PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9349206-B2
Application Number: US-201313789997-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Editing animated objects in video

Abstract:
In one aspect, in general, a method includes receiving, in a user interface of a video editing application executing on a computer system, an indication from a user of the video editing application to edit an animated object associated with a video clip displayed in the user interface, receiving, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, data specifying an editing location of the animated object, and determining, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, a frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object, the determination based on the data specifying the editing location of the animated object. Other aspects may include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 displaying, in a user interface of a video editing application executing on a computer system, a first frame of a video clip and a first static representation of an animated text, wherein at least one full word of the animated text is not visible in the user interface; 
 in response to an invocation of a user interface element representing the animated text: 
 receiving, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, data specifying a location of the animated text in which the at least one full word is visible in the user interface when a static representation of the animated text corresponding to the location is displayed; 
 determining, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, a second frame of the video clip, the second frame of the video clip associated with an editing location of the animated text, the determination based on the data specifying the location of the animated text in which the at least one full word is visible in the user interface; and 
 displaying, in the user interface of the video editing application executing on the computer system, the second frame of the video clip and a second static representation of the animated text, wherein the at least one full word of the animated text is visible in the user interface. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one full word is displayed in the user interface overlaid upon the second frame of the video clip. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data specifying the location of the animated text comprises data specifying a location in time of the animated text. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data specifying the location of the animated text comprises data specifying the second frame of the video clip. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the animated text, video clip, and data specifying the location of the animated text are stored in association with a video project file. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second frame is determined based on an indication of the editing location specified by a second user of a second video editing application. 
     
     
       7. A computer readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause a computer system to carry out operations comprising:
 displaying, in a user interface of a video editing application executing on the computer system, a first frame of a video clip and a first static representation of an animated text, wherein at least one full word of the animated text is not visible in the user interface; 
 in response to an invocation of a user interface element representing the animated text: 
 receiving, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, data specifying a location of the animated text in which the at least one full word is visible in the user interface when a static representation of the animated text corresponding to the location is displayed; 
 determining, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, a second frame of the video clip, the second frame of the video clip associated with an editing location of the animated text, the determination based on the data specifying the location of the animated text in which the at least one full word is visible in the user interface; and 
 displaying, in the user interface of the video editing application executing on the computer system, the second frame of the video clip and a second static representation of the animated text, wherein the at least one full word of the animated text is visible in the user interface. 
 
     
     
       8. The computer readable storage device of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one full word is displayed in the user interface overlaid upon the second frame of the video clip. 
     
     
       9. The computer readable storage device of  claim 7 , wherein the data specifying the location of the animated text comprises data specifying a location in time of the animated text. 
     
     
       10. The computer readable storage device of  claim 7 , wherein the data specifying the location of the animated text comprises data specifying the second frame of the video clip. 
     
     
       11. The computer readable storage device of  claim 7 , wherein the animated text, video clip, and data specifying the location of the animated text are stored in association with a video project file. 
     
     
       12. The computer readable storage device of  claim 7 , wherein the second frame is determined based on an indication of the editing location specified by a second user of a second video editing application. 
     
     
       13. A computer system comprising:
 a processor configured to execute stored instructions; 
 a storage device storing instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to carry out operations comprising: 
 displaying, in a user interface of a video editing application executing on the computer system, a first frame of a video clip and a first static representation of an animated text, wherein at least one full word of the animated text is not visible in the user interface; 
 in response to an invocation of a user interface element representing the animated text: 
 receiving, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, data specifying a location of the animated text in which the at least one full word is visible in the user interface when a static representation of the animated text corresponding to the location is displayed; 
 determining, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, a second frame of the video clip, the second frame of the video clip associated with an editing location of the animated text, the determination based on the data specifying the location of the animated text in which the at least one full word is visible in the user interface; and 
 displaying, in the user interface of the video editing application executing on the computer system, the second frame of the video clip and a second static representation of the animated text, wherein the at least one full word of the animated text is visible in the user interface. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one full word is displayed in the user interface overlaid upon the second frame of the video clip. 
     
     
       15. The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein the data specifying the location of the animated text comprises data specifying a location in time of the animated text. 
     
     
       16. The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein the data specifying the location of the animated text comprises data specifying the second frame of the video clip. 
     
     
       17. The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein the animated text, video clip, and data specifying the location of the animated text are stored in association with a video project file. 
     
     
       18. The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein the second frame is determined based on an indication of the editing location specified by a second user of a second video editing application.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure generally relates to editing animated objects in video. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Video content can be edited in a video editing application. Video content can be stored in the form of one or more video clips compiled in a video project. Video clips include a portion of video content (frames of video, associated audio, and/or metadata). Each of the video clips can be accessed in a user interface, for example, to view the video clip, modify the video clip, or incorporate the video clip into a video project. The video editing application may enable a user to incorporate animated objects into one or more video clips. For example, an animated object could be a portion of text that moves into a video clip, fades into a video clip, etc. Some video editing applications enable a user to edit the animated object. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, in general, a method includes receiving, in a user interface of a video editing application executing on a computer system, an indication from a user of the video editing application to edit an animated object associated with a video clip displayed in the user interface, receiving, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, data specifying an editing location of the animated object, and determining, by the video editing application executing on the computer system, a frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object, the determination based on the data specifying the editing location of the animated object. Other aspects may include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products. 
     Implementations of these aspects may include one or more of the following features. The aspect includes changing a frame of the video clip displayed in a current frame view of the user interface to the frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object. The data specifying the editing location of the animated object includes data specifying a location in time of the animated object. The data specifying the editing location of the animated object includes data specifying the frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object. The animated object, video clip, and data specifying the editing location of the animated object are stored in association with a video project file. The frame associated with an editing location of the animated object is determined based on an indication of the editing location specified by a second user of a second video editing application. The animated object comprises one or more words of text. The aspect includes receiving, in the user interface of a video editing application, an indication to move to a second editing location of the animated object. The editing location includes a location at which a first portion of the animated object is visible, and the second editing location includes a location at which a second portion of the animated object is visible. The first portion of the animated object comprises a first word of text, and the second portion of the animated object comprises a second word of text. The indication from a user of the video editing application to edit an animated object included in a video clip includes a user interface action upon a visual element representing the animated object displayed in the user interface. The editing location of the animated object includes a location in time of the animated object at which at least a threshold percentage of the animated object is visible. 
     Details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and potential advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a video editing application being operated by a user of a computer system. 
         FIGS. 2A-4  show user interfaces of a video editing application. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an exemplary process associated with editing animated objects in video. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an exemplary system architecture implementing the features and processes of  FIGS. 1-5 . 
     
    
    
     Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Video editing software enables a user to manipulate animated objects, for example, text that appears in a video and is displayed in motion. The animated object can be displayed in the form of an animation, which is a visual representation of the animated object in motion. Animated objects are sometimes edited in a static form. For example, a static form of an animated object may be a state of the animated object at the beginning, middle, or end of an animation representing the object. If the animated object is animated by fading into a sequence of a video, the static form may be a final or near-final frame of the video sequence, so that most or all of the elements of the animated object are visible in the static form. If the animated object is animated by fading out of a sequence of a video, the static form may be an initial frame of the video sequence, so that most or all of the elements of the animated object are visible in the static form. 
       FIG. 1  shows a video editing application  100  being operated by a user  102  of a computer system  104 . The video editing application  100  enables the user  102  to view and edit video clips  106  in a user interface  108 . In some examples, the video clips  106  are stored as part of a video project  110 . A video project  110  is a file representing a compilation of one or more video clips  106 , generally arranged by a user to form a coherent theme. For example, a video project  110  could be a feature film, a television show, an interactive multimedia project, or other compilation of media. 
     In some implementations, a video clip  106  contains media content such as video content (e.g., a series of video frames) and audio content. In some examples, a video clip  106  contains only video data, or contains only audio data (e.g., an audio clip). A video clip  106  sometimes takes the form of a data file stored on a storage medium, but a video clip  106  could also take other forms. In some examples, a video clip  106  could be a filtered portion of a media file. In some examples, a video clip  106  could be a “compound clip” that includes multiple clips. In some examples, a video clip  106  could be a “multicam clip” that includes multiple clips from different sources (e.g., different cameras or other recording devices) that are synchronized. 
     A video project  110  can also contain one or more animated objects  112 . An animated object  112  is a representation of an object displayable in motion and represented by data other than video data. For example, an animated object  112  could be one or more words of text, such as text representing a title of the video or other information. In this example, the animated object  112  includes data representing the text, e.g., data in a standard format used for text such as ASCII, Unicode, etc. In contrast, video clips  116  include data representing frames of video, audio, etc. The animated object  112  could be displayed in motion overlaid upon one or more video clips  106 , moving into and/or out of a field of view represented by one or more video clips  106 , fading into or out of a field of view represented by one or more video clips  106 , etc. An animated object  112  displayed in motion is sometimes called an animation. 
     A video project  110  can also contain an editing location specification  114  for the animated object  112 . The editing location specification  114  indicates a temporal location (i.e., a location in time or amount of elapsed time, sometimes called simply a location) within the animation representing the animated object  112  at which the animated object  112  can be edited by a user  102 . For example, if the animated object  112  is a visual representation of text fading into a video sequence, then the editing location specification  114  may specify a temporal location within the animation representing the animated object  112  at which the text has fully faded into the video sequence and thus is fully visible. In this way, the user  102  can view the text of the animated object  112  while he or she is editing it, and the animated object  112  can be displayed in substantially the same way that the animated object would be displayed in a final form (e.g., in a final video generated from the video project  110  and then played back in video playback software, on a television or other media device, etc.). In some implementations, the editing location specification  114  indicates a frame of a video clip  106  corresponding to the editing location of the animated object  112 . For example, if the animated object  112  is displayed as an animation in overlay upon a video clip  106 , then the temporal location at which the animated object  112  can be edited may correspond to a particular frame of a video clip  106 . Put another way, when the video project  110  is played back as a video, the editing location at which the animation representing the animated object  112  is displayed at the same time at which a particular frame of a video clip  106  is displayed. In some implementations, the editing location specification  114  indicates a time offset corresponding to the editing location of the animated object  112 . For example, if the animated object  112  is displayed as an animation, then the temporal location at which the animated object  112  can be edited may correspond to a particular amount of time elapsed in the animation of the animated object  112 , rather than a particular frame of the video clip  106 . 
     The editing location specification  114  may contain one or more types of data specifying an editing location. In some implementations, the particular frame of a video clip  106  can be specified in the editing location specification  114 . In some implementations, a time value (e.g., representing a time offset) is specified in the editing location specification  114 . For example, if the editing location occurs thirty seconds into the animation representing the animated object  112 , the editing location specification  114  may indicate a time value of thirty seconds (e.g., in the form of a time index or another form of information specifying time) as the editing location. The video editing application can then determine a frame of a video clip  106  corresponding to the editing location specified in the editing location specification  114 , e.g., by comparing an elapsed time of the video clip  106  to an elapsed time of an animation representing the animated object  112 . In some examples, the editing location specification  114  specifies multiple editing locations for the same animated object  112 . 
     In some implementations, the editing location specification  114  is defined by another user  102   a  of a video editing application  100   a . For example, the other user  102   a  can indicate which frame of the video clip  106  corresponds to an editing location for the animated object  112 . Data specifying the frame indicated by the other user  102   a  is then stored in association with the video project  110  in the form of the editing location specification  114 . When the video project  110  is accessed by the user  102  of the video editing application  100  then the user  102  can access the editing location specified by the other user  102   a.    
     In some examples, the same user  102  specifies the video frame or temporal location for the editing location specification  114  and later accesses the editing location specification  114  when editing the video project  110 . In some examples, the video editing application  100  is one instance of a particular kind of video editing application (e.g., a particular software product), and the other video editing application  102   a  is another instance of the same kind of video editing application. An instance of an application is a particular execution of software. For example, the first video editing application  100  could be an instance of Final Cut Pro (produced by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.) executed on a computer system, and the other video editing application  102   a  could be another instance of Final Cut Pro executed on a different computer system or the same computer system, each by different users or the same user. In some examples, the same instance of the video editing application could be used to define the editing location specification  114  and later access the editing location specification  114 . 
     In some examples, the editing location specification  114  is determined automatically. For example, the video editing application  100  can assign an editing location to an animated object  112  based on a threshold percentage of the animated object  110  that is visible at a location in time of the animated object  112 . As a particular example, if a certain percentage (e.g., 60% or 80% or 100%) of the animated object  112  is visible after thirty seconds of the animation representing the animated object  112  have elapsed, then the video editing application  100  could generate an editing location specification  114  specifying a temporal location of thirty seconds as the editing location of the animated object  112 . 
       FIG. 2A  shows a user interface  200  of a video editing application (e.g., the video editing application  100  shown in  FIG. 1 ). For example, the user interface  200  may be operated by a user (e.g., the user  102  shown in  FIG. 1 ) and enables the user to control functionality of the video editing application. A video project  202  that includes video clips  204 ,  206  and animations  208 ,  210  is being edited in the user interface  200 . The user interface  200  shows a current frame  212  of the video project  202 , which corresponds to a frame at a location  214  of one of the video clips  208 . One of the animations  210  is positioned temporally such that it overlaps with a portion of the video clip  206 . In this way, when the video project  202  is played as a video, the portion of the video clip  206  and the animation  210  play back simultaneously. The animation  210  is overlaid upon the video clip  206 , such that the animation  210  obscures a portion of the video clip  206  within a visual field of playback (e.g., a view of a current frame  212  of the video project  202 ). 
     When the current frame  212  corresponding to the location  214  of the video clip  208  is displayed in the user interface  200 , a static representation  216  of the animation  210  corresponding to the location  214  of the video clip  208  is displayed overlaid upon the current frame  212 . The static representation  216  is a view of the animation  210  as it would appear during playback at the point in time represented by the current frame  212 . 
     In this example, the animation  210  includes text  218  that is animated in a way that it “slides” into the video. As the animation  210  progresses in time, more of the text  218  is revealed. At this location  214  of the video clip  208 , only a portion of text is displayed. The complete text would be displayed at a location of the video clip  208  later in time, after the text has completed its “slide” into the visual field of playback. 
     If the user operating the user interface  200  wishes to edit the animation  210  (e.g., edit the text  218  of the animation  210 ), the user can take an action in the user interface  200 . For example, the user can invoke a user interface element representing the animation  210 . In some examples, the user interface element could be an icon  220  representing the animation  210  in a timeline view  222  of the user interface  200 . In some examples, the user interface element could be the static representation  216  of the animation  210 . A user invokes a user interface element by performing an action upon the user interface element. For example, the user may invoke a user interface element by clicking or double-clicking the user interface element with an input device such as a mouse, or tap or double-tap the user interface element on a touchscreen, or speak a command identifying the user interface element, or taking another action in the user interface. 
     When the user invokes a user interface element representing the animation  210 , the user interface  200  enables the user to edit the animation  210 . In some implementations, the user interface changes the current frame  212  of the video clip  206  to a location defined by an editing location of the animation  210  (e.g., as defined in an editing location specification  114  as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
       FIG. 2B  shows the user interface  200  after the current frame  212   a  has been changed to display the frame of the video clip  206  corresponding to a location  224  defined by an editing location of the animation  210 . In this example, all of the text  218   a  of the animation  210  is fully visible in the static representation  216   a  of the animation  210  as shown laid over the current frame  212   a  of the video clip  206 . A user of the user interface  200  can then edit the text  218   a , e.g., add or remove characters, change a font size or color, or perform any other kind of action upon the text. 
     Once the user has performed the action of editing the object represented by the animation  210  (in this example, editing the text of the animation  210 ), in some examples, the current frame  212   a  displayed by the user interface  200  may remain the frame at the location  224  defined by the editing location of the animation  210 . In some examples, the current frame may revert to the previous location  214  of the video clip  208  as shown in  FIG. 2A . 
       FIG. 3  shows another user interface  300  of a video editing application (e.g, the video editing application  100   a  shown in  FIG. 1 ). This user interface  300  enables a user to specify the editing location of an animation. In some implementations, the user interface  300  displays a timeline view  302  of an animation  304  and a static view  306  of the animation  304 . The user can specify a location  308  in the timeline view  302  as an editing location  310  of the animation  304 . For example, if the animation  304  includes text, the user can specify a location at which the text is completely visible as an editing location  310 . The user can specify the location by taking an action in the user interface  300 . For example, the user might activate a command for adding an editing location  310  (e.g., a command offered in a menu or accessible by a keyboard shortcut) and then specify the editing location  310  by clicking, tapping, or otherwise indicating the location in the user interface  300 . 
     Once the user has specified the editing location  310 , the video editing application can store data specifying the editing location  310  in association with the animation  304 . For example, the data may be stored in association with a data file containing the animation  310 , a video project (e.g., the video project  110  shown in  FIG. 1 ) associated with the animation  310 , or the data may be stored in another form. 
     In some implementations, a user can specify multiple editing locations in the user interface  300 . For example, the user may specify one editing location corresponding to a location in the animation  310  at which one portion of the animated object of the animation  310  is visible, another editing location corresponding to a location in the animation  310  at which another portion of the animated object of the animation  310  is visible, etc. For example, if the animation  310  represents text, then the user may specify one editing location corresponding to a location in the animation  310  at which one word of text is visible, another editing location corresponding to a location in the animation  310  at which another word of text is visible, etc. These techniques may be used, for example, for an animation  310  in which different portions are visible at different times, e.g., if one word of text is displayed after another disappears. 
       FIG. 4  shows another user interface  400  of a video editing application (e.g, the video editing application  100  shown in  FIG. 1 ). For example, the user interface  400  shown here could be available during the same execution of the video editing application as the user interface  200  ( FIG. 2 ) is available, and the two user interface  200 ,  400  could be accessed at different times. This user interface  400  enables a user to edit an animated object represented by an animation  402 . The user interface  400  includes a timeline view  404  of the animation  402  and a static view  406  of the animation. The static view  406  represents a view of the animation  402  at the point in time represented by a current location  408  in the timeline view  404 . 
     If a user invokes a representation  410  of the animation  402  in the timeline view  404  (e.g., clicks or taps the representation  410 ), the user interface  400  will set the current location  408  to an editing location  412  of the animation  402  (e.g., an editing location specified by an editing location specification  114  as shown in  FIG. 1  or the editing location  310  shown in  FIG. 3 ). In this way, a user of the user interface  400  has quick access to the editing location defined for this animation  402 . 
     In some implementations, the user interface  400  includes a backward button  414  and a forward button  414  for changing the current location  408  among editing locations. In some examples, if multiple editing locations  412  are specified for the animation  402 , then the buttons  414 ,  416 , when invoked, enable a user to quickly skip between them. In some examples, if a single editing location  412  is specified for the animation  402 , then the buttons  414 , 416  enable a user to skip to an editing location of another animation, e.g., an animation in a list of animations  418  available for editing in the user interface  400 . As another example, if a user is at an editing location  412  of an animation  402  that is last in time (e.g., the last editing location before the temporal end of the animation  402 ) then the forward button  414  enables a user to skip to the editing location that is first in time for another animation. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an exemplary process  500  associated with editing animated objects in video. The process  500  can be performed, for example, by the computer system  104  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The process  500  includes receiving  502  an indication from a user of the video editing application to edit an animated object associated with a video clip. The video clip and the animated object are displayed in a user interface of a video editing application executing on a computer system. In some examples, the indication could be a user interface action upon a visual element representing the animated object displayed in the user interface. For example, a user could click, touch, or otherwise invoke an icon representing the animated object. 
     The process  500  includes receiving  502  data specifying an editing location of the animated object. The data is received by the video editing application executing on the computer system. In some examples, the data specifying the editing location of the animated object is data specifying a location in time of the animated object (e.g., a time index such as thirty seconds of time elapsed in an animation representing the animated object). In some examples, the data specifying the editing location of the animated object is data specifying the frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object (e.g., an indication of a particular frame of video such as frame  100  of the video). In some examples, the editing location of the animated object is a location in time of the animated object at which at least a threshold percentage of the animated object is visible. 
     The process  500  includes determining  506  a frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object. The frame is determined by the video editing application executing on the computer system. The frame associated with an editing location of the animated object may be determined based on an indication of the editing location specified by a second user of a second video editing application. 
     In some implementations, the process  500  includes changing a frame of the video clip displayed in a current frame view of the user interface to the frame of the video clip associated with the editing location of the animated object. In some implementations, the animated object, video clip, and data specifying the editing location of the animated object are stored in association with a video project file. In some implementations, the process  500  includes receiving an indication to move to a second editing location of the animation. For example, the first editing location could be a location at which a first portion of the animated object (e.g., a first word of text) is visible, and the second editing location could be a location at which a second portion of the animated object (e.g., a second word of text) is visible. 
     This disclosure describes various Graphical User Interfaces (UIs) for implementing various features, processes or workflows. These GUIs can be presented on a variety of electronic devices including but not limited to laptop computers, desktop computers, computer terminals, television systems, tablet computers, e-book readers and smart phones. One or more of these electronic devices can include a touch-sensitive surface. The touch-sensitive surface can process multiple simultaneous points of input, including processing data related to the pressure, degree or position of each point of input. Such processing can facilitate gestures with multiple fingers, including pinching and swiping. 
     When the disclosure refers “to select” or “selecting” or “invoking” user interface elements in a GUI, these terms are understood to include clicking or “hovering” with a mouse or other input device over a user interface element, or touching, tapping or gesturing with one or more fingers or stylus on a user interface element. User interface elements can be virtual buttons, menus, selectors, switches, sliders, scrubbers, knobs, thumbnails, links, icons, radial buttons, checkboxes and any other mechanism for receiving input from, or providing feedback to a user. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an exemplary system architecture implementing the features and processes of  FIGS. 1-5 . The architecture  600  can be implemented on any electronic device that runs software applications derived from compiled instructions, including without limitation personal computers, servers, smart phones, media players, electronic tablets, game consoles, email devices, etc. In some implementations, the architecture  600  can include one or more processors  602 , one or more input devices  604 , one or more display devices  606 , one or more network interfaces  608  and one or more computer-readable mediums  610 . Each of these components can be coupled by bus  612 . 
     Display device  606  can be any known display technology, including but not limited to display devices using Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology. Processor(s)  602  can use any known processor technology, including but are not limited to graphics processors and multi-core processors. 
     Input device  604  can be any known input device technology, including but not limited to a keyboard (including a virtual keyboard), mouse, track ball, and touch-sensitive pad or display. In some implementations, the input device  604  could include a microphone that facilitates voice-enabled functions, such as speech-to-text, speaker recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions. The input device  604  can be configured to facilitate processing voice commands, voiceprinting and voice authentication. In some implementations, audio recorded by the input device  604  is transmitted to an external resource for processing. For example, voice commands recorded by the input device  604  may be transmitted to a network resource such as a network server which performs voice recognition on the voice commands. 
     Bus  612  can be any known internal or external bus technology, including but not limited to ISA, EISA, PCI, PCI Express, NuBus, USB, Serial ATA or FireWire. 
     Computer-readable medium  610  can be any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor(s)  602  for execution, including without limitation, non-volatile storage media (e.g., optical disks, magnetic disks, flash drives, etc.) or volatile media (e.g., SDRAM, ROM, etc.). 
     Computer-readable medium  610  can include various instructions  614  for implementing an operating system (e.g., Mac OS®, Windows®, Linux). The operating system can be multi-user, multiprocessing, multitasking, multithreading, real-time and the like. The operating system performs basic tasks, including but not limited to: recognizing input from input device  604 ; sending output to display device  606 ; keeping track of files and directories on computer-readable medium  610 ; controlling peripheral devices (e.g., disk drives, printers, etc.) which can be controlled directly or through an I/O controller; and managing traffic on bus  612 . Network communications instructions  616  can establish and maintain network connections (e.g., software for implementing communication protocols, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, Ethernet, etc.). 
     A graphics processing system  618  can include instructions that provide graphics and image processing capabilities. For example, the graphics processing system  618  can implement the processes described with reference to  FIGS. 1-5 . 
     Application(s)  620  can be an application that uses or implements the processes described in reference to  FIGS. 1-5 . For example, one of the applications  620  could be one of the video editing applications  100 ,  100   a  shown in  FIG. 1 . The processes can also be implemented in operating system  614 . 
     The described features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language (e.g., Objective-C, Java), including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. 
     Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole processor or one of multiple processors or cores, of any kind of computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to communicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). 
     To provide for interaction with a user, the features can be implemented on a computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to the computer. 
     The features can be implemented in a computer system that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, such as an application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet browser, or any combination of them. The components of the system can be connected by any form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, and the computers and networks forming the Internet. 
     The computer system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. 
     One or more features or steps of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented using an API. An API can define on or more parameters that are passed between a calling application and other software code (e.g., an operating system, library routine, function) that provides a service, that provides data, or that performs an operation or a computation. 
     The API can be implemented as one or more calls in program code that send or receive one or more parameters through a parameter list or other structure based on a call convention defined in an API specification document. A parameter can be a constant, a key, a data structure, an object, an object class, a variable, a data type, a pointer, an array, a list, or another call. API calls and parameters can be implemented in any programming language. The programming language can define the vocabulary and calling convention that a programmer will employ to access functions supporting the API. 
     In some implementations, an API call can report to an application the capabilities of a device running the application, such as input capability, output capability, processing capability, power capability, communications capability, etc. 
     A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20130308
Publication Date: 20160524
Grant Date: 20160524
Priority Date: 20130308
Inventors: NILES GREGORY E.
SALVADOR RICHARD H.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06T13/80", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06T2213/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06T2213/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06T13/80", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 51487316