Abstract: Synchronizes a secondary audio track to a video. Analyzes the audio track of a video using audio frequency analysis or spectrograms to find distinct audio events from which to ensure synchronization of a secondary audio track. For example, commentary that mocks a character may be played immediately after a particular noise in the audio track of a video occurs such as a door slam. Keeping the secondary audio track in synch with the audio track of a video is performed by periodically searching for distinct audio events in the audio track of a video and adjusting the timing of the secondary audio track. May utilize a sound card on a computer to both analyze a DVD sound track and play and adjust timing of the secondary audio track to maintain synchronization. Secondary audio tracks may be purchased and/or downloaded and utilized to add humorous external commentary to a DVD for example.

Abstract: Motion picture scenes to be colorized are broken into separate elements, backgrounds/sets or motion/onscreen-action. Background and motion elements are combined separately into single frame representations of multiple frames which becomes a visual reference database that includes data for all frame offsets used later for the computer controlled application of masks within a sequence of frames. Each pixel address within the database corresponds to a mask/lookup table address within the digital frame and X, Y, Z location of subsequent frames. Masks are applied to subsequent frames of motion objects based on various differentiating image processing methods, including automated mask fitting of all masks or single masks in an entire frame, bezier and polygon tracing of selected regions with edge detected shaping and operator directed detection of subsequent regions. The gray scale actively determines the mask and corresponding color lookup that is applied in a keying fashion within regions of interest.

Abstract: Synchronizes a secondary audio track to a video. Analyzes the audio track of a video using audio frequency analysis or spectrograms to find distinct audio events from which to ensure synchronization of a secondary audio track. For example, commentary that mocks a character may be played immediately after a particular noise in the audio track of a video occurs such as a door slam. Keeping the secondary audio track in synch with the audio track of a video is performed by periodically searching for distinct audio events in the audio track of a video and adjusting the timing of the secondary audio track. May utilize a sound card on a computer to both analyze a DVD sound track and play and adjust timing of the secondary audio track to maintain synchronization. Secondary audio tracks may be purchased and/or downloaded and utilized to add humorous external commentary to a DVD for example.

Abstract: Motion picture scenes to be colorized are broken into separate elements, backgrounds/sets or motion/onscreen-action. Background and motion elements are combined separately into single frame representations of multiple frames which becomes a visual reference database that includes data for all frame offsets used later for the computer controlled application of masks within a sequence of frames. Each pixel address within the database corresponds to a mask/lookup table address within the digital frame and X, Y, Z location of subsequent frames. Masks are applied to subsequent frames of motion objects based on various differentiating image processing methods, including automated mask fitting of all masks or single masks in an entire frame, bezier and polygon tracing of selected regions with edge detected shaping and operator directed detection of subsequent regions. The gray scale actively determines the mask and corresponding color lookup that is applied in a keying fashion within regions of interest.

Abstract: Motion picture scenes to be colorized are broken into separate elements, backgrounds/sets or motion/onscreen-action. Background and motion elements are combined separately into single frame representations of multiple frames which becomes a visual reference database that includes data for all frame offsets used later for the computer controlled application of masks within a sequence of frames. Each pixel address within the database corresponds to a mask/lookup table address within the digital frame and X, Y, Z location of subsequent frames. Masks are applied to subsequent frames of motion objects based on various differentiating image processing methods, including automated mask fitting of all masks or single masks in an entire frame, bezier and polygon tracing of selected regions with edge detected shaping and operator directed detection of subsequent regions. The gray scale actively determines the mask and corresponding color lookup that is applied in a keying fashion within regions of interest.

Abstract: Scenes from motion pictures to be colorized are broken up into separate elements, composed of backgrounds/sets or motion/onscreen-action. These background and motion elements are combined into single frame representations of multiple frames as tiled frame sets or as a single frame composite of all elements (i.e., both motion and background) that then becomes a visual reference database that includes data for all frame offsets which are later used for the computer controlled application of masks within a sequence of frames. Each pixel address within the visual reference database corresponds to a mask/lookup table address within the digital frame and X, Y, Z location of subsequent frames that were used to create the visual reference database. Masks are applied to subsequent frames of motion objects based on various differentiating image processing methods. The gray scale determines the mask and corresponding color lookup from frame to frame as applied in a keying fashion.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for distributed projects comprising computer systems and employing outsourced labor to be initiated, worked and completed. A distributed project that has been divided into pieces may be worked by disparate groups of workers. This is accomplished by copying data to each distributed work site. The data is then worked with by the remote workers. Once the data is at the remote site both local and remote workers can divide and conquer the task at hand by further subdividing the project tasks that are worked on by each group of workers. Embodiments of the invention may transfer operations between sites instead of raw output data so that each site's work efforts can be added to the work product with minimal bandwidth. In at least one embodiment of the invention, the labor may be performed primarily by at least one site with at least one other site performing quality assurance primarily.

Abstract: A method for color enhancing an image comprised of a plurality of pixels representing gray-scale values by selecting a region of the image for which color is to be applied. Next, at least two base colors are selected which will divide the color attributes of the region into at least two sub-regions. The particular pixels to which each base color will pertain is designated. Finally, the color information is applied to the region to produce a color image.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for a computerized animation system comprising a series of images stored in a memory storage structure. These images are comprised of picture elements, and the memory storage structures comprise a plurality of bit planes, which are further divided into at least two storage structures. A first storage structure is used for storing operator-modified image information in a vector representation, and a second storage structure is used to store a raster representation of the operator-modified image information. The system can display multiple images from the second storage structure to facilitate the creation of additional images.

Abstract: A system and method for digitally coloring an image or a series of images such as a motion picture by digitally capturing the images, interactively defining masks corresponding to objects in the images having similar hues, and for each mask, defining a color transfer function for converting image gray-scale information to unique values of Hue, Luminance, and Saturation. The gray-scale values within each map are then processed through that map's color transfer function, and the resulting colors applied to the image and stored for later retrieval and display.

Abstract: A system and method for color enhancing an image or a series of images such as a motion picture by digitally capturing the images, interactively defining masks corresponding to objects in the images having similar hues, creating regions from these masks, and for each region, defining a color transfer function for converting image gray-scale information to unique values of Hue, Luminance, and Saturation. The gray-scale values within each region are then processed through that region's color transfer function, and the resulting colors applied to the image and stored for later retrieval and display.