Variable pre- and post-shot continuous frame buffering with automated image selection and enhancement

A computer-implemented process comprising applying a general-purpose computing device to perform process actions for:

• causing a digital camera to continuously capture image frames to a buffer;
• performing a real-time extraction of scene characteristics from a most recently buffered image frame;
• determining and applying one or more real-time automatic adjustments of image capture settings of the camera as a function of the extracted scene characteristics;
• the image capture settings comprising any combination of camera ISO setting, exposure time, camera white balance setting, and camera aperture setting;
• the image capture settings further comprising a determination of a first number of most recently buffered image frames to be extracted from the buffer following a detection of a shutter activation of the camera and a determination of a second number of image frames to be captured by the camera following the detection of the shutter activation;
• and
• in response to detection of the camera shutter activation, constructing an image moment comprising the first number of most recently buffered image frames extracted from the buffer and the second number of image frames captured by the camera following the shutter activation.

A computer storage device having computer executable instructions stored therein, said instructions causing a computing device to execute a real-time method, comprising:

• causing a digital camera to capture and buffer image frames in real-time while a viewfinder of a digital camera is active;
• extracting scene characteristics from at least one most recently buffered image frame, the scene characteristics comprising any combination of exposure, face detection, motion of subjects, and motion of the camera;
• determining and applying one or more real-time automatic adjustments of image capture settings of the camera as a real-time function of the extracted scene characteristics;
• the image capture settings comprising a determination of a variable first number of most recently buffered image frames to be extracted from the buffer following a detection of a shutter activation of the camera and a determination of a variable second number of image frames to be captured by the camera following the detection of the shutter activation;
• and
• in response to detection of the camera shutter activation, constructing an image moment comprising the first number of most recently buffered image frames extracted from the buffer and the second number of image frames captured by the camera following the shutter activation.