Posted 10.07.2010 at 1:16 pm
12 Comments
MovieReshape Can Alter Actors' Bodies Digitally
Photo courtesy of the Max Planck Institute for Informatics
A new type of image-manipulation software could help salvage all the home video footage shot during your awkward phase. It can automatically modify the shapes of human bodies on video, dropping unsightly pounds without burning a single calorie.
Developers at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken, Germany compiled 3D scans of 120 men and women of varying sizes, merging them into a single model that can be morphed to any shape and overlaid atop original footage.
The software, called MovieReshape, builds on existing programs that track an actor’s silhouette through a scene, mapping the body into a morphable model. Using the compiled 3D scans, the program can create realistic-looking and moving body parts to the programmer’s specifications. The more dramatic the alteration, the more noticeable it may be against a constant background, but in a survey of 30 viewers, none reported the distortions to be distracting.
At present, the program only works well in clear, unobstructed scenes, so don't expect to see digitally enhanced actors in every new release just yet. But, as NewSci suggests, it could be a quick solution for advertising companies that currently have to shoot multiple ads to cater to varying international beauty standards.
The program is set to be released at the SIGGRAPH Asia computer graphics conference in December.
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Tip of the iceberg - like wireframe mountains in the sixties - I'm surprised thisis even news really - image mods have been around a long time - so doing it on the fly seems a naturat extension.
So between Autotune and this software - we can take Sloth from the Goonies and turn him into Brad Pitt sounding like Luciano Pavarotti !!
Wonderful, more body image problems.
Hopefully this spawns a whole new slew of shop' fails in professional movies. *troll face*
So tv can actually add 30 pounds
Yeah, but how well is the quality up close?
I can see this being used for lazy actors who want to be action stars but don't want to hit the gym...
But how do you make it look "photo-real" in a close up shot?
Simple, you avoid the face.
This lets you erase a few poinds here or there - drop the baby bump, tighten up the abs, or improve the bust/butt ratio.
Sure, in a home video, dad can look a few beers lighter, but the real money will be in more cost effective projects where $10,000 of software is cheaper than $80,000 of plastic surgery.
Can't wait for the Photoshop plugin so I can amp up the musculature in the beach photos from my Puerto Rico vacation. I guess its only a matter of time before they'll be able to do this in-camera as well.
hooray, more synthetic culture!
Wow, imagine the suprise someone would experience seeing the star of some hit new movie in person. Hey, wait! I didn't know you were fat! And as it was said before, yay! more body image problems. Crap, can't anyone just be happy with the way ya are? If not, most people can try this simple equation: Less, more nutritious food + More activity (get off your @$$) + time (measured in weeks and months not days and hours) = Less fat! This isn't new people, really it's not, I promise! And I'm not charging a dime for this ancient wieght loss solution! Indeed you may even save money by not buying a bunch of crap food. It may be hard but c'mon people, willpower! Fat isn't a disease. There's no obesity epidemic. You can do it! However, if you're ugly after you've lost the weight and you can't afford surgery then, well...maybe daylight isn't your scene...
This could lead to some really amusing "DVD extras"- watch your favorite movie with all the actors 4 feet tall!
This shoot doesn't need any of that-
www.commonwealth-projects.com/projects/goner
This shoot need any www.insaat-zemin.com