Method for producing a blended video sequence

A method for producing a blended video sequence that combines a still image and a video image sequence including a plurality of video frames, comprising:

• a) designating a first face in the still image,
• b) designating a remaining portion of the still image excluding the first face to be a first background;
• c) designating a second face in the video image sequence;
• d) using a data processor to automatically detect a series of video frames in the video image sequence containing the second face;
• e) using a data processor to automatically identify a video frame in the detected series of video frames suitable for transitioning from the first face into the second face;
• f) designating a remaining portion of the identified video frame excluding the second face to be a second background;
• g) using a data processor to automatically produce a transition image sequence where the first face transitions into the second face, and the first background transitions into the second background;
• h) producing the blended video sequence by concatenating:
• a plurality of video frames formed from the still image;
• the transition image sequence;
• and
• a plurality of video frames from the video image sequence starting from the identified video frame;
• and
• i) storing the blended video sequence in a processor accessible memory.