Abstract: A graphics animation and compositing operations framework has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or other types of objects for an application's user interface. The application commits state changes to the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state by the framework which can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility, and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer. Portions of the render tree changing relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.

Abstract: An image of a background is stored and thereafter removed from a video stream. Substitute background video data is merged into the video stream and provided to videoconference participants.

Abstract: A feature used in face detection can be applied to an image portion and can be scaled to fit differently sized image areas. If a feature is positioned with respect to an image area such that a vertex of the feature is aligned with a non-integer pixel location, at least one dimension of the filter can be rounded. A dimension to be rounded further can correspond to a directional component of the feature. For instance, contrast regions within the feature can be arranged horizontally, such that the vertical dimension represents a directional component. A rounding rule associated with the feature can be used in rounding a dimension corresponding to a directional component, such that a size ratio between the contrast regions is maintained. In some instances, the rounding rule can specify a factor that is a positive integer determined based on the number of contrast regions in the feature.

Abstract: A system, computer readable medium, and method for dynamically setting a camera's exposure parameters based on face detection are disclosed. When taking a picture or video of a person in front of a bright background, standard exposure algorithms tend to overexpose the background. In one embodiment disclosed herein, a face detection algorithm is run on the current picture or video frame, and the exposure metering region is inset over the detected face. Exposure time, gain, or other exposure parameters may be set based on the pixels within the exposure metering region. In another embodiment, the exposure metering region tracks a moving face according to lag parameters so that the exposure metering region remains substantially over the face. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of faces may be tracked, with the exposure parameters set based on a weighted average of the pixels within the plurality of face-containing exposure metering regions.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for continuous image capturing are described herein. In one embodiment, a method includes continuously capturing a sequence of images with an image capturing device. The method may further include storing a predetermined number of the sequence of images in a buffer. The method may further include receiving a user request to capture an image. In response to the user request, the method may further include automatically selecting one of the buffered images based on an exposure time of one of the buffered images. The sequence of images is captured prior to or concurrently with receiving the user request.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of methods and apparatuses to dynamically redistribute computational processes in a system that includes a plurality of processing units are described. The power consumption, the performance, and the power/performance value are determined for various computational processes between a plurality of subsystems where each of the subsystems is capable of performing the computational processes. The computational processes are exemplarily graphics rendering process, image processing process, signal processing process, Bayer decoding process, or video decoding process, which can be performed by a central processing unit, a graphics processing units or a digital signal processing unit. In one embodiment, the distribution of computational processes between capable subsystems is based on a power setting, a performance setting, a dynamic setting or a value setting.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, computer readable medium, and method for noise reduction in image capturing devices involving an edge-preserving blur window is disclosed. In one embodiment, the edge-preserving blur includes only those pixels in the blur window that are visually close to the blur window's current center pixel in its blurring calculation. Limiting the pixels considered in the blur to those that are visually close to the center pixel ensures that the image's colors are not blurred along color edges within the image. Light-product information taken from the image's metadata, for example, the camera sensor's gain level, may be used to adjust the blur filter parameters dynamically. This allows the method to perform the appropriate amount of processing depending on the lighting situation of the image that is currently being processed.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, computer readable medium, and method for radially-dependent noise reduction in image capturing devices involving an edge-preserving blur window are disclosed. In one embodiment, the edge-preserving blur includes only those pixels in the blur window that are within a threshold value of the blur window's current center pixel in its blurring calculation. By creating a threshold function that varies radially from the center of the image sensor's light intensity falloff function, a more appropriate threshold value can be chosen for each pixel, allowing for more noise farther from the center of the image, and allowing for less noise closer to the center of the image. Light-product information taken from the image's metadata may be used to scale the threshold value parameters dynamically. This allows the method to perform the appropriate amount of processing depending on the lighting situation of the image that is currently being processed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for resizing buffered windows. In one aspect of the invention, a method to resize a buffered window on a data processing system includes: determining an estimated size for a window which has a first pixel image of a first size buffered in a first window buffer; allocating a second window buffer which is large enough to buffer the window in the estimated size; and buffering a second pixel image of the window in a second size in the second window buffer. In one example according to this aspect, a portion of a frame buffer is updated to the second pixel image to display the window in the second size. A portion of the second window buffer, storing the data that represents the second pixel image, is clipped to update the corresponding portion of the frame buffer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for anti-aliasing scan conversion. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method to scan convert an image on a data processing system includes: sampling the image in a first direction to generate first signals for points along a second line in a second direction using a closed form solution for a convolution integral with a first kernel; and weighting the first signals for the points according to a second kernel in the second direction to generate a second signal for a pixel. In one example according to this aspect, the closed form solution is tabulated in a look up table. After entries are looked up from the look up table according to the image along a first line in the first direction on a first point of the points, the entries are combined to generate one of the first signals for the first point.

Abstract: Several methods for operating a built-in digital camera of a portable, handheld electronic device are described. In one embodiment, the device receives a user selection (e.g., tap, tap and hold, gesture) of a region displayed on the display screen (e.g., touch sensitive screen). A touch to focus mode may then be initiated in response to the user selection and exposure and focus parameters determined and adjusted. Then, an automatic scene detection mechanism can determine whether a scene has changed. If the scene has changed, then the touch to focus mode ends and a default automatic focus mode initiates. This mode sets a new exposure metering area and focus area prior to determining and adjusting exposure and focus parameters, respectively.

Abstract: A system, computer readable medium, and method for dynamically setting a camera's exposure parameters based on face detection are disclosed. When taking a picture or video of a person in front of a bright background, standard exposure algorithms tend to overexpose the background. In one embodiment disclosed herein, a face detection algorithm is run on the current picture or video frame, and the exposure metering region is inset over the detected face. Exposure time, gain, or other exposure parameters may be set based on the pixels within the exposure metering region. In another embodiment, the exposure metering region tracks a moving face according to lag parameters so that the exposure metering region remains substantially over the face. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of faces may be tracked, with the exposure parameters set based on a weighted average of the pixels within the plurality of face-containing exposure metering regions.

Abstract: A framework for performing graphics animation and compositing operations has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or any other type of object for a user interface of an application. The application commits change to the state of the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer for display on the processing device. Those portions of the render tree that have changed relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.

Abstract: A graphics animation and compositing operations framework has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or other types of objects for an application's user interface. The application commits state changes to the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state by the framework which can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility, and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer. Portions of the render tree changing relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.

Abstract: A graphics animation and compositing operations framework has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or other types of objects for an application's user interface. The application commits state changes to the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state by the framework which can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility, and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer. Portions of the render tree changing relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for producing images including techniques for reducing the memory and processing power required for such operations. The system provides techniques for programmatically representing a graphics problem. The system further provides techniques for reducing and optimizing graphics problems for rendering with consideration of the system resources, such as the availability of a compatible GPU.

Abstract: Several methods and apparatuses for implementing automatic exposure mechanisms for image capturing devices are described. In one embodiment, an automatic exposure mechanism can use data from a light meter of an image capturing device to determine a metered exposure value associated with incident light. The automatic exposure mechanism can determine a rule based exposure value based on a predetermined rule and exposure settings (e.g., a predetermined light sensitivity of a capture media and a predetermined f-number of the image capturing device). The automatic exposure mechanisms can select either the metered exposure value or the rule based exposure value to set an exposure setting for the image capturing device.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and a computer readable medium for performing an improved blowout prevention process in an image capture device are provided to compensate for occurrences of exposure “blowouts,” i.e., areas in a captured image where pixel brightness exceeds the sensor's dynamic range of capturing capability. In one embodiment, the captured image's histogram may be analyzed to determine if the image is indicative of the presence of exposure blowouts. Once it has been determined that there likely are blowouts in the image, an exposure bias for the image capture device may be set accordingly. Particularly, the exposure value (EV) for the image capture device may be gradually corrected, e.g., by one-eighth of a stop per captured frame, until the image histogram is no longer indicative of blown out regions, at which point the image capture device's exposure value may gradually be corrected back to “normal,” i.e., non-exposure bias compensated, levels.

Abstract: Techniques to generate partial display updates in a buffered window system in which arbitrary visual effects are permitted to any one or more windows (e.g., application-specific window buffers) are described. Once a display output region is identified for updating, the buffered window system is interrogated to determine which regions within each window, if any, may effect the identified output region. Such determination considers the consequences any filters associated with a window impose on the region needed to make the output update.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for producing images including techniques for reducing the memory and processing power required for such operations. The system provides techniques for programmatically representing a graphics problem. The system further provides techniques for reducing and optimizing graphics problems for rendering with consideration of the system resources, such as the availability of a compatible GPU.