The Grass Valley Group, Inc.

Bruce L Rayner

Gerald Graham Taylor

Peter N Johnson

An operator interface for a video editing system provides a visual sense of the content of video sequences, as well as their length, while also providing enhanced interactive control of locations and time alignments of the video. As the video sequence is processed into the system, a small but representative sample of each frame is saved in a local memory, while the video itself is stored in mass storage. These samples are used to provide a video pictorial timeline of the underlying stored video. The location of an operator's view into the video sequence is controlled by a cursor's movement along a detailed video pictorial timeline, a reverse motion area and a forward motion area to provide VTR control for location changes on the video tape. The cursor's movement can be controlled by a mouse or a knob. Icons, either static or dynamic, are produced within the motion areas to indicate the amount of selected velocity. Timelines can be marked with time marks, roughly aligned and then automatically fine aligned by the system according to their respective time markers. The editing results associated with these timelines are also time aligned as a result of this process.

Video editing operator interface for aligning timelines

Video editing system operator inter-face for visualization and

A touch pad machine control system uses a touch pad having an overlay to define control strip surface areas which perform different functions. The contact of an operator's finger along one of the defined control strips selects a desired function and produces the desired machine motion from the rate, distance or duration of finger contact according to the desired function. The result is equivalent control motion without the need for moving parts.

Touch pad machine control

A special effects memory system is described which stores and recalls on command complex configurations of a video production switcher as an aid in the production of special effects. A stored effect may be recalled by using a single control panel push button.

Special effects memory system

A special effects generator for use in video switching whereby a three dimensional shadow effect is produced by utilizing luminance information separately derived from RGB color inputs and providing a separate multiplier to control the shadow density. The generator functions by controllably blanking a portion of one video signal and then replacing such portion by another video signal and switching the displayed video linearly, said switching being controlled by color differences in one of the video signals, and providing luminance information derived from one video signal as a control signal for application to the other video signal so as to reduce the level thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Nevada City, CA, United States of America

Bruce L Rayner