Abstract: A method for comparing a plurality of photographers by assessing the aesthetic quality of a set of digital images captured by each photographer comprising: providing a set of digital images captured by each of a plurality of photographers; using a processor to determine an aesthetic quality parameter for each digital image in each of the sets of digital images, wherein the aesthetic quality parameter is an estimate for the aesthetic quality of the digital image; determining an aesthetic quality distribution for each photographer responsive to the aesthetic quality parameters computed for each of the digital images in the photographer's set of digital images; and providing a comparison between the aesthetic quality distributions of the photographers.

Abstract: In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A stereoscopic digital image projecting system has a light source system energizable to provide polarized illumination having a first polarization state and a beam splitting system alternately generating first and second light beams having different polarization states from the polarized illumination. A combining system has a polarization beam combiner that combines the first and second light beams into a combined light beam. A spatial light modulator is used to modulate the combined light beam in a manner consistent with stereoscopic image data to form a first modulated image from illumination in the combined light beam having the first polarization state and to form a second modulated image from illumination in the combined light beam having the second polarization state. Projection optics are configured to project the first and second modulated images onto a display surface.

Abstract: A method for capturing an improved archival image using an electronic image capture device having a flash, comprising: capturing at least two preview images of a scene at different capture times using the image capture device; determining a scene brightness; using a processor to analyze the captured preview images to determine a motion velocity for the scene; determining a flash exposure setting and an ambient exposure setting responsive to a ratio between the determined scene brightness and the determined motion velocity; and capturing an archival image using the determined flash exposure setting and the determined ambient exposure setting.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying a main object in a digital image using range information includes receiving the digital image representing a scene; identifying range information associated with the digital image and including distances of pixels in the scene from a known reference location; identifying the main object in the digital image based at least upon an analysis of the range information and the digital image; and storing an indication of the identified main object in a processor-accessible memory system.

Abstract: A projection display surface for reducing speckle artifacts from a projector having at least one narrow band light source having an incident visible wavelength band, wherein the incident visible wavelength band has an incident peak wavelength and an incident bandwidth, comprising: a substrate having a reflective layer that reflects incident light over at least the incident visible wavelength band; and a fluorescent agent distributed over the reflective layer, wherein the fluorescent agent absorbs a fraction of the light in the incident visible wavelength band and emits light in an emissive visible wavelength band having an emissive peak wavelength and an emissive bandwidth; wherein return light from the projection display surface produced when incident light in the incident visible wavelength band is incident on the projection display surface contains light in both the incident visible wavelength band and emissive visible wavelength band, thereby reducing speckle artifacts.

Abstract: A method for display of stereoscopic images defines at least first and second unequal subsets of viewers and provides at least the first subset of viewers with a first decoding device for viewing displayed stereoscopic images. From a single display apparatus, separate images are displayed for each eye of at least the first and second subsets of viewers in a repeated sequence of displaying the image for the first eye of all viewers during a first time interval; displaying the image for the second eye of the first subset of viewers during a second time interval; and displaying the image for the second eye of the second subset of viewers during a third time interval. The first, second, and third time intervals are non-overlapping.

Abstract: A method for modifying an input digital image having input dimensions defined by a number of input rows and input columns to form an output digital image where the number of rows or columns is reduced by one, comprising an image energy map determined from the input image; determining a seam path responsive to the image energy map; imposing constraints on the seam path; and removing pixels along the seam path to modify the input digital image.

Abstract: A method for manipulating a stereoscopic image, comprising receiving an original stereoscopic image including a left image and a right image; identifying one or more objects; determining actual object sizes and actual object locations in both the left and right images; determining original perceived three-dimensional object location and new perceived three-dimensional object locations for the identified one or more objects; determining a size magnification factors and location displacement values for each of the one or more objects; generating a new stereoscopic image by changing the actual object sizes and the actual object locations responsive to the corresponding size magnification factors and location displacement values; and storing the new stereoscopic image in a processor-accessible memory system.

Abstract: A method for determining a deblurred image from images captured using an image sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of light-sensitive pixels including panchromatic pixels and color pixels, the method comprising: receiving image sensor data from the image sensor for a sharp image of a scene captured with a short exposure time; receiving image sensor data from the image sensor for a blurred image of the scene captured with a longer exposure time than the sharp image; determining an interpolated sharp grayscale image from the sharp image; determining an interpolated blurred color image from the blurred image; determining an interpolated blurred grayscale image from the blurred image; determining a blur kernel responsive to the sharp grayscale image and the blurred grayscale image; determining a deblurred image responsive to the blurred color image and the blur kernel; and storing the deblurred image in a processor-accessible memory system.

Abstract: A method for resizing an input digital image to form an output digital image with an output aspect ratio, comprising: determining a number of rows or columns that need to be reduced from the input digital image; determining an image energy map for the input digital image; repeatedly determining a seam path responsive to the image energy map and removing pixels along the determined seam path to determine the output digital image, wherein the determined seam path satisfies a constraint that a directional image gradient is less than a gradient threshold for each pixel in the seam path, until either the determined number of rows or columns has been reduced or no valid seam path can be found; and cropping or scaling the output digital image to the output aspect ratio if the determined number of rows or columns was not reduced.

Abstract: A method and system for accumulating and using images of individuals, and associated image-derived data, on an continuous basis to create recognition models that facilitate ongoing recognition of individuals in images or photo collections.

Abstract: In a coherent light projection system including an image forming system, a relay system, a speckle reduction element, and a projection subsystem, the relay system can have a first f-number, and the projection subsystem can have a second f-number less than the first f-number. The relay system can have a first working distance, and the projection subsystem can have a second working distance less than the first working distance. The image forming system can project an initial image having a first size, and an intermediate image can have a second size greater than or equal to the first size. The speckle reduction element can have a curved surface through which the intermediate image is transferred. The speckle reduction element can include a lenslet arrangement formed on a surface thereof. The speckle reduction element can be moved in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the speckle reduction element.

Abstract: A method for tracking digital assets stored on digital asset storage media including detecting availability of a reference asset storage medium containing digital assets at a first time; determining a reference medium identifier and digital asset identifiers; storing renditions of the digital assets in a cached storage area; and storing an association between the reference asset storage medium the reference medium identifier, the digital asset identifiers and the renditions of the digital assets in a database in a persistent storage area. The method further includes, at a second later time, detecting the availability of a candidate asset storage medium, determining a candidate medium identifier that uniquely identifies the candidate asset storage medium, and comparing the candidate medium identifier to the reference medium identifier to determine whether the candidate asset storage medium is the same as the reference asset storage medium.

Abstract: In a coherent light projection system including an image forming system, a relay system, a speckle reduction element, and a projection subsystem, the relay system can have a first f-number, and the projection subsystem can have a second f-number less than the first f-number. The relay system can have a first working distance, and the projection subsystem can have a second working distance less than the first working distance. The image forming system can project an initial image having a first size, and an intermediate image can have a second size greater than or equal to the first size. The speckle reduction element can have a curved surface through which the intermediate image is transferred. The speckle reduction element can include a lenslet arrangement formed on a surface thereof. The speckle reduction element can be moved in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the speckle reduction element.

Abstract: In a light projection system, potentially hierarchical levels of light intensity control ensure proper laser-light output intensity, color channel intensity, white point, left/right image intensity balancing, or combinations thereof. The light projection system can include a light intensity sensor in an image path, in a light-source subsystem light-dump path, in a light-modulation subsystem light-dump path, in a position to measure light leaked from optical components, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A method for correcting defects in one or more frames of motion picture film, the method includes the steps of generating an image that includes an infrared channel and one or more color channels; providing an infrared unbuilding model that includes at least one non-linear component that accounts for cross-talk between the one or more color channels and the infrared channel; providing one or more parameters for the infrared unbuilding model; and applying the infrared unbuilding model parameters to the infrared unbuilding model to remove cross-talk between the one or more color channels and the infrared channel to generate an independent infrared channel that is free or substantially free of color channel content.

Abstract: A method for identifying multi-media assets from a multi-media collection, and the method implemented at least in part by a data processing system and comprising the steps of: receiving a search query, the search query, or a derivative thereof, including a possessive phrase, wherein the possessive phrase includes a possessor and a possession category; identifying a denoted object referred to by the possessive phrase using a predefined relationship database that establishes social relationships between objects; identifying one or more additional possessors of the denoted object using the predefined relationship database; generating one or more additional possessive phrases for the denoted objects relating the identified additional possessors to the denoted object; and identifying one or more multi-media assets from the multi-media collection containing the denoted object responsive to the one or more additional possessive phrases.

Abstract: A device and system and a method for selecting and displaying images in accordance with attention responses of an image viewer. An image capture device captures a viewer image of a spatial region potentially containing a viewer of the image display device and a viewer detection mechanism analyzes the viewer image and determines whether a potential viewer is observing the display screen. A gaze pattern analysis mechanism identifies a viewer response to a currently displayed image by analysis of the viewer's emotional response as revealed by the viewer's facial expression and other sensory inputs, and the selection of an image to be displayed is then modified in accordance with the indicated viewer's attention response.