Abstract: A computer implemented method models a background in a sequence of frames of a video. For each frame, the method detects static corners using an array of pixels of the frame, and extracts, for each static corner, features from a window of pixels around the static corner. For each static corner, a descriptor is determined from the corresponding features. Each static corner and corresponding descriptor is stored in a memory, and each static corner is classified as a background or foreground according to the descriptor to model a background in the video.

Abstract: The invention displays an image that conforms to an editing parameter set by the user and, depending upon the editing parameter requested, shortens the time required for the image to be displayed, thereby enhancing usability. To achieve this, the invention has a processing parameter input unit for inputting an editing-related parameter such as sharpness. If an image data file to be edited is read in from an image file storage unit, photographic condition information within the file is analyzed and the information obtained by analysis is compared with a parameter that has been set. If the two agree, then a display is presented based upon processed image data within the image file. If the two do not agree, then unprocessed image data within the same file is subjected to image processing in accordance with the set parameter and the processed image is displayed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determines the visible regions of potentially overlapping views and writes the visible regions to an output device. The visible regions may be determined using the visible-above region associated with a view. The views may have child, parent, and sibling views. A view may be any object capable of being displayed. In this way, the number of times that a pixel is written to the output device is reduced.

Abstract: The invention provides tools and techniques for clone brushing pixels in an image while accounting for inconsistencies in apparent depth and orientation within the image. The techniques do not require any depth information to be present in the image, and the data structure of the image is preserved. The techniques allow for color compensation between source and destination regions. A snapping technique is also provided to facilitate increased accuracy in selecting source and destination positions.

Abstract: A method learns a structure of a video, in an unsupervised setting, to detect events in the video consistent with the structure. Sets of features are selected from the video. Based on the selected features, a hierarchical statistical model is updated, and an information gain of the hierarchical statistical model is evaluated. Redundant features are then filtered, and the hierarchical statistical model is updated, based on the filtered features. A Bayesian information criteria is applied to each model and feature set pair, which can then be rank ordered according to the criteria to detect the events in the video.

Abstract: A display apparatus (1) comprises a display device (10) and a control section (40) for displaying characters by using sub-pixel rendering. Each character is displayed in a frame having a predetermined size. The control section (40) has a skeleton portion shifting section (41a) which shifts a center of a skeleton portion of a character toward a center of the frame using sub-pixel precision.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for producing a color palette including a multitude of color patterns for a predetermined coloring process with a multitude of defined base colors and for a predetermined substrate. The individual color patterns are systematically, especially equidistantly, defined in a mathematically defined color space by the way of color coordinates describing the color space. The spectrum of the color pattern is synthesized by calculation for each color pattern in the color space by way of a color mixing model representing the predetermined coloring process and the predetermined substrate, whereby that spectrum is selected having the highest color constancy. The spectra synthesized by calculation are stored in relation to the color coordinates of the underlying color patterns. Through use of a mathematical/physical basis (such as the CIE-system), it is possible to define a visually equidistant color space and assign a spectral curve to individual points having the best color constancy.

Abstract: Apparatus and example methods for environment-mapped style of bump-mapping (EMBM) are provided that use a pre-computed bump-map texture accessed as an indirect texture along with pre-computed object surface normals (i.e., the Normal, Tangent and Binormal vectors) from each vertex of rendered polygons to effectively generate a new perturbed Normal vector per vertex. The perturbed new Normal vectors are then used to look up texels in an environment map. A specialized bump map texture data/coordinate processing “bump unit” is provided in the graphics pipeline for performing predetermined matrix multiplication operations on retrieved lookup data from the indirect-texture bump map.

Abstract: A system and process for reconstructing optimal texture maps from multiple views of a scene is described. In essence, this reconstruction is based on the optimal synthesis of textures from multiple sources. This is generally accomplished using basic image processing theory to derive the correct weights for blending the multiple views. Namely, the steps of reconstructing, warping, prefiltering, and resampling are followed in order to warp reference textures to a desired location, and to compute spatially-variant weights for optimal blending. These weights take into consideration the anisotropy in the texture projection and changes in sampling frequency due to foreshortening. The weights are combined and the computation of the optimal texture is treated as a restoration problem, which involves solving a linear system of equations.

Abstract: A general purpose computer system is used to run a color selection application which operates to facilitate the selection of colors and the automatic generation of palettes of harmonious colors. The application is implemented in three pages, a color selection page, a results manager page, and a color composition page. The color selection page is used to select a plurality of colors that the results manager page can operate on to generate palettes of harmoniously related colors. The color composition page is used to experiment with the colors selected and palettes generated in order to arrive at a pleasing arrangement of colors. The results manager page contains functions and palette characteristics that an artist can specify in order to automatically generate palettes that contain groups of colors that have very specific contrast relationships to previously selected colors.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a game system, program and image generating method which can generate a more realistic image with reduced processing load by using an alpha value set depending on a depth value. Z-value for each pixel in an original image is transformed into Z2-value that is formed of bits I to J which are positioned lower than the most significant bit in the Z-value. The alpha value for each pixel is set at a value corresponding to the Z2-value. Representation of the depth of field or fog image is enabled by using the alpha value to generate an image. The Z2-value is clamped to a given value depending on a bit value other than the bits I to J of the Z-value. Bits M to N and K to L (where K?I?L>M?J?N) in the Z-value are set as index numbers in LUT1 and LUT2 and used to perform texture mapping for transforming the Z-value into Z3- and Z4-values. These Z3- and Z4-values are used to determine the Z2-value.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product are provided for depth clamping in a hardware graphics pipeline. Initially, a depth value is identified. It is then determined as to whether a hardware graphics pipeline is operating in a depth clamping mode. If the hardware graphics pipeline is operating in the depth clamping mode, the depth value is clamped within a predetermined range utilizing the hardware graphics pipeline.