Feature-based image metamorphosis

A new technique is presented for the metamorphosis of one digital image into another. The approach gives the animator high-level control of the visual effect by providing natural feature-based specification and interaction. When used effectively, this technique can give the illusion that the photographed or computer generated subjects are transforming in a fluid, surrealistic, and often dramatic way. Comparisons with existing methods are drawn, and the advantages and disadvantage's of each are examined. The new method is then extended to accommodate keyframed transformations between image sequences for motion image work. Several examples are illustrated with resulting images.