1. Introduction; 2. Image matting; 3. Image compositing and editing; 4. Features and matching; 5. Dense correspondence and its applications; 6. Matchmoving; 7. Motion capture; 8. Three-dimensional data acquisition; Appendix: optimization algorithms for computer vision.
This book explores the fundamental computer vision principles and state-of-the-art algorithms used to create cutting-edge visual effects for movies and television.
Richard J. Radke is a Professor in the ECSE (Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering) department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he researches topics in computer vision, the study of algorithms for automatically understanding images. After many years of teaching image processing courses, he became particularly interested in the computer vision algorithms behind Hollywood visual effects (VFX), which are the topic of his first book. While writing the book, he was able to visit several VFX companies in California and see lots of behind-the-scenes material from movies and TV. For more information, please visit his book blog, http://cvfxbook.com, and his professional page, http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/~rjradke/research.htm.
"Hollywood's achievements in visual effects have been enabled not
just by advances in computer graphics, but just as much by
techniques from the neighboring field of computer vision. Vision
techniques such as camera tracking, 3D reconstruction, and face and
body motion capture contribute to most of the visual effects shots
we see today. Rich Radke's book Computer Vision for Visual Effects
begins with the basics and shows how math, geometry, image
processing, and scene understanding comprise these tools that
create the movies. Read it and you'll understand an important part
of the magic that makes the films we love."
Paul Debevec, Scientific and Engineering Academy Award Winner for
Lightstage Work
"Richard Radke has produced a computer vision textbook like no
other. The field of computer vision is vast and varied and many
techniques apply to only a small number of applications. This book
does something completely novel: not only does it provide a clear,
current, and detailed examination and explanation of the latest
computer vision techniques, it also shows how these techniques are
used in the practice of visual effects. Including interviews with
visual effects practitioners, this book answers the question,
‘That's a cool technique, but is it useful?’ and it does it in a
complete, well-written, and engaging way. Anyone thinking of
applying computer vision techniques to visual effects problems (and
more) should run to get a copy of this book."
Doug Roble, Digital Domain
"The visual effects industry relies intimately on highly
sophisticated computer vision algorithms and also provides one of
the primary application areas for such algorithms. Richard Radke's
comprehensive textbook on these subjects reviews hundreds of such
algorithms with applications to topics such as image matting and
compositing, feature tracking and matchmoving, motion capture, and
3D model acquisition. It will surely find a prominent place on both
visual effect practitioners' and computer vision researchers'
bookshelves."
Richard Szeliski, Microsoft Research
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