Abstract: There is provided a first and second method for processing a composite video image. The methods generally include obtaining a first image of a scene through a first image capturing device with the composite image including a visual representation for directing a receiver's attention to at least one portion of the first image. Preferably, the visual representation may be an arm, a hand, a finger, or an object used for pointing.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for reverse printing a plurality of images interlaced with each other on an underside surface of an appropriate flexible lenticular substrate. The method includes analyzing a viewing orientation of either portrait configuration or landscape configuration of at least one of the plurality of images; determining whether the appropriate flexible lenticular substrate is used for the printing of the plurality of images interlaced with each other in accordance with the viewing orientation of one of the plurality of images; analyzing an orientation of a first marker on the underside surface of the appropriate flexible lenticular substrate; and printing the plurality of images interlaced with each other in accordance with the orientation of the first marker on the underside of the appropriate flexible lenticular substrate.

Abstract: There are provided methods and systems for processing a composite video image. The composite video image may be a combination of an image and at least one encoded screen capture at a communications apparatus either by a user or in accordance to pre-determined settings for the user's consumption and transmission to a network. Transmission to a network may be simultaneous during the user's consumption. It is advantageous that encoding of the at least one screen capture is independent of at least one application running on the at least one secondary device. It is possible that the at least one screen capture may or may not have audio signals.

Abstract: A system for forming a panoramic image, the system comprising: (a) a digital still camera for taking still images and having a panoramic mode for creating a panoramic image, the camera comprising a photographic imaging system for capturing a plurality of still photographic images used to form the panoramic image; (b) a transfer module for receiving the plurality of still photographic images to be automatically stitched together to form the panoramic image, the transfer module comprising a processor; (c) the processor being for automatically processing the plurality of still photographic images to automatically form the panoramic image, the processor comprising a stitching engine to automatically form the panoramic image; and (d) a memory for storing at least one of the panoramic image and the plurality of still photographic images.

Abstract: There is provided a method and system for processing a video instant message. The method and system may include receiving at least one image; generating the at least one image into a composite image; and communicating the composite image to a receiver as the instant message. Preferably, the at least one image from the sender may be obtained from, for example, a screen capture of a display at the sender, or an image capture device at the sender. It may be advantageous to generate a graphical user interface for a video instant messaging application to allow either the sender or receiver to select the at least one image making up the composite image. The graphical user interface may be either online or locally installed.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to process a digital image is provided. The method may comprise receiving host image data, receiving audio data and embedding the audio data within the host image data to provide an embedded image wherein the audio data if freely recoverable from the embedded image. The method may comprise processing the audio data using a Short Term Fourier Transformation (STFT) prior to embedding the audio data within the host image data. The method may reduce an amount of digital data that represents an audio signal included in the audio data prior to embedding the audio data within the host image. In one embodiment, the method comprises quantizing magnitude data and discarding phase data of the audio signal to provide the audio data for embedding. The method may comprise quantizing the audio data to match a shell of a D4 Lattice.

Abstract: A system for forming a panoramic image, the system comprising: (a) a digital still camera for taking still images and having a panoramic mode for creating a panoramic image, the camera comprising a photographic imaging system for capturing a plurality of still photographic images used to form the panoramic image; (b) a transfer module for receiving the plurality of still photographic images to be automatically stitched together to form the panoramic image, the transfer module comprising a processor; (c) the processor being for automatically processing the plurality of still photographic images to automatically form the panoramic image, the processor comprising a stitching engine to automatically form the panoramic image; and (d) a memory for storing at least one of the panoramic image and the plurality of still photographic images.

Abstract: A digital still camera comprises an imaging system for capturing a single image of printed material containing a printed audio format; a processor for extracting encoded audio data from the image; a decoder for receiving and decoding the encoded audio data to an audio signal; and an audio output for outputting the audio signal as audio.

Abstract: A single-pass method which is an inverse mapping technique that map an image expressed in cylindrical coordinates to a viewing plane. In accordance with this method, a cylindrical environment map is also used to express a scene. However, rather than projecting the image in cylindrical coordinates out onto the viewing plane, the pixels on the viewing plane are ray-traced, in scan-line order, back through the cylinder to determine the corresponding points of intersection on the cylinder. The intersecting rays form a “clam-shell” like sampling region on the cylinder, and the corresponding output pixel values for the points of intersection on the cylinder are copied to the corresponding output pixel. No other perspective adjustment or scaling factors are necessary. Also, no intermediate data buffer is necessary.