Virtual lens simulation for video and photo cropping

A method for simulating image distortion of a virtual lens in a video, the method comprising:

• accessing a sequence of input images captured by a camera, individual ones of the input images including fields of view of a scene, the input images depicting the scene with an input lens distortion centered in the fields of view based on lens characteristics of a lens through which the input images are captured by the camera;
• selecting reduced fields of view of the scene within the input images, the reduced fields of view being smaller than the fields of view of the input images such that individual ones of the reduced fields of view include portions of the input images, individual ones of the reduced fields of view being selected at multiple different positions within the fields of view of the corresponding input images, the reduced fields of view including lens distortion effects as a function of the input lens distortion centered in the fields of view of the input images, positions of the reduced fields of view within the fields of view of the input images, and size of the reduced fields of view;
• and
• generating video frames of an output video based on the lens distortion effects in the reduced fields of view and a desired lens distortion, the video frames of the output video including the portions of the input images within the reduced fields of view, wherein generation of the video frames includes transforming the reduced fields of view so that the reduced fields of view exhibit the desired lens distortion centered in the reduced fields of view to transform the lens distortion effects present in the reduced fields of view to the desired lens distortion, wherein the output video has consistent frame-to-frame lens characteristics.

A system for simulating image distortion of a virtual lens in a video, the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform steps including:
• accessing a sequence of input images captured by a camera, individual ones of the input images including fields of view of a scene, the input images depicting the scene with an input lens distortion centered in the fields of view based on lens characteristics of a lens through which the input images are captured by the camera;
• selecting reduced fields of view of the scene within the input images, the reduced fields of view being smaller than the fields of view of the input images such that individual ones of the reduced fields of view include portions of the input images, individual ones of the reduced fields of view being selected at multiple different positions within the field of view of the corresponding input images, the reduced fields of view including lens distortion effects as a function of the input lens distortion centered in the fields of view of the input images, positions of the reduced fields of view within the fields of view of the input images, and size of the reduced fields of view, wherein the reduced fields of view are selected based on motion or orientation of the camera that captured the input images;
• and
• generating video frames of an output video based on the lens distortion effects in the reduced fields of view and a desired lens distortion, the video frames of the output video including the portions of the input images within the reduced fields of view, wherein generation of the video frames includes transforming the reduced fields of view so that the reduced fields of view exhibit the desired lens distortion centered in the reduced fields of view to transform the lens distortion effects present in the reduced fields of view to the desired lens distortion, wherein the output video has consistent frame-to-frame lens characteristics.