REALVIZ ReTimer v2.0 Tutorial

REALVIZ ReTimer v2.0 TutorialLegal Notice Copyright 2000 REALVIZ S.A. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of those agreements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser's personal use without the written permission of REALVIZ S.A. REALVIZ S.A. Arep Center 1, Traverse des Brucs 06560 Sophia Antipolis France www.realviz.com TRADEMARKS TM TM Image Processing Factory and ReTimer v2.0 are trademark and registered trademark of REALVIZ S.A. in France, the USA and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brands and their products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be noted as such.Contents Contents About This Tutorial................................................................................................................................................. 1 The Audience ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Type conventions .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 What is ReTimer™?.............................. 2 Keywords .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Starting a new project............................................................................................................................................. 5 Loading the image sequence................................................................................................................................... 7 Running the initial Retime process ........................................................................................................................ 8 Setting the computation parameters ...................................................................................................................... 9 Running the Retiming process............................................................................................................................... 9 Verifying the quality of the retimed frame .......................................................................................................... 10 Editing motion vectors to improve image quality............................................................................................... 11 Correcting the arm in Frame 0............................................................................................................................. 11 Correcting the hair............................................................................................................................................... 13 Using multiple hints. ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Setting the motion speed ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Using Predefined Curves........................... 18 Using the Graph Editor............................ 18 Rendering the final sequence................................................................................................................................ 19 REALVIZ iŁ Ł Ł Ł Ł Ł Ł Ł Ł About This Tutorial The goal of this tutorial session is to use ReTimer™ to slow a motion image sequence consisting of 25 original frames. You will generate and edit additional frames to create a finished sequence that is slower than the input sequence. The Audience This tutorial has been designed to allow any user to quickly become familiar with ReTimer and its tools. Anyone wishing to use ReTimer should take the time to read this tutorial guide. Type conventions This tutorial uses the following type conventions to help you quickly find and understand information. Words referring to items within menus and pop-up menus are shown in bold italics, with the symbol indicating the path to a pull down menu item, e.g. Sequence Play Mode Normal.Wehaveincluded several examples, tips and important notes that are shown as follows: Example: Tips: Important: Key combinations are shown in uppercase letters with bold type. For example, press Ctrl+F. REALVIZ 1Introduction Introduction What is ReTimer™? Welcome to ReTimer™, the ultimate automatic Time Warper from REALVIZ and one of the Image Processing Factory applications that streamline workflow processes for computer graphics professionals involved in image processing, 3D modeling, animation or special effects. The technology inside REALVIZ’ Image Processing Factory products was originally developed by the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA - France). ReTimer™ uses a revolutionary new method for changing the motion speed of image sequences in post- production, adjust timing of sequences, create motion sequences from stills and smooth hand-drawn animation by creating more images for projection. ReTimer™ creates new frames between the actual frames of a moving or still sequence. By analyzing the image motion between consecutive frames in an image sequence, ReTimer™ is able to generate intermediate images. ReTimer™ also possesses a unique and fully integrated motion blur and deblur function that allows you to apply pixel precise blurring effects to your sequence. A number of motion effects can be created from existing image sequences by adding new computer generated frames between existing frames in the sequence. Creating slow or fast motion, adjusting timing of a sequence, smoothing hand drawn animation and producing motion sequences from stills are common effects that can be done less expensively by utilizing computer technology rather than conventional techniques. To date, however, software has not been effective for this purpose because of inflexible and time-consuming work methods that produce less than desirable quality. Current software requires long processing times and provides limited quality checks along the way thus causing professionals to rely on trial and error—a time consuming and costly process. Using new technology, ReTimer™ meets the challenge of producing high quality motion effects in a standalone Windows® or UNIX application that is flexible and easy to use. 2 ReTimer v2.0 TutorialIntroduction ReTimer™ generates an output sequence from an input sequence by using motion analysis and morphing techniques. New frames are created by morphing elements between two input frames along the path of the element’s motion. This method produces higher quality motion effects compared to simple mixing techniques. Adding intermediate frames for an entire image sequence is a time consuming computing process and if the quality is not acceptable, the entire process must be repeated. To reduce errors and save time, ReTimer™ provides a way to edit and manipulate frame creation before an entire image sequence is processed. By previewing results of new “between frames” and editing the way they are created, you can optimize the quality of the output sequence prior to running the entire retime process—steps that improve quality and save significant amounts of time. Important. Please note that there is an online version of the ReTimer Reference Guide. You can access it under the Help menu within ReTimer. You may need to refer to the Guide during the course of this tutorial session. REALVIZ 3Introduction Keywords A few keywords are used throughout this tutorial. They are terms you should become familiar with. Retime Process The process of generating new frames from original frames. These can be used to speed up or slow an image sequence. This works by using motion analysis and morphing techniques to create new frames in a sequence by morphing elements between two input frames along the path of an element’s motion. Retimed Frame Also called Preview Images, these are the imagest+0.5that are displayed in the lower left window of the user interface (when in the four-view mode). Retimed images are created during the retime process and display the results of vector editing. Motion Speed The speed change value given to a sequence. This can be either acceleration or deceleration. Motion vector Motion Vectors are created during the retime process and are used to create the preview images. They are the data that is modified directly by the user during vector editing. Blur A method of blurring images to create the effect of speed and movement. In ReTimer™, this is achieved by simulating a virtual shutter. Deblur Sharpens the images in a sequence. 4 ReTimer v2.0 TutorialBefore you start Before you start This tutorial comes with several data files that you will need to load during the course of this tutorial. Before starting, ensure that the sequence (*.avi) file is stored in the same folder as the ReTimer project files (*.rtm) files. REALVIZ 5Ł Ł Ł Ł Starting a new project Starting a new project A complete ReTimer work session includes several steps. This tutorial will take you through them one by one, providing examples that you can work on along the way. The main steps are listed below: 1. Loading the input sequence. 2. Launching the Retiming Process to create an initial retimed frame