Real-time Visual Effects Pipeline for Live Camera Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for overlaying virtual elements on a live camera view often result in a laggy and less-than-optimally engaging user experience due to latency and visual artifacts, as they typically process images after they are displayed, leading to synchronization issues and suboptimal rendering of virtual elements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a processing pipeline that quickly updates acquired images with visual effects using binary or segmentation masks, facilitated by software-based approaches like fast convolution algorithms and hardware-based approaches using GPUs, to ensure real-time or substantially real-time display of augmented images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional image processing pipelines are used to overlay virtual elements on live camera views, then virtual elements can be displayed, but latency and visual artifacts occur resulting in a laggy user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and pre-processing visual effects on previously captured images before the current frame is displayed. The system prepares augmented images in advance using the same processing pipeline, so when a frame needs to be displayed, the corresponding augmented version is already ready, eliminating processing latency and synchronization issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image processing pipeline into distinct components: capturing raw images, applying visual effects processing, generating augmented images, and displaying frames. By separating these operations and processing them in parallel where possible, the system reduces bottlenecks and improves overall processing efficiency, thereby reducing latency.
2Ease of operation
If visual effects are applied in real-time to live camera views, then user engagement improves, but processing complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating augmented images as copies of previously captured raw images, applying visual effects to these copies rather than to the live camera feed in real-time. This approach maintains user engagement with visually enhanced images while reducing the computational burden on the processing pipeline, as the effects are applied to static copies rather than continuous video streams.
3Manufacturing precision
If high-quality visual effects rendering is implemented, then image quality improves, but processing time increases causing lag
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying high-quality visual effects rendering in advance to previously captured images. The system performs computationally intensive rendering operations on static images before they need to be displayed, ensuring high rendering quality without causing lag during live viewing, as the processing is completed beforehand.
Data Source
AI summary
Visual effects for element of interest can be displayed within a live camera view in real time or substantially using a processing pipeline that does not immediately display an acquired image until it has been updated with the effects. In various embodiments, software-based approaches, such as fast convolution algorithms, and/or hardware-based approaches, such as using a graphics processing unit (GPU), can be used reduce the time between acquiring an image and displaying the image with various visual effects. These visual effects can include automatically highlighting elements, augmenting the color, style, and/or size of elements, casting a shadow on elements, erasing elements, substituting elements, or shaking and jumbling elements, among other effects.