Audio Authoring and Compositing

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an audio authoring method that provide a set authoring tools for specifying rules for combining sections of a first song to generate a second song. The set of authoring tools allow an array of cells to be arranged in first and second directions, and allow each body section to be associated with one set of cells that are arranged in the first direction and another set of cells that are arranged in the second direction. At each cell that belongs to one set of cells arranged in the first direction for a first body section and another set of cells arranged in the second direction for a second body section, the set of tools also allow the user to specify whether the second body section is allowed to follow the first body section. Some embodiments provide a method for compositing audio, The method receives (1) several song sections, and (2) for each particular song section, a priority value and a set of succession rules that identify a set of song sections that cannot follow the particular song section. Based on the priority values, the method adds the song sections to the first song until a desired first-song duration is reached without exceeding the duration or until all song sections have been examined for adding to the first song. The method then analyzes a sequence of song sections in the first song to remove any song section that violates a succession rule.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 defining a plurality of template instances that group media content pieces (MCPs) based on similarity of attributes of the MCPs;   for each template instance, generating a score based on one or more criteria;   for each template instance, defining a title and one or more representative thumbnails;   generating a user interface (UI) layout that displays instance summary panes, each instance summary pane including one template instance determined to be relevant based on the score;   in response to receiving selection of a particular instance summary pane, computing an order MCPs included in the selected template instance;   computing a duration of a composite presentation based on the order for the MCPs; and   rendering the composite presentation based on the duration.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more criteria comprises a quality of each MCP included in a particular template instance. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the quality is based on presence of blur, camera motion, voice content, face content, and/or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more criteria comprises a quantity of MCPs included in a particular template instance. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more criteria are selected from a group comprising, for each MCP included in a particular template instance: a time of creation of the MCP, a location of the device when the MCP is created, and a location of a future calendared event. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the duration of the composite presentation is based, at least in part, on a sum of predetermined ideal durations for each MCP included in the selected template instance. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the ideal duration for a particular MCP is based, at least in part, on a type of MCP, the type being selected from a group consisting of: still photograph, burst-mode photograph, slow-motion video, and time-lapsed video. 
     
     
         8 . A system, comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes:
 defining a plurality of template instances that group media content pieces (MCPs) based on similarity of attributes of the MCPs; 
 for each template instance, generating a score based on one or more criteria; 
 for each template instance, defining a title and one or more representative thumbnails; 
 generating a user interface (UI) layout that displays instance summary panes, each instance summary pane including one template instance determined to be relevant based on the score; 
 in response to receiving selection of a particular instance summary pane, computing an order for MCPs included in the selected template instance; 
 computing a duration of a composite presentation based on the order for the MCPs; and 
 rendering the composite presentation based on the duration. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the one or more criteria comprises a quality of each MCP included in a particular template instance. 
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the quality is based on presence of blur, camera motion, voice content, face content, and/or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the one or more criteria comprises a quantity of MCPs included in a particular template instance. 
     
     
         12 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the one or more criteria are selected from a group comprising, for each MCP included in a particular template instance: a time of creation of the MCP, a location of the device when the MCP is created, and a location of a future calendared event. 
     
     
         13 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the duration of the composite presentation is based, at least in part, on a sum of predetermined ideal durations for each MCP included in the selected template instance. 
     
     
         14 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the ideal duration for a particular MCP is based, at least in part, on a type of MCP, the type being selected from a group consisting of: still photograph, burst-mode photograph, slow-motion video, and time-lapsed video. 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
 defining a plurality of template instances that group media content pieces (MCPs) based on similarity of attributes of the MCPs;   for each template instance, generating a score based on one or more criteria;   for each template instance, defining a title and one or more representative thumbnails;   generating a user interface (UI) layout that displays instance summary panes, each instance summary pane including one template instance determined to be relevant based on the score;   in response to receiving selection of a particular instance summary pane, computing an order for MCPs included in the selected template instance;   computing a duration of a composite presentation based on the order for the MCPs; and   rendering the composite presentation based on the duration.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the one or more criteria comprises a quality of each MCP included in a particular template instance. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the quality is based on presence of blur, camera motion, voice content, face content, and/or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the one or more criteria comprises a quantity of MCPs included in a particular template instance. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the one or more criteria are selected from a group comprising, for each MCP included in a particular template instance: a time of creation of the MCP, a location of the device when the MCP is created, and a location of a future calendared event. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the duration of the composite presentation is based, at least in part, on a sum of predetermined ideal durations for each MCP included in the selected template instance, wherein the ideal duration for a particular MCP is based, at least in part, on a type of MCP, the type being selected from a group consisting of: still photograph, burst-mode photograph, slow-motion video, and time-lapsed video.