Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Animation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2002-07-02
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Animation
C345S475000, C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S960000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06414686
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to multimedia editing systems and more particularly computer based systems for composing and editing video and audio sequences comprising a plurality of components.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Computer based systems for composing and editing combined audio and video sequences are known. Recent systems accept input signals representing components, which are often called clips, and which are combined into an audio and video output sequence. The input signals are usually of several different types including audio, still images, video images, text and computer generated images. Computer generated images include still images and video sequences.
Video images can be captured from a video camera or may actually be composed by a system such as the system described in this invention. Still images may also be captured by a camera or may be digitised by a scanner from a photograph or print. All such signals are usually stored on an optical or magnetic medium, referred to as the source medium, in analogue or digital form. Analogue signals will be digitised before they are used as inputs to a composition and editing system. The input types described here are sometimes referred to as multimedia content and the possible input types are not restricted to the those described above.
The methods of digitising a still image which is either a real scene or a reproduction of a real scene, by raster scanning, are well known, particularly in relation to digital photography and printing. The methods of reproducing moving scenes by first electronically capturing a series of essentially still images, known as frames, are also well known, particularly in relation to television.
The computer used in this system may be a special purpose design or be of the type commonly known as a desk top machine such as a PC. It will include a central processing unit, memory for storage, a display system and user input controls. The types of user input controls which may be used include both common computer input devices, for example, a keyboard, mouse, tracker ball or joystick and editing devices specific to the video editing industry such as a jog shuttle wheel or audio mixing desk.
An operator who is working at the computer to assemble a presentation from portions of the available input clips requires simultaneous information about the input clips as well as information about the presentation defined so far in his work. In addition to this information the operator requires access to tools which define how the clips are to be included in the presentation. It is usual to display the various information and tools to the operator using an operator interface based on a windowing system. Such windowing systems are well known in personal computing systems.
Information about the individual input clips may be displayed in a window and may include a small image, sometimes called a thumbnail, which represents the first frame of a video sequence. Additional information regarding the type of content and duration is required. A means within the display is also provided for viewing or listening to the content of an individual clip and then selecting a portion to be used in the final presentation. Normally the portion initially selected is only approximately defined and a portion longer than needed for the final presentation will be selected. This process is called an assemble edit or rough cut.
The individual clips which have been rough cut may be modified and combined with other clips in order to achieve different visual and audio effects. The simplest of these is known as a cut and results in the frames of the final presentation consisting of the frames from a first clip immediately followed by the frames of a second clip. More complex transitions are common in which the last frames of the first clip are overlapped with the first frames of the second clip such that the first sequence gradually changes to the second sequence over a period of time. The effects in such transitions are usually selected from a library of possible transition types. In more complex presentations there may be two or more video and audio sequences combined for a period of time to achieve an artistic effect.
Other special effects for modifying or combining clips or adding titles or adding still images or adding animated images, etc. are well known.
It is common practice to provide, on a display, a type of window known as a time line to represent the sequence of the various clips and transitions which combine to form the final presentation. The time line displays used in current systems typically consist of a series of parallel rectangular elements, known as time bars, shown on the computer display. Horizontal distance across the time bars is usually used to represent time with the time bars arranged vertically. Time is normally represented linearly with distance.
During the editing process, the operator may define a number of tracks which may be video, audio or other media types. Each track will be defined on a time bar of the time line. These tracks are a well known concept in both video and audio editing and are used to control the composition of one or more source clips which may be used simultaneously to form part of a composed sequence. They are necessary when two or more source elements are present at one point in time in the output sequence, for example when audio and video are concurrent or during a special transition effect from one source clip to another.
Rough cut clips and transitions are added to the time line as the presentation is built up in order to control the final presentation and provide the operator with a diagrammatic representation of the content of the presentation. Each rough cut clip is adjusted by the operator to have start and ending points which are precisely defined with respect to the source media containing the clip and also precisely defined with respect to the final presentation. This process of precisely defining the clip is known as trimming. Several methods of trimming to achieve a desired programme effect are known.
Time can be measured in units of hours, minutes and seconds and frames. The addition of frame units is provided to allow the operator to achieve precise control of which frames are used in the presentation and to control their time relationship with the frames of other clips, transitions and special effects. Whereas hours minutes and seconds are common and precisely defined time units, frame units vary depending on the particular standard used in the target presentation. Typically they may be one thirtieth of a second or one twenty-fifth of a second. Time measured in hours minutes seconds and frames from the start of the source medium containing a clip, or a composed programme, is known as a time code.
As mentioned earlier, there is usually a means for displaying the source clips. It is also necessary to provide a means for viewing the presentation as it is built up whilst the operator works. These two requirements are often satisfied by providing two video display areas which are side by side in a single window. It is necessary to provide user controls to play the selected video clip or final composed presentation. Such controls may be provided to start or stop the video. Additionally controls are usually provided, in the form of sliders adjacent to the video display areas, which may be used to move forwards or backwards through video at a rate determined by the operator.
A similar facility is also provided for moving through the composed programme in the presentation display window by sliding a pointer on the time line. The presentation display slider and the viewing window slider can be synchronised to each other. Additionally a display of the slider position, and hence the displayed frame position, may be given by a time code display. When using the normal video or audio play controls, the video frames will be played at a rate appropriate for the standard chosen for the presentation or clip. Moving the time slider to play backwards and forwards through a sequence i
Hammacott Symon
Protheroe Simon
Eidos plc
Nguyen Kimbinh T.
Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP
Zimmerman Mark
LandOfFree
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