Image-effect method and apparatus using critical points
View Patent ↗An image-effect apparatus which provides high quality motion pictures and image effects such as supper slow motion based on a small amount of image data. An image input unit inputs a first image and a second image. A matching processor performs pixel matching between the first image and the second image, and a result thereof is recorded as a corresponding point file. An intermediate image generator generates an intermediate image between the first image and the second image based on the corresponding point file. A speed controller controls the number of intermediate images to be generated, based on a user's instruction. As the number of intermediate images generated is increased, slow motion and super slow motion images are produced.
1. An image-effect apparatus, comprising:
an intermediate image generator which acquires a first image, a second image and a corresponding point file for the first image and the second image and generates an intermediate image between the first image and the second image;
a speed controller which controls an operation of said intermediate image generator with respect to a speed at which the intermediate image is generated; and
an output unit for outputing the first image and intermediate image,
wherein the corresponding point file describes lattice points of a mesh taken on the first image, wherein the lattice points represent less than all of the pixels in the first image, and a positional relation of points in the second image which correspond to the lattice points.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a speed specifying unit which receives from a user a desired speed, wherein said speed controller controls said intermediate image generator according to the desired speed.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said intermediate image comprises a plurality of intermediate images and said speed controller controls the number of intermediate images generated by said intermediate image generator.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit which displays the first image, the intermediate image, and the second image as a moving picture.
5. An image-effect apparatus, comprising:
an image input unit which acquires a first image and a second image;
a matching processor which computes a matching between the first image and the second image and then outputs a matching result as a corresponding point file;
an intermediate image generator which generates an intermediate image between the first image and the second image based on the corresponding point file;
a speed controller which controls said intermediate image generator with respect to a speed at which the intermediate image is generated; and
an output unit for outputing the first image and the intermediate image,
wherein said matching processor generates the corresponding point file in a manner such that a destination polygon in the second image corresponds to a source polygon of a mesh defined on the first image, wherein the mesh represents less than all of the pixels in the first image.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said matching processor performs a pixel-by-pixel matching computation based on correspondence between a critical point detected through a two-dimensional search on the first image and a critical point detected through a two-dimensional search on the second image.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said matching processor initially multiresolutionalizes the first image and the second image using the critical points then performs the pixel-by-pixel matching computation between related multiresolution levels while also inheriting a result of a pixel-by-pixel matching computation at a different multiresolution level in order to acquire a pixel-by-pixel correspondence relation at a finest resolution level at a final stage.
8. An apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a communication unit which outputs the corresponding point file to an external unit.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said intermediate image comprises a plurality of intermediate images and said speed controller controls the number of intermediate images generated by said intermediate image generator.
10. An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said intermediate image comprises a plurality of intermediate images and said speed controller controls the number of intermediate images generated by said intermediate image generator.