Abstract: A system and methods for creating user definable windows for applying image processing, particularly useful in a post-production color correction equipment. The system allows a user of an image processing system such as a scene by scene color corrector to define a color region of interest in an image for purposes of applying image processing only to the region of interest, with automatic tracking of that region of interest over a plurality of frames in a scene. The user defined window, comprising a closed polygon, is converted on a frame-by-frame basis to a matte that is keyed with image processing such as color correction values. The user defined windows can be edited and stored and recalled for use in other frames.

Abstract: A color correction system that implements scene-by-scene color manipulation in the primary color domain to color correction regions of a video image isolated in the hue domain using hue, saturation, and luminance qualification. The system may be configured as a number of color correction blocks arranged in series or parallel. Each correction block typically allows a colorist to define up to sixteen non-overlapping hue sectors with associated corrected color values and qualification curves. Each color correction block has two video inputs, a first connected to the output from the previous block, and a second connected to an unprocessed video signal. Each block includes a video multiplexer that operates as a switch allowing the colorist to select either the output of a previous block or the unprocessed video input signal as the input for a given block.

Abstract: A control point based real time primary custom gamma curve generator for color correction equipment. A separate custom gamma curve generator circuit is provided for each of the RBG and luminance channels. A plurality of control points is provided and stored in a lookup table (LUT) stored in a random access memory (RAM). The control points are set and/or adjusted by the operator or loaded from a prestored set (e.g. a default custom gamma curve). The instantaneous input signal is divided into two portions—a control point address portion comprising the most significant bits (MSBs) of the input signal, and an interpolation address portion comprising the least significant bits (LSBs) of the input signal. The MSBs are used to select a particular control point value stored in RAM. The LSBs are used for interpolation of values with a smooth curve between control points. Also described are various user interfaces for the custom gamma curve generator.

Abstract: A system and methods for creating user definable windows for applying image processing, particularly useful in a post-production color correction equipment. The luminance values of a key image are captured in a key frame buffer. The key image is edited in a "paint" mode to enhance the luminance values or eliminate regions of the image, to define a region of interest. The key image is then converted to a 1-bit image. The 1-bit image is vectorized to derive a user defined window. The user defined window, comprising a closed polygon, is converted on a frame-by-frame basis to a bit map matte that is keyed with image processing such as color correction values. The user defined windows can be edited and stored and recalled for use in other frames.

Abstract: A system and methods for automated color correction. A computer-based workstation is coupled to an image source such as a telecine or other graphic image generating device, an image processing system such as a color corrector, and a utilization device such as a tape recorder or digital storage device. A target image from the image source is displayed on a display monitor associated with the workstation. An image and data storage device stores images and prestored reference image information for a plurality of selectable reference images. A capture device captures a source image from the image source. An image analyzer software process computes statistical parameters of the source image and compares these statistical parameters to prestored statistical parameters of a selected one of the reference images. The statistical parameters include a color distribution or frequency histogram for various color parameters, e.g. gain, gamma, and black level for video signals.

Abstract: A digital processing system for providing spectral headroom to accommodate harmonic distortion components resulting from non-linear processing of digitized samples of video signals is shown. A standard set of video signal samples are all upsampled and filtered so that they have a common sampling rate. These are filtered to provide spectral headroom. Non-linear operations are then performed on the upsampled and filtered sequences. After processing, the processed upsampled signals are filtered to remove the harmonic components, and then the signals are decimated to reestablish their original sampling rates. This provides non-linear processing for signal sequences which were originally band limited, yet avoids the appearance of aliased frequencies in the output that normally result from harmonic distortion components generated by non-linear processing.