US 8,619,083 B2Granted

Multi-layer image composition with intermediate blending resolutions

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsRadoslav Petrov Nickolov, Lutz Gerhard, Ming Liu, Raman Narayanan, Drew Edward Steedly

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Abstract

Providing high frame rate image rendering using multiple image layers per frame. A plurality of image layers having different resolutions are arranged in order of increasing resolution. Beginning with the image layer having the lowest resolution, the image layer is upsampled to a resolution of a next image layer having a higher resolution. The upsampled image layer is blended with the next image layer. The upsampling and blending continues for each of the image layers to produce a blended image. The blended image is provided for display as a frame of video. Aspects of the invention produce a high-resolution composite image during animated navigation across zoom and pan states.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for providing continuous zooming animation, said system comprising:

a memory area for storing an image for display, said memory area further storing a plurality of image layers;
and
a processor programmed to:
provide the image for display on a computing device;
receive a zoom request from a user of the computing device;
obtain, responsive to the received zoom request, a plurality of image layers ordered by increasing resolution;
produce a blended image having a final resolution equal to a resolution of a last image layer by performing multiple iterations on the obtained image layers starting with a first image layer having a lowest resolution and ending with the last image layer having a highest resolution, each iteration comprising:
upsampling the image layer to a next higher resolution associated with a next image layer;
and
blending the upsampled image layer with said next image layer;
and
provide the produced, blended image having the final resolution equal to the resolution of the last image layer for display on the computing device;
wherein producing the blended image having the final resolution equal to the resolution of the last image layer has an overhead cost bounded by a constant factor multiplied by a quantity of pixels associated with the highest resolution.

10 more elements

One or more computer devices storing computer-executable components, said components comprising:

an interface component for accessing a plurality of image layers corresponding to a video frame for display on a computing device, the plurality of image layers comprising image layers from a first image layer to a last image layer, each of said plurality of image layers having a resolution associated therewith, the associated resolution increasing from the first image layer to the last image layer;
a sort component for ordering the image layers based on the associated resolution;
a composition component for generating a blended image having a final resolution that is equal to the resolution associated with the last image layer by performing multiple iterations comprising upsampling and blending each of the ordered image layers through successive intermediate resolutions starting with the first image layer having a lowest resolution and ending with the last image layer having a highest resolution, wherein said upsampling each of the ordered image layers includes upsampling the image layer to a next higher resolution of a next image layer, and wherein said blending comprises blending the upsampled image layer with said next image layer;
and
a buffer component for storing the blended image having the final resolution equal to the resolution of the last image layer, generated by the composition component, wherein the computing device accesses the generated, blended image to render the video frame;
wherein generating the blended image having the final resolution that is equal to the resolution associated with the last image layer has an overhead cost bounded by a constant factor multiplied by a quantity of pixels associated with the highest resolution.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.