Patent ID: 6600491
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
A computer-implemented process for generating a video animation from image frames taken from an input video clip, comprising using a computer to perform the following process actions:(a) inputting a video sprite of an object, said video sprite comprising a sequence of frames that when viewed in order shows the object moving in place; (b) inputting a prescribed path that the object is to follow in the scene depicted in the video animation; (c) selecting one of the video sprite frames as the first video sprite frame; (d) inserting the selected first video sprite frame into a frame of an existing video sequence at a point on the prescribed path in the scene depicted therein to produce a first frame of the video animation; (e) comparing the selected first video sprite frame to the other video sprite frames to identify potentially acceptable transitions between it and the other video sprite frames; (f) selecting as a currently selected video sprite frame a video sprite frame from among the video sprite frames identified as corresponding to an acceptable transition from the last selected frame; (g) inserting the currently selected video sprite frame into the next frame of the existing video sequence at a point on the prescribed path occurring after the point where the last inserted video sprite frame was inserted to produce a next frame of the video animation; (h) comparing the currently selected video sprite frame to the other video sprite frames to identify potentially acceptable transitions between it and the other video sprite frames; and (i) repeating process actions (f) through (h) for as long as it is desired to produce new frames of the video animation.