Apple Inc.

Mitchell Scott Middler

Peter Warner

Daniel Pettigrew

Ron Brinkmann

Some embodiments provide a method for automatically selecting a portion of an image that includes several pixels, each of which has a set of pixel values. The method identifies a background color of the image. For each region of a set of regions of a color space that correspond to the background color, the method determines whether a threshold number of pixels in the image have pixel values that are in the region. The method identifies the pixels of the image in the regions that correspond to the background color and have a threshold number of pixels in the image. The method generates a portion of the color space to define a selection of the image using the pixel values of the identified pixels.

Automatically keying an image

A method for processing a selected item in a GUI of a multimedia application is provided. The method includes receiving a hot key input that specifies a function that is to be applied to the selected item and displaying a set of control guidelines associated with the hot key input. The set of control guidelines indicates cursor movement inputs needed to specify particular aspects of the function. A method for transforming a received cursor movement in a first coordinate system to a transformed cursor movement in a second coordinate system is provided. The received cursor movement specifies a particular manner (e.g., aspect and extent) of a function to be applied to an item in a workspace of a multimedia application. The first coordinate system displays a particular view of the workspace.

Processing cursor movements in a graphical user interface of a multimedia application

A method for determining a depth ordering between two planes in a 3D workspace of an application is provided. The method includes projecting vectors from a reference position through points of interest on the planes, determining corresponding points on the other plane, determining a number of points of interest on a first plane having a depth lower than its corresponding point and a number of points of interest on a second plane having a depth lower than its corresponding point, and setting the depth ordering based on these numbers. A method for displaying interconnects between nodes of a tree displayed in an application is provided. A node represents a multimedia item or a function and an interconnect represents data passed between two nodes. The method includes displaying an interconnect in the tree having an appearance indicating at least one characteristic of the data being passed between two nodes.

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Hermosa Beach, CA, United States of America

Mitchell Scott Middler