U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE (US) — Computer engineers have created a way to take hundreds—or even thousands—of digital portraits and in seconds create an animation of a person’s face.
The tool can make a face appear to age over time, or choose images from the same period to make the person’s expression gradually change from a smile to a frown.
The researchers were inspired, in part, by people who snap a photo of themselves each day and then align them to create a movie where they appear to age onscreen. They sought an automated way to get the same effect.
“I have 10,000 photos of my 5-year-old son, taken over every possible expression,” says co-author Steve Seitz, a University of Washington professor of computer science and engineering and engineer in Google’s Seattle office. “I would like to visualize how he changes over time, be able to see all the expressions he makes, be able to see him in 3-D or animate him from the photos.”