Re:Lens Blur in the new Google Camera app
by darkmighty on Wednesday April 16, 2014 @03:34PM
(#7599996)
It looks like this isn't creating a synthetic aperture, it's just creating a depth map and applying a depth-dependent blur to a single frame.
According to the text the blur itself is simulating an actual lens. Without seeing the exact algorithm it's hard to know how accurate that claim is. There are many ways to do a blur and I know what I'd use if I were trying to generate good bokeh.
Point taken. Arguably it's a case of David Pye's notion of the workmanship of certainty (in this case heavy-lifting computer vision) replacing the workmanship of risk (making adept movements of camera)
But if it works better under all conditions, fine.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pye_(furniture)
Edit: below mentions the HTC "double camera" phones, and in fact it's also possible to create synthetic aperture photography with multiple cameras instead of moving a single camera to multiple positions. Then you have the added advantage of not needing to assume a static scene! But a single-camera algorithm is great for rolling out to the common devices most of us have in our pockets.
Marc Levoy's SynthCam used a circular wiping motion, and attempted to "paint" the 3d space occupied by your theoretical processed aperture.
This Google Camera only requires a single linear move, and processes the rest!