(Online) CinePaint: Hollywood’s Film Retouching Tool

DATE:   Thursday, November 14, 2024

FROM:  7:00-9:00pm EST

WHERE:  Online

The Washington DC Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is proud to present CinePaint project director Robin Rowe. Rob will be presenting an overview of CinePaint and how it is used in the film industry. Chapter board member elections will be held before the presentation.

CinePaint was used to produce visual effects in the Harry Potter films, the Lord of the Rings films, the Stuart Little films, Scooby-Doo, Too Fast too Furious, The Last Samurai and other major motion pictures. CinePaint is an image editor like Photoshop but designed for retouching high dynamic range (HDR) images in motion picture file formats.

In 2000, two Hollywood studios, Rhythm & Hues (later won an Oscar for Life of Pi) and Silicon Grail (later acquired by Apple) sponsored a secret open-source project to create a Linux tool for dust-busting and wire-rig removal. CinePaint supports frame-by-frame retouching with onion-skinning between frames and motion picture sequence playback. CinePaint supported file formats include OpenEXR, TIFF, PNG, JPEG and many more.

In 2002, while a columnist at the magazine Linux Journal, Rowe wrote about CinePaint being used making the film Scoody-Doo. Rowe became the CinePaint project leader. Next, Sony ImageWorks contributed many enhancements. ILM provided OpenEXR support. CinePaint was initially Linux only. Rowe created the Windows version, and created libunistd, a Windows port of the Linux operating system APIs. A Mac version of CinePaint was created.

What’s next? CinePaint is adding generative AI, multi-track soundtrack editing (to replace Avid ProTools using open-source software created for Pixar), animation (to replace Adobe Flash), slide shows (to replace Microsoft PowerPoint), and making updates to the GTK1 graphics APII.

The meeting will be hosted on the Zoom platform. A link to the meeting will be provided 5 minutes prior to the presentation to all those who have responded to the announcement on our MeetUp. The link will also be visible to those who RSVP. Those who do not RSVP to the MeetUp announcement will not receive the link to the meeting.

MeetUp:

https://www.meetup.com/dc-acm-siggraph/events/304188340

The Zoom client may need to be downloaded to connect to the meeting. Safelinks Protection, used by some email applications, may alter the link. Please contact us if you have issues accessing the meeting.

Please join us on Thursday, November 14, 2024, from 7pm to 9pm EST online to learn more about CinePaint.

** Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by attendees of the Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH local chapter meetings are those of the authors/speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, or the Washington DC chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH.


Biography – Robin Rowe

Professor Rowe joined DreamWorks Animation in 2004, creating software for Shrek 2 and Over the Hedge. At House of Moves, the largest motion-capture sound stage in Hollywood, Rowe created their MotionBuilder-Unreal animation system, used by Disney Marvel to produce fight scenes in Spider-Man Far from Home. At the World Health Organization, Rowe led medical metaverse engineering for worldwide telemedicine. At Lenovo, Rowe was design strategist for their ThinkReality AR glasses.

As chief technologist and AI research lab director at the multi-billion-dollar engineering firm SAIC, Rowe created real-time AI crisis detection and monitoring software integrated into the U.S. national defense system, then sailed on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln to test it at sea. Created BrowseCutter, an MPEG video editing system sold to Time Warner and installed in 100 TV stations. Built the robotic television studios at NBC WMAQ-TV Chicago. As an NBC-TV broadcast news technical director, produced live nightly newscasts at WICD-TV in Champaign, Illinois. Former DARPA principal investigator for AI. Former Navy research scientist NATO VR war gaming.

Currently, Rowe is CEO of a start-up creating a compiler for a new programming language similar to C/C++, to provide the memory-safe benefits of Rust without the learning curve. Rowe served as chairman of the Rust Language Group at the Motion Picture Academy and was chairman of the ISO C++ Standard Group Low Latency Financial Systems Subcommittee. Professor Rowe taught computer science at the Naval Postgraduate School (Advanced C++) and at the University of Washington (Intermediate C++).

In May 2024, while serving as chairman of the UN ITU Medical Metaverse Task Group, Rowe moved to the Washington D.C. area.


Contact Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH:

http://washington-dc.siggraph.org/

http://www.meetup.com/DC-ACM-SIGGRAPH/

https://www.facebook.com/DCsiggraph

(Online) Brain-Computer-Interface Systems

DATE:   Thursday, October 17, 2024

FROM:  7:00-9:00pm EDT

WHERE:  Online

The Washington DC Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is proud to present, Paras Kaul, Dr. Ankit Gupta and Francesco Garripoli who will be discussing two different Brain-Computer-Interface Systems (BCI). In an effort to further establish the efficacy of brainwave analysis to monitor, analyze and adjust personal wellbeing, Paras Kaul and colleagues Ankit Gupta and Francesco Garripoli, will present two Brain-Computer-Interface Systems (BCIs) currently available to the public. One BCI works with Apple OS computers and the other works on Windows computers. Ankit Gupta, CEO and Founder of Brainwaves Tech, who seeks to bring together neuroscience and behavioral science will demonstrate the Windows BCI, which combines real-time brainwave monitoring technology with patented algorithms that allow you to see your thoughts and emotions using analytic intelligence to gain insights into how the brain works and how to improve skills and further personal development. Francesco developed the original version of the Brainwaves Tech BCI and will show the main screen bandwidths and algorithms. Paras, who has worked with Masahiro Kahata since 1992 and demonstrated the BCI for Apple OS systems at several SIGGRAPH Conferences, will be introducing the latest BCI for Apple OS that is now supported in Berlin and called the Neurosphere BCI.

The meeting will be hosted on the Zoom platform. A link to the meeting will be provided 5 minutes prior to the presentation to all those who have responded to the announcement on our MeetUp. The link will also be visible to those who RSVP. Those who do not RSVP to the MeetUp announcement will not receive the link to the meeting.

MeetUp:

https://www.meetup.com/dc-acm-siggraph/events/303909672

The Zoom client may need to be downloaded to connect to the meeting. Safelinks Protection, used by some email applications, may alter the link. Please contact us if you have issues accessing the meeting.

Please join us on Thursday, October 17, 2024, from 7pm to 9pm EDT online to learn more about the Brain-Computer-Interface System (BCI).

** Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by attendees of the Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH local chapter meetings are those of the authors/speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, or the Washington DC chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH.


Biography – Paras Kaul

     As a brainwave artist and researcher, Paras Kaul composes brainwave music and animation de-signed with healing intention. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and began a professional career at animation companies in New York, Vancouver, and Hollywood at Paramount Studios, followed by an academic career at universi-ties in California, Mississippi and Virginia. Paras is currently a board member for ACM’s DC Special Interest Group for Computer Graphics, and also a Board member and Deputy Chair for the National Qigong Association.

     Having retired from university teaching and administration, Paras continues to analyze neurofeedback data before and after a variety of integrative healing modalities. Currently she is developing a brainwave animated MiniMe, that is a digital model of herself created from a 3-dimensional body scan. She has published peer-reviewed papers on brainwave learning and gaming and been an invited speaker to France, Australia, and the UK, where she presented her healing game and research at the Dana Center Museum of Science in London. Paras and her colleagues Masahiro Kahata in Berlin, Ankit Gupta in India, and Francesco Garripoli in North Carolina are working to establish the efficacy of using brainwave analysis to monitor and analyze personal wellbeing.

Biography – Francesco Garripoli

     Francesco is an Emmy Award-winning producer featured in a series of award-winning, instructional Qigong videos as well as his seminal documentary on the subject for PBS-TV.

     He gave up a fully-paid medical school scholarship to live in China, India, Hawaii, and Thailand to study with elder healing Masters since the mid-1970’s.

     Francesco was also President of the East Coast SIGGRAPH in Washington, DC for three years in the mid-1980s.

     He is an internationally recognized Qigong and Meditation instructor, yoga practitioner, musician, brainwave researcher, author, lecturer, and wellness advocate. Chairman Emeritus and senior advisor to the National Qigong Association (NQA) and current Chairman of the Qigong Institute.

     Francesco has authored three books: “The Qi Effect,”  “Qigong – Essence of the Healing Dance,” and “Tao of the Ride”.

Biography – Dr. Ankit Gupta

     Dr. Ankit Gupta is a Mentor of Brain Potential Enhancement Program & Counselor with in-depth professional experience in the field of Brain potential Enhancement and Human Psychology. He has crafted various processes and procedures in the field of

Brain potential Enhancement, Brain Wave Analysis & Sound Therapy. Empowering individuals for optimum performance in their personal and professional life. During his more than Seven years of training and counseling experience he consistently and successfully trained individuals and group with excess of 12,000+ hours. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2011, a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management (Employee Psychology), Master’s Degree in Production Engineering, Master’s in Clinical Psychology, Awarded Honorary Ph.D. In Brain wave analysis & Customized Sound Therapy. He has been an ardent participator and volunteer in various social, cultural and co-curricular activities which include conducting seminars at Institutions, Private & Government Organization. He has also worked with the children who have intellectual disabilitys and has found positive changes in their behavior through sessions of Sound Therapy.


Contact Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH:

http://washington-dc.siggraph.org/

http://www.meetup.com/DC-ACM-SIGGRAPH/

https://www.facebook.com/DCsiggraph