Visually encoding nodes representing stages in a multi-stage video compositing operation

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a user interface of editing video through a multi-stage editing process. The user interface selects a particular stage in the editing process. A particular editing operation is performed on a set of video images during the particular stage. After the selection of the particular stage, the user interface uses a background rendering process to render the result of the particular editing operation on the particular set of video images. The background rendering process is a process that the user interface performs separately from the multi-stage video editing process, so that a user may continue editing the video sequence while the rendering occurs. Some embodiments provide a preview of the rendering process in a preview window. Some of these embodiments update the preview in real time. In some embodiments, the rendering occurs to a temporary location and then stores to a persistent storage. In some of these embodiments, an entry for the stored render's location is logged in a list of entries that allows the stored render to be catalogued and retrieved from the persistent storage. The temporary location and the persistent storage can be part of a non-volatile memory such as a hard drive.

1 . A graphical user interface (GUI) for a multi-stage video compositing process of a computer system, the GUI comprising:
 a compositing tree that is a graphical representation of the video compositing process, the compositing tree having a plurality of nodes with each node representing a stage in the video compositing process;   wherein at least one particular node has a first visible appearance identifying a first cache stage during the video compositing process and a second visible appearance identifying a second cache stage during the video compositing process, said first appearance different from the second appearance.   
     
     
         2 . The GUI of  claim 1 , wherein the first cache stage of the particular node indicates that the particular node has not been rendered to a cache, wherein the second cache stage indicates that the particular node has been rendered to the cache. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The GUI of  claim 2 , wherein the computer system has a memory space, wherein the cache is an area in the memory space that has been specifically allocated for the video compositing process. 
     
     
         5 . The GUI of  claim 2 , wherein the computer system has a random access memory, wherein the cache is an area in the random access memory that is specifically allocated for the video compositing process. 
     
     
         6 . The GUI of  claim 2 , wherein the computer system has a disk storage, wherein the cache is an area in the disk storage that is specifically allocated for the video compositing process. 
     
     
         7 . The GUI of  claim 1 , wherein the particular node has a third visible appearance identifying a third cache stage during the video compositing process, the third appearance is different from the first and second appearances. 
     
     
         8 . The GUI of  claim 7 , wherein the computer system has a disk cache and a memory cache, wherein the first cache stage of the particular node indicates that the particular node has not been rendered to a cache, the second cache stage indicates that the particular node has been rendered and the result of the rendering is in the disk cache, and the third cache stage indicates that the particular node has been rendered and the result of the rendering is in the memory cache. 
     
     
         9 - 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) for a multi-stage video editing process, the program for execution by at least one processing unit, the GUI comprising:
 a display area for displaying a compositing tree that is a graphical representation of the video editing process, the compositing tree having a plurality of nodes with each node representing a stage in the video editing process;   wherein at least one particular node is displayed with a first visible appearance identifying a first rendered state during the video editing process and a second visible appearance identifying a second rendered state during the video editing process, said first appearance different from the second appearance.   
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 24 , wherein the first rendered state is when the editing stage has not been rendered, wherein the second rendered state is when the editing stage has been rendered. 
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 24 , wherein displaying the first visible appearance comprises displaying the particular node with a first color, wherein displaying the second visible appearance comprises displaying the particular node with a second color. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 24 , wherein displaying the first visible appearance comprises displaying the particular node using a first shape, wherein displaying the second visible appearance comprises displaying the particular node using a second shape. 
     
     
         28 . A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) for a multi-stage video editing process, the program for execution by at least one processing unit, the GUI comprising:
 a display area for displaying a compositing tree that is a graphical representation of the video editing process, the compositing tree having a plurality of nodes with each node representing a stage in the video editing process;   wherein a first node is displayed with a first visible appearance identifying a rendered state during the video compositing process and a second node is displayed with a second visible appearance identifying a cache stage during the video compositing process, said first appearance different from the second appearance.   
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the rendered state indicates that the first node has not been rendered, wherein the cache stage indicates that the second node has not been rendered to a cache. 
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the rendered state indicates that the first node has not been rendered, wherein the cache stage indicates that the second node has been rendered to a cache. 
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the rendered state indicates that the first node has been rendered, wherein the cache stage indicates that the second node has not been rendered to a cache. 
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the rendered state indicates that the first node has been rendered, wherein the cache stage indicates that the second node has been rendered to a cache. 
     
     
         33 . A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) for a multi-stage video editing process in a computing system, the program for execution by at least one processing unit, the GUI comprising:
 a display area for displaying a compositing tree that is a graphical representation of the video editing process, the compositing tree having a plurality of nodes with each node representing a stage in the video editing process;   wherein at least one particular node is displayed with a first color at a first cache stage during the video editing process and a second color at a second cache stage during the video editing process, said first color different from the second color.   
     
     
         34 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 33 , wherein the particular node is further displayed with a third color at a third cache stage during the video editing process, said third color different from the first and second colors. 
     
     
         35 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the computing system has a disk cache and a memory cache, wherein the first cache stage is when the editing stage has not been rendered to a cache, wherein the second cache stage is when the editing stage has been rendered and the result of the rendering is in the memory cache, and the third cache stage is when the editing stage has been rendered and the result of the rendering is in the disk cache. 
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the computing system has a disk storage and a random access memory, wherein the disk cache and the memory cache are respectively areas in the disk storage and the random access memory that are specifically allocated for the video editing process.