A multifunctional sky camera system and techniques for the use thereof for total sky imaging and spectral irradiance/radiance measurement are provided. In one aspect, a sky camera system is provided. The sky camera system includes an objective lens having a field of view of greater than about 170 degrees; a spatial light modulator at an image plane of the objective lens, wherein the spatial light modulator is configured to attenuate light from objects in images captured by the objective lens; a semiconductor image sensor; and one or more relay lens configured to project the images from the spatial light modulator to the semiconductor image sensor. Techniques for use of the one or more of the sky camera systems for optical flow based cloud tracking and three-dimensional cloud analysis are also provided.

A method and apparatus for generating an extrapolated image from an existing film or video content, which can be displayed beyond the borders of the existing file or video content to increase viewer immersiveness, are provided. The present principles provide to generating the extrapolated image without salient objects included therein, that is, objects that may distract the viewer from the main image. Such an extrapolated image is generated by determining salient areas and generating the extrapolated image with lesser salient objects included in its place. Alternatively, salient objects can be detected in the extrapolated image and removed. Additionally, selected salient objects may be added to the extrapolated image.

Disclosed is a distortion rectification method, comprising: taking a wide-angle photograph using a camera of a terminal; determining distortion regions and non-distortion regions in the wide-angle photograph; obtaining a target distortion region selected by a user; dividing the target distortion region into M grid regions of a first pre-set size, wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to one; and respectively performing distortion rectification on the M grid regions of the first pre-set size. Also disclosed is a terminal.

Implementations of the present disclosure include receiving a training image, providing a hash pattern that is representative of the training image, applying a plurality of filters to the training image to provide a respective plurality of filtered training images, identifying a filter to be associated with the hash pattern based on the plurality of filtered training images, and storing a mapping of the filter to the hash pattern within a set of mapping in a data store.

A method of generating one or more new digital images using an original digitally-acquired image including a selected image feature includes identifying within a digital image acquisition device one or more groups of pixels that correspond to the selected image feature based on information from one or more preview images. A portion of the original image is selected that includes the one or more groups of pixels. The technique includes automatically generating values of pixels of one or more new images based on the selected portion in a manner which includes the selected image feature within the one or more new images.

An optimizing method, a system, and a smart device to display circular patterns smoothly are provided by the present disclosure. It gets coordinate values of all points on the circular pattern. It calculates respective transparency compensation values of two adjacent points with respect to a corresponding one of the points to any coordinate in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction of the circular pattern using a maximum limit of the transparency as a benchmark, and then calculates a transparency compensation value of the corresponding one of the points using the transparency compensation values of the two adjacent points. Finally, it redraws all points of the circular pattern based on the calculated transparency compensation value and the RGB parameters of the corresponding one of the points.

A material data collection system allows capturing of material data. For example, the material data collection system may include digital image data for materials. The material data collection system may ensure that captured digital image data is properly aligned, so that material data may be easily recalled for later use, while maintaining the proper alignment for the captured digital image. The material data collection system may include using a capture guide, to provide cues on how to orient a mobile device used with the material data collection system.

In an apparatus, it is determined whether a covariance matrix calculated based on a plurality of patches is abnormal. In a case where it is determined that the covariance matrix is not abnormal, the covariance matrix is used to perform first correction on pixels included in the plurality of patches. In a case where it is determined that the covariance matrix is abnormal, second correction, which is different from the first correction, is performed on the pixels included in the plurality of patches.

Optical flow refers to the pattern of apparent motion of objects, surfaces, and edges in a visual scene caused by the relative motion between an observer and a scene. Optical flow algorithms can be used to detect and delineate independently moving objects, even in the presence of camera motion. The present invention uses optical-flow algorithms to detect and remove marine snow particles from live video. Portions of an image scene which are identified as marine snow are reconstructed in a manner intended to reveal underwater scenery which had been occluded by the marine snow. Pixel locations within the regions of marine snow are replaced with new pixel values that are determined based on either historical data for each pixel or a mathematical operation, such as one which uses data from neighboring pixels.

An information processing apparatus configured to paste a full-spherical panoramic image along an inner wall of a virtual three-dimensional sphere; calculate an arrangement position for arranging a planar image closer to a center point of the virtual three-dimensional sphere than the inner wall, in such an orientation that a line-of-sight direction from the center point to the inner wall and a perpendicular line of the planar image are parallel to each other, the planar image being obtained by pasting an embedding image to be embedded in the full-spherical panoramic image, on a two-dimensional plane; and display a display image on a display unit. The display image is a two-dimensional image viewed from the center point in the line-of-sight direction in a state in which the full-spherical panoramic image is pasted along the inner wall of the virtual three-dimensional sphere and the planar image is arranged at an arrangement position.