Abstract: Systems and techniques are disclosed that use an image capture device to capture images of an object under specified image capture conditions for use in determining reflectance properties of the object. Images of the object are captured from a variety of different camera directions and with the object illuminated from a variety of different light directions. To capture these images, a camera of the image capture device is moved relative to the object and lights of the device are selectively illuminated. The image capture device has various features that increase the variety and number of different image capture conditions that can be captured. For example, using planar arrays of individually addressable lights in the image capture device allows tens, hundreds, or even thousands of lights to be used. Using planar arrays of lights provides light from many different directions without adding substantial complexity or cost to the device.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to enhancing sound through reverberation matching. In sonic implementations, a first sound recording recorded in a first environment is received. The first sound recording is decomposed to a first clean signal and a first reverb kernel. A second reverb kernel corresponding with a second sound recording recorded in a second environment is accessed, for example, based on a user indication to enhance the first sound recording to sound as though recorded in the second environment. An enhanced sound recording is generated based on the first clean signal and the second reverb kernel. The enhanced sound recording is a modification of the first sound recording to sound as though recorded in the second environment.

Abstract: Systems and methods disclosed improve the speed of animating artwork by determining the handle affine transformations used to animate 2 Dimensional (2D) artwork in a computationally simpler manner than prior techniques. The improved technique represents vertex coordinates (e.g., x1, y1) in 2D artwork as the real and complex portions of complex numbers. Doing so allows minimizing a closed form expression to find handle affine transformations that provide a deformation of the object with minimal stretching and squashing in local areas. Determining handle affine transformation parameters in this way is more efficient computationally than prior techniques because it combines the local and global steps into a single formula. Moreover, the formulation can be quickly evaluated with only additions, multiplications, and square roots without any need for conditional branches. Furthermore, the form of the function allows it to be solved with a simple optimization method.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for automatically providing subscriber authentication and authorization services. For example, a subscription service communicates with an identity service provider to authenticate subscribers requesting video content from programmers and a payment service provider to confirm that authenticated subscribers are authorized to receive the content. The subscription service receives a media request for a programmer to provide media content to a subscriber device. The media request includes subscriber information for a subscriber associated with the subscriber device. The subscription service transmits the subscriber information to an identity service provider and receives the subscriber's authentication status from the identity service provider. The subscription service sends an entitlement check request to a payment service provider to determine whether the subscriber is authorized to access the content.

Abstract: An audio and video synchronizing perceptual model is described that is based on how a person perceives audio and/or video (e.g., how the brain processes sound and/or visual content). The relative emotional impact associated with different audio portions may be employed to determine transition points to facilitate automatic synchronization of audio data to video data to create a production that achieves a particular overall emotional effect on the listener/viewer. Various processing techniques of the perceptual model may utilize perceptual characteristics within the audio portions to determine a transition point for automatic synchronization with video data.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for image feature representation. The techniques exhibit discriminative power that can be used in any number of classification tasks, and are particularly effective with respect to fine-grained image classification tasks. In an embodiment, a given image to be classified is divided into image patches. A vector is generated for each image patch. Each image patch vector is compared to the Gaussian mixture components (each mixture component is also a vector) of a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). Each such comparison generates a similarity score for each image patch vector. For each Gaussian mixture component, the image patch vectors associated with a similarity score that is too low are eliminated. The selectively pooled vectors from all the Gaussian mixture components are then concatenated to form the final image feature vector, which can be provided to a classifier so the given input image can be properly categorized.

Abstract: Application tool recommendations are described. Initially, application usage data is captured indicating tools used and actions performed by existing users of an application. This application usage data is converted into human-readable words describing the tools used and actions performed. This allows natural language processing techniques to be applied to the converted data. Through natural language processing, importance scores for the tools and actions can be computed and tasks performed with the application determined. The natural language processing techniques are also used to build task prediction models based on the importance scores and determined tasks. These task prediction models indicate probabilities of the determined tasks to be next performed by a current application user. A task having the highest probability of being next performed is predicted as the next task. Tool recommendations associated with the predicted next task are then presented to aid the user with the predicted next task.

Abstract: Certain embodiments involve using labels to track high-frequency offsets for patch-matching. For example, a processor identifies an offset between a first source image patch and a first target image patch. If the first source image patch and the first target image patch are sufficiently similar, the processor updates a data structure to include a label specifying the offset. The processor associates, via the data structure, the first source image patch with the label. The processor subsequently selects certain high-frequency offsets, including the identified offset, from frequently occurring offsets in the data structure. The processor uses these offsets to identify a second target image patch, which is located at the identified offset from a second source image patch. The processor associates, via the data structure, the second source image patch with the identified offset based on a sufficient similarity between the second source image patch and the second target image patch.

Abstract: Inter-context coordination to facilitate synchronized presentation of image content is described. In example embodiments, an application includes multiple execution contexts that coordinate handling user interaction with a coordination policy established using an inter-context communication mechanism. The application produces first and second execution contexts that are responsible for user interaction with first and second image content, respectively. Generally, the second execution context provides a stipulation for the coordination policy to indicate which execution context is to handle a response to a given user input event. With an event routing policy, an event routing rule informs the first execution context if a user input event should be routed to the second execution context.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems and methods for increasing an engagement level of a social media post among a community of social media users. For example, systems and method described herein involve building and training a data model that represents how a given community of social media users engages with social media posts. Furthermore, systems and method described herein utilize the trained data model to suggest one or more alternative word choices for use in a social media post, in order to increase or optimize the predicted level of engagement the social media post will receive from the community of social media users.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to automatically identifying structures of a music stream. A segment structure may be generated that visually indicates repeating segments of a music stream. To generate a segment structure, a feature that corresponds to a music attribute from a waveform corresponding to the music stream is extracted from a waveform, such as an input signal. Utilizing a signal segmentation algorithm, such as a Variable Markov Oracle (VMO) algorithm, a symbolized signal, such as a VMO structure, is generated. From the symbolized signal, a matrix is generated. The matrix may be, for instance, a VMO-SSM. A segment structure is then generated from the matrix. The segment structure illustrates a segmentation of the music stream and the segments that are repetitive.

Abstract: A method for generating predictive insights for authoring messages is provided. The method includes receiving a message to be sent as an input. Key performance indicator (KPI) whose value is to be predicted for the message is identified from the input or marketing tool configuration. A plurality of feature vectors of the message are generated. KPI contributions for the plurality of feature vectors are determined using feature vectors of messages sent in past and tracked KPI values of the messages sent in past. The KPI contribution is a measure of contribution of feature vector to value of the KPI. Value of the KPI for the message is predicted by applying determined KPI contributions to the plurality of feature vectors. Apparatus for substantially performing the method as described herein is also provided.

Abstract: A knockout group includes a plurality of objects in a Portable Document Format (PDF) or similar document, which can be rendered by generating data representing a single-sampled shape texture, compositing each object with a backdrop, recording an accumulated shape of the object in the shape texture, and storing a final color of each pixel in a framebuffer for rendering on a display device. The objects in the knockout group are composited by blending, independently of a shape of any of the objects, a color of each pixel representing the respective object with a color of a pixel in the backdrop of the knockout group overlapped by the respective pixel. A final color of each pixel representing the respective object is computed as a function of the blended color, the color of the pixel in the backdrop prior to the blending, and the shape of the respective object.

Abstract: Font recognition and similarity determination techniques and systems are described. In a first example, localization techniques are described to train a model using machine learning (e.g., a convolutional neural network) using training images. The model is then used to localize text in a subsequently received image, and may do so automatically and without user intervention, e.g., without specifying any of the edges of a bounding box. In a second example, a deep neural network is directly learned as an embedding function of a model that is usable to determine font similarity. In a third example, techniques are described that leverage attributes described in metadata associated with fonts as part of font recognition and similarity determinations.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a sky editing system and related processes for sky editing. The sky editing system includes a composition detector to determine the composition of a target image. A sky search engine in the sky editing system is configured to find a reference image with similar composition with the target image. Subsequently, a sky editor replaces content of the sky in the target image with content of the sky in the reference image. As such, the sky editing system transforms the target image into a new image with a preferred sky background.

Abstract: Photometric stabilization for time-compressed video is described. Initially, video content captured by a video capturing device is time-compressed by selecting a subset of frames from the video content according to a frame sampling technique. Photometric characteristics are then stabilized across the frames of the time-compressed video. This involves determining correspondences of pixels in adjacent frames of the time-compressed video. Photometric transformations are then determined that describe how photometric characteristics (e.g., one or both of luminance and chrominance) change between the adjacent frames, given movement of objects through the captured scene. Based on the determined photometric transformations, filters are computed for smoothing photometric characteristic changes across the time-compressed video. Photometrically stabilized time-compressed video is generated from the time-compressed video by using the filters to smooth the photometric characteristic changes.

Abstract: Techniques for converting mechanical markings on hardcopy textual content into digital annotations in a digital document file. In accordance with some embodiments, the techniques include identifying at least one block of text in a digital (scanned) image of a hardcopy document, and identifying at least one mechanical marking in the digital image of the hardcopy document. The mechanical marking, such as an underline, strike-through, highlight or circle, covers or lies adjacent to the corresponding block of text. An annotated digital document file is generated from the digital image of the hardcopy document. The annotated digital document file includes computer-executable instructions representing the original text of the hardcopy document and at least one annotation corresponding to the mechanical marking in the hardcopy document.

Abstract: Facilitating analysis of user interface gesture patterns is described. In example implementations, a computing device acquires data that describes a user interface gesture pattern, such as finger movements on a touchscreen, in terms of pixels of a visual display. A repetitive arrangement of polygons, such as a grid of rectangles, is logically overlaid on the visual display. The computing device transforms the pixel-based data into polygon-based data that represents the gesture pattern in terms of polygons traversed by the gesture pattern. The computing device also converts the polygon-based data into text-based data such that the gesture pattern is represented by textual characters, such as a text string. The text string can include, for instance, a list of polygons traversed by the gesture pattern. The text-based data is forwarded to a service that can efficiently analyze relationships that may exist among multiple gesture patterns across multiple devices or end users.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for the simulation of Internet of Things (IoT) device messages to control the generation and rendering of digital signage on a display module. A methodology implementing the techniques according to an embodiment includes intercepting messages that are transmitted from the devices to the display modules, and extracting or otherwise accessing sensor data from the intercepted messages. The sensor data can be provided to a user interface configured to allow a user to edit or manipulate the sensor data. A modified or transformed message is generated, based on the intercepted message and the edited sensor data. The modified or transformed message is transmitted to the display module, which is configured to render digital signage based on the content of the message. These techniques enable the user to visualize and evaluate alternative signage renderings in a relatively convenient manner by manipulating the sensor data reported from the IoT devices.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for synchronizing comments between a platform-dependent source document and a platform-independent shared document created from the source document. The shared document can accept feedback, edits, annotations, and other comments (all generally referred to herein as comments) from a variety of platforms and collaborators. The comments entered in the shared document automatically become part of, or otherwise become visible from, the source document. In an embodiment, the techniques are implemented as a computer-driven methodology that includes creating a logical link between the source and shared documents. This link is based on unique IDs of the respective documents, and is used to determine that reviewer comments have been made in the shared document. In response to the source document being open on a given source tool, periodic polling for reviewer comments is carried out and any new comments made in the shared document are displayed in the source tool.