Using photographs to enhance Videos
This last two weeks have been amazing when it comes to new technology in the realm of visual fx production. I will show some over the next view days (when I discover videos for them to show what they are about). I would even say that the advancement of VFX and 3D over the last year surpasses the advancements we have seen the 5 years before that combined (read there where almost none). The first thing I want to show is not available yet in a commercial product but could revolutionize every hard task of compositing - basically cut compositing times for 75% of complex shots by 90%.
Apperently you take a couple of photographs in addition to your video of a scene without moving elements. Then the software matches the photographs onto the video and generates a depth map. Every compositor now knows that when you have a depth map you are in heaven because you isolate objects an make them dissapear or enhance parts of the image. But this software goes further. It reconstructs the image and blends it cleverly with the original footage using motion estimation and difference masks. If it works as shown compositing will start to be fun. Curiously they are aiming this demonstration video at consumers to upres there footage or stabilize it - but the market much more interested is the pro compositors and VFX houses. Because as a VFX supervisor you shoot photos on the set anyways so this would not even add any other level to the pipeline. Amazing. If its really that clean and artifacts free as seen in the video.
Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.
The PDF paper of the technology and slide shows of the talk are found here