Cinematic image blur in digital cameras based on exposure timing manipulation
Cinematic motion blur and other cinematic effects are enabled during image capture through exposure timing manipulation. The resulting captured images and videos include one or more cinematic effects without the need for a user to impose the cinematic effects post-capture.
1. A method for generating cinematic blur in a digital camera, the method comprising:
accessing a cinematic effect comprising a total exposure time for a digital image sensor of the digital camera and an effective exposure time;
generating a pulse pattern for the image sensor comprising a plurality of pulse durations such that consecutive pulse durations are separated by non-zero spacing durations, the sum of the plurality of pulse durations substantially equal to the total exposure time and the sum of the plurality of pulse durations and spacing durations being substantially equal to or less than the effective exposure time;
applying the generated pulse pattern to the image sensor;
capturing, by the image sensor, image information representative of light incident upon the image sensor, the image information representative of light incident upon the image sensor during the pulse durations and not representative of light incident upon the image sensor during the spacing durations; and
storing the captured image information.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective exposure time is selected to correspond to an exposure time for a film camera.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein two or more of the pulse durations comprise the same duration.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein two or more of the pulse durations comprise different durations.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein two or more of the spacing durations comprises the same duration.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein two or more of the spacing durations comprise different durations.
7. A camera system comprising a digital image sensor, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions configured to, when executed by the processor, cause the camera system to:
access a cinematic effect comprising a total exposure time for the digital image sensor and an effective exposure time;
generate a pulse pattern for the image sensor comprising a plurality of pulse durations such that consecutive pulse durations are separated by non-zero spacing durations, the sum of the plurality of pulse durations substantially equal to the total exposure time and the sum of the plurality of pulse durations and spacing durations being substantially equal to or less than the effective exposure time;
apply the generated pulse pattern to the image sensor;
configure the image sensor to capture image information representative of light incident upon the image sensor, the image information representative of light incident upon the image sensor during the pulse durations and not representative of light incident upon the image sensor during the spacing durations; and
store the captured image information.
8. The camera system of claim 7 , wherein the effective exposure time is selected to correspond to an exposure time for a film camera.
9. The camera system of claim 7 , wherein two or more of the pulse durations comprise the same duration.
10. The camera system of claim 7 , wherein two or more of the pulse durations comprise different durations.
11. The camera system of claim 7 , wherein two or more of the spacing durations comprises the same duration.
12. The camera system of claim 7 , wherein two or more of the spacing durations comprise different durations.
13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having executable computer program instructions embodied therein for execution by a camera processor, the instructions comprising steps for:
accessing a cinematic effect comprising a total exposure time for a digital image sensor and an effective exposure time;
generating a pulse pattern for the image sensor comprising a plurality of pulse durations such that consecutive pulse durations are separated by non-zero spacing durations, the sum of the plurality of pulse durations substantially equal to the total exposure time and the sum of the plurality of pulse durations and spacing durations being substantially equal to or less than the effective exposure time;
applying the generated pulse pattern to the image sensor;
configuring the image sensor to capture image information representative of light incident upon the image sensor, the image information representative of light incident upon the image sensor during the pulse durations and not representative of light incident upon the image sensor during the spacing durations; and
storing the captured image information.
14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the effective exposure time is selected to correspond to an exposure time for a film camera.
15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein two or more of the pulse durations comprise the same duration.
16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein two or more of the pulse durations comprise different durations.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein two or more of the spacing durations comprises the same duration.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein two or more of the spacing durations comprise different durations.