Gpu-accelerated background replacement

A system comprising:

• a video camera for capturing one or more frames of a real-time video;
• and
• one or more computers comprising a first processor and one or more graphical processors, the one or more computers performing operations comprising:
• identifying visual characteristics of a visual background, the visual background comprised of an image or series of images that make up a motion video;
• distinguishing one or more foreground areas in the frames of the real-time video from one or more background areas in the frames of the real-time video by using the visual background, wherein the visual background displays an area that overlaps with an area in the one or more captured frames;
• using the identified visual characteristics of the visual background to modify, by the one or more graphical processors, visual characteristics of particular pixels in the obtained one or more frames of the real-time video, the modifying occurring as the one or more frames are captured by the video camera;
• and
• providing, for display, video data that superimposes images from the one or more foreground areas over the visual background without superimposing the background areas, wherein the visual characteristics of the particular pixels have been modified using the identified visual characteristics of the visual background.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• identifying visual characteristics of a visual background, the visual background comprised of an image or series of images that make up a motion video;
• capturing one or more frames of a real-time video with a video camera and distinguishing one or more foreground areas in the frames of the real-time video from one or more background areas in the frames of the real-time video by using the visual background, wherein the visual background displays an area that overlaps with an area in the one or more captured frames;
• using the identified visual characteristics of the visual background to modify visual characteristics of particular pixels in the obtained one or more frames of the real-time video, the modifying occurring in real-time with capturing the one or more frames by the video camera;
• and
• providing, for display, video data that superimposes images from the one or more foreground areas over the visual background without superimposing the background areas, wherein the visual characteristics of the particular pixels have been modified using the identified visual characteristics of the visual background.