Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Animation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-25
2001-10-30
Vo, Cliff N. (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Animation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310625
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method whereby when editing a motion picture, loaded from a disk or a video camera, individual pieces of information of scenes can be displayed on an editing device, and to a display device for this purpose; and in particular, to a method for displaying material to be edited that facilitates the editing operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, the use of video devices, such as video cameras, that handle digital images has spread to the home. The editing of the images obtained with a digital camera is an easy task, and highly individualized stories can be prepared by employing devices that edit such motion pictures and change scene order while linking together only selected scenes.
A group of images for a scene, one of a number of image groups obtained by dividing a series of images at predetermined time intervals, is called a clip. A typical image (index) for each clip can be displayed on an editing device, and an editor can then edit scenes while viewing these images. However, since the length of a clip for a scene can not be ascertained only from the index, editing is sometimes difficult.
To resolve this problem, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-79404 is a method, as is shown in
FIG. 18
, whereby the indexes of clips, which are expressed as three-dimensional rectangular parallelepipeds, are displayed on the front faces of the parallelepipeds, and the lengths of the clips are represented by the depths of the rectangular parallelepipeds.
Disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-79404 is a method, as is shown in
FIG. 19
, for reducing the indexes for clips in consonance with their lengths, and for displaying the resultant clips.
A conventional display device to provide such a display comprises, as is shown in
FIG. 20
, video reading means
1
, for reading digital images supplied by a video camera or a disk; clip division means
2
, for dividing a series of digital images into clips; clip division data storage means
4
, for maintaining IN point and OUT point data for the obtained clips; index generation means
3
, for generating indexes for the clips; clip length ratio calculation means
5
, for calculating the ratios for the lengths of the individual clips; and index display means
6
, for displaying indexes by employing data received from the index generation means
3
and the clip length ratio calculation means
5
.
In this display device, when the video reading means
1
reads digital images from a video camera or a disk, the clip division means
2
divides the digital images into clips. The index generation means
3
generates typical images, which are used as indexes, using the first frames of the individual obtained clips and outputs the stationary images to the index display means
6
.
The IN point and OUT point data for the clips are stored in the clip division data storage means
4
. The clip length ratio calculation means
5
calculates the ratios for the lengths of the clips from the IN point and OUT point data, and outputs the ratio to the index display means
6
. Upon receipt of the data from the index generation means
3
and the clip length ratio calculation means
5
, the index display means
6
displays the indexes for the clips and the ratios for the lengths of the clips using the form shown in
FIG. 18
or
19
.
Using the display method in
FIG. 18
, however, it is difficult to visualize how clips are distributed and where they are located in a motion picture by using the ratios of the lengths of the clips to the total length of the movie. And according to the display method in
FIG. 19
, since in this case the size of an index is reduced, viewing a typical image is difficult.
In order to make the editing of motion pictures easy, it is important that there be displayed on an editing screen not only the index and the length of a clip, but also the contents of the images included in the clip, so that an individual performing the editing can easily understand this data and can select appropriate scenes for inclusion in the clip. According to the conventional display method, however, no consideration of such matters is taken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To resolve the above described conventional problems, it is one objective of the present invention to provide a clip display method whereby the contents of a clip are clearly displayed and an be used to facilitate the editing of a motion picture, and to provide a display device therefor.
According to a method of the present invention, whereby clips obtained by dividing a motion picture are displayed by employing typical images of individual clips, a graphic representation for a motion picture is divided to provide segments corresponding to the ratio of the lengths of the clips to the total length of the motion picture, and presented are sequences of the separate graphic segments linked to typical images.
A motion vector and a color change for a clip or a moving object in a motion picture is displayed in each corresponding segment of the graphic representation covering the overall length of the motion picture.
Therefore, the locations and the lengths of the individual clips, as they are related to the motion picture, or the contents of the images included in the clips, can be ascertained at a glance, and the editing can be performed very smoothly.
According to the present invention, a clip display device comprises: index display means, for displaying typical images of individual clips; clip length ratio display means, for dividing a graphic representation of the overall length of a motion picture into segments at the ratios of the lengths of the clips to the overall length of the motion picture; and linking means, for linking the typical images displayed by the index display means with the segments of the graphic representation displayed by the clip length ratio display means.
The display device further comprises means for calculating, at a constant time interval, a motion vector from a motion picture; color data calculation means, for calculating at a constant time interval color data from a motion picture; and maximum movement object extraction means for extracting, at a constant time interval, an object that travels a maximum distance. The linking means links the thus obtained motion vector, the color data and the object that moves the maximum distance to the segments of the graphic representation that correspond to the overall length of the motion picture. The clip length ratio display means displays the items in the graphic segments that are linked together.
This display device can employ the above described clip display method.
According to one aspect of the invention, a clip display method, whereby clips obtained by dividing a motion picture are displayed using typical images of the clips, comprises the steps of:
dividing a graphic representation of the overall length of the motion picture into segments at ratios of lengths of the clips to the overall length of the motion picture; and
linking the segments of the graphic representation with the typical images to display the clips. The locations of the clips in the motion picture and the ratio of the length of each clip to the overall length of the motion picture can be visually ascertained.
According to another aspect of the invention, the segments of the graphic representation are linked with the typical images by using colors or numerals. Since a segment having a color or a numeral provided for the typical image is searched for in the graphic representation of the overall length of the motion picture, the positioning in the motion picture of the clips represented by the typical images can be understood at a glance.
According to another aspect of the invention, a clip display method, whereby clips obtained by dividing a motion picture are displayed using typical images of the clips, comprises the steps of
dividing a graphic representation of the overall length of the motion picture into segments equal in num
Asai Kayoko
Kaga Tomomi
Kato Hitoshi
Yoshio Hiroaki
Gopstein Israel
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Vo Cliff N.
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