Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for selecting image capture positions to generate three-dimensional images
Methods, systems, and computer program products for selecting image capture positions to generate three-dimensional images are disclosed herein. According to one aspect, a method includes determining a plurality of first guides associated with a first still image of a scene. The method can also include displaying a real-time image of the scene on a display. Further, the method can include determining a plurality of second guides associated with the real-time image. The method can also include displaying the first and second guides on the display for guiding selection of a position of an image capture device to capture a second still image of the scene for pairing the first and second still images as a stereoscopic pair of a three-dimensional image.
1. A method for selecting an image capture position to generate a three-dimensional image, the method comprising:
using an image capture device including at least one processor for:
capturing a first image of a scene at a first position;
determining a depth of field based on at least one characteristic of the capture;
determining a displacement distance based on the determined depth of field;
capturing a real-time image of the scene while moving the image capture device laterally;
utilizing at least a pixel attribute from the real-time image to determine a current position of the image capture device with respect to the first position;
capturing a second image at the current position determined by the difference between the first position and the second position being approximately equal to the determined displacement; and
creating a stereoscopic image pair based on the first and second images.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, at the image capture device, input for entering a stereoscopic mode.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
storing settings of the image capture device used when the first image is captured; and
capturing the second or other still images using the stored settings.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising dynamically changing the displayed real-time image of the scene as the position of the image capture device changes with respect to the scene.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically or manually capturing the second still image, or stopping capturing images when in continuous capture mode.
6. A method for positioning an image capture device for generating a three-dimensional image, the method comprising:
using at least one processor for:
capturing a first image of a scene at a first position;
determining a depth of field based on at least one characteristic of the capture;
determining a displacement distance based on the determined depth of field;
mechanically-moving the image capture device;
capturing at least one real-time image of the scene during movement of the image capture device;
utilizing at least a pixel attribute from the real-time image to determine a current position of the image capture device with respect to the first position;
capturing a second image at the current position determined by the difference between the first position and the second position being approximately equal to the determined displacement; and
creating a stereoscopic image pair based on the first and second images.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
applying edge sharpness criteria to identify the first template region to generate horizontal and vertical guides; and
optionally applying a Hough transform or similar operation to identify the second horizontal, vertical, and perspective guide.
8. The method of claim 6 comprising providing a motorized device configured to controllably move the image capture device.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a plurality of guides associated with one of the first image of the scene and the captured real-time image.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining a plurality of guides further comprises determining a plurality of guides associated with the first captured image.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining a plurality of guides further comprises determining a plurality of guides associated with the real-time image of a scene.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining a plurality of first guides associated with the first captured image;
displaying the first guides on a display based on the determined displacement distance;
displaying a real-time image of the scene on the display;
determining a plurality of second guides associated with the real-time image;
displaying the first and second guide guides on the display for guiding selection of a position of the image capture device to capture a second image of the scene; and
capturing the second image of the scene when the first and second guides are substantially aligned.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein displaying the first and second guides comprises of displaying a portion of the first captured image by superimposing it over the real-time image.