<![CDATA[Photo booth like removing background]]>Hi falks!

I'm trying to do a very simple video installation but I need to do just one thing that is removing the background so I just have people visible (or anything that move in front of the camera).
A "flood fill" won't work since my background is not regular or monochrome… any idea ? I'm getting worried…
all the best to you all
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/topic/354/photo-booth-like-removing-backgroundRSS for NodeSat, 11 Apr 2026 17:21:12 GMTWed, 28 Nov 2012 01:01:48 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:01:09 GMT]]>Yea I was trying to give it a vector(ish) style using threshold and blur.

Burn might do it actually.
Basically; the fact remains that the background needs to be a minimal as possible! Or ideally one block of colour that you can key out.
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5344https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5344Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:01:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:46:42 GMT]]>I think the idea is sound.. just trying to process the selection is the hard part since you don't get a clean outline from the difference actor.
Some sort of 'vectorize' effect like photoshops cutout might help.. I may play around some more....I have MANY freeframe FX.
Maybe a burn and dilate combo.. ?

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5340https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5340Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:46:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:01:01 GMT]]>This is the closet I can get.... its not perfect by any means!

My background at work is awful; full of multicoloured posters so that doesn't help me.

d696af-photo-booth.izz

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5335https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5335Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:01:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:12:27 GMT]]>I will try and finish it today. I was nearly there but still a little jumpy.

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5334https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5334Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:12:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:13:06 GMT]]>Hi Skulpture, did you had a brilliant idea about that project of removing the background without jumpy image? I tried without finding a solution. I thought it would be easier, photo booth did that so simply, it's using the same parameters we can have in izzy, but how ?

thanks
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5332https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5332Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:13:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:51:47 GMT]]>I was using motion blur and effects mixer using submin mode instead of the selector but it was still jumpy. (will post patch soon)

I also had issues with submin as in certain spots it spoiled the effects; so really, like you say DusX, the key is background and light control.
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5190https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5190Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:51:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:12:45 GMT]]>I was able to get a rather smooth video with my last patch uploaded.
By dropping the buffer element and triggering direct from the live input the flicker was removed.
The only artifact is that the mask is recreated on every other frame so I added the motion blur to help smooth this out. I was pretty happy with the outcome, however; I don't know exacly what you are planning.
You could alternately use the mask stream to inject an alpha channel to the live video allowing some other compositing.
Frame-rate is really going to depend on your live streams source resolution. I can get 30fps at 640x480, but my machine is current and fast. The blur effects are going to be a factor here as well, so I think I had 2 gaussian blur actors, you can do with out, or use just one. I was playing with removing some background details since in my living room here I have a large window behind that was causing some problems. If you can light yourself and keep the background dark you should have a much better time of it.

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5188https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5188Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:12:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:00:03 GMT]]>Apologies my mistake. So the jutter/jitter is quite important then! :-)

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5182https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5182Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:00:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 03:45:55 GMT]]>Hi Skulpture,

thanks for your reply. In fact, I don't need just a picture, I need to have this as a live stream overalyed on a video file… 
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5180https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5180Tue, 04 Dec 2012 03:45:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 03:12:10 GMT]]>Yes the flicker is quite annoying; but I guess since you are wanting to take a picture this shouldn't effect things too much.

I am working on this though. By Ssing @DusX glrious technique (with a bit of tinkering) I think it can be done quite effectively. But I need a bit more time.
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5177https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5177Tue, 04 Dec 2012 03:12:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:30:57 GMT]]>Hi everybody, thanks so much for your help, I'd like to invinte you all to drink a pastis in the sun but I can't upload the bottle…

A question remains to me is the blinking effect, how do you get rid of that ?  I tried a pulse generator, but I still get my selector slowly switching from 1 to 2 with unregular rhythm, my computer is also slowing down to 10fps…
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5176https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5176Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:30:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:44:00 GMT]]>yep - movement or light changing are our descriptions of how a difference has been generated, as far as isadora is concerned they are both just differences in pixels across the frame

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5110https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5110Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:44:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:24:49 GMT]]>@nick I was thinking of adding a motion detection based reset as well, good call, since half the work is already done.
@Skulpture go to it.. would love to see what you are able to add to it.
@Michel you are so right I was just playing with this with a cheap webcam that is all auto focus, auto white balance etc.. and it simply didn't work at all anymore.

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5108https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5108Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:24:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:47:51 GMT]]>if lighting changes you will also need to grab a fresh background frame - depending on your situation it may make sense to grab a fresh background frame whenever the total movement in the frame is less than a threshold - this will help protect against slowly changing light levels

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5102https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5102Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:47:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:40:16 GMT]]>I like @DusX solution using the AlphaMask!

* I might have to recreate that patch and steal it for my collection ;) *
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5099https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5099Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:40:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:07:58 GMT]]>and it does help to switch the camera from automatic to manual settings.

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5098https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5098Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:07:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:45:51 GMT]]>note: like Skulpture mentioned before, you need to grab a freeze frame that is of the static background first..
then you may need to play with the threshold and other actor settings to tune it up.

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5095https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5095Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:45:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:10:00 GMT]]>Heres one that is working pretty well for me.

e7b4a1-untitled-2.jpg 6e4c48-removebg1.izz

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5093https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5093Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:10:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:00:39 GMT]]>try my sample patch

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5088https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5088Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:00:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:16:41 GMT]]>EDIT: don't use this method.. its an unfortunate early attempt ;)

I have added something just like this to my livefeed option in SYST3M, unfortunatly the next version its far from ready to share (not working perfect yet).

I think what you want to do is (at least what i did) is use a buffer actor to stream into your difference actor.
Your buffer needs to be 2 frames and being filled with the freeze frame and your live feed, alternating at the same rate as your FPS (I used the 'Performance Monitor' to set the rate of a Pulse actor->counter->selector. there might be easier ways).
Since the difference actor looks at 2 frames (in sequence) of 1 video stream.
This will give you a black and white video stream of the 'change', which should be you.
You can then use this stream to add an alpha or mask your stream onto another background.

I'm attaching a screen grab of a sample.
You can see that I stopped using the pulse as the trigger, since the live feedfeed seemed not to be the same FPS as my stage.
In anycase this is kind of working.. but I have a fast video flicker.. this might be an issue with my buffer setup.. not sure.
Its a start.
dc8cbc-untitled-1.jpg

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5086https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5086Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:16:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:10:33 GMT]]>and maybe you can help me also to find the Kinecttoizzy QC plugin, I search and search and can't find it to download…  new or old forum… sorry again

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5084https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5084Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:10:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:49:17 GMT]]>thanks a lot for your help and your rapidity! but I still don"t find how to make the image look normal, I mean, not transparent with negative colors…

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5081https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5081Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:49:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:38:13 GMT]]>Yes. Move out of the way of the camera then somehow (without the camera not seeing you!) press 'grab' on the freeze actor and then move back into the frame.

It's a start.. you then might need to look at making it look much better.
]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5080https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5080Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:38:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Photo booth like removing background on Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:09:30 GMT]]>You need to trigger ”grab”(I have generator, but can be anything like keyboard watcher etc) and video you grabbing from goes to first input.

Also I have made it into user actor - it is so basic that you need it almost always for tracking.

2d249f-backgrnd-subtr.izz

]]>https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5079https://community.troikatronix.com/post/5079Fri, 16 Jan 1970 16:09:30 GMT