines, to form a modified polygon mask that circumscribes the selected object;

automatically performing steps a-d for a corresponding polygon mask in another digitized frame of the picture stock.

5. A method for masking a selected object on a digitized frame pertaining to a motion picture for the purpose of editing said selected object, said method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying a polygon mask to be modified on the frame;

b. selecting one of the lines which comprise the polygon mask;

c. removing the selected line, thereby defining two free endpoints of the lines adjacent to the removed line;

d. connecting the two endpoints at a point which was one of the points of the removed line to form a modified polygon mask that circumscribes the selected object; and

automatically performing steps a-d for a corresponding polygon mask in another digitized frame of the picture stock.

6. A method for masking a selected object on a digitized frame pertaining to a motion picture for the purpose of editing said selected object, said method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying a polygon mask to be modified on the frame;

b. selecting one of the vertices which comprise the polygon mask, the selected vertex being common to two lines;

c. removing the two lines to which the selected vertex is common, thereby defining two free endpoints of the two lines which were respectively adjacent the two removed lines; and

d. drawing a new line between the two endpoints to form a modified polygon mask that circumscribes the selected object; and

automatically performing steps a-d for a corresponding polygon mask in another digitized frame of the picture stock.