Sixty years after its birth, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) evolved as a key player of earth observation, and it is continually upgraded by enhanced hardware functionality and improved overall performance in response to user requirements. The basic information gained by SAR includes the backscattering coefficient of targets, their phases (the truncated distance between SAR and its targets), and their polarization dependence. The spatiotemporal combination of the multiple data operated on the satellite or aircraft significantly increases its sensitivity to detect changes on earth, including temporal variations of the planet in amplitude and the interferometric change for monitoring disasters; deformations caused by earthquakes, volcanic activity, and landslides; environmental changes; ship detection; and so on. Earth-orbiting satellites with the appropriate sensors can detect environmental changes because of their large spatial coverage and availability. Imaging from Spaceborne and Airborne SARs, Calibration, and Applications provides A-to-Z information regarding SAR researches through 15 chapters that focus on the JAXA L-band SAR, including hardware description, principles of SAR imaging, theoretical description of SAR imaging and error, ScanSAR imaging, polarimetric calibration, inflight antenna pattern, SAR geometry and ortho rectification, SAR calibration, defocusing for moving targets, large-scale SAR imaging and mosaic, interferometric SAR processing, irregularities, application, and forest estimation. Sample data are created by using L-band SAR, JERS-1, PALSAR, PALSAR-2, and Pi-SAR-L2. This book is based on the author's experience as a principal researcher at JAXA with responsibilities for L-band SAR operation and researches. It reveals the inside of SAR processing and application researches performed at JAXA, which makes this book a valuable reference for a wide range of SAR researchers, professionals, and students.

Adobe Photoshop for Photographers 2014 Release by Photoshop hall-of-famer and acclaimed digital imaging professional Martin Evening has been fully updated to include detailed instruction for all of the updates to Photoshop CC 2014 on Adobe's Creative Cloud, including significant new features, such as Focus Area selections, enhanced Content-Aware filling, and new Spin and Path blur gallery effects. This guide covers all the tools and techniques photographers and professional image editors need to know when using Photoshop, from workflow guidance to core skills to advanced techniques for professional results. Using clear, succinct instruction and real world examples, this guide is the essential reference for Photoshop users of all levels. Accompanying the book is the photoshopforphotographers.com website, with sample images, tutorial videos, and bonus chapters.

Artificial Vision is a rapidly growing discipline, aiming to build computational models of the visual functionalities in humans, as well as machines that emulate them. Visual communication in itself involves a numberof challenging topics with a dramatic impact on contemporary culture where human-computer interaction and human dialogue play a more and more significant role.
This state-of-the-art book brings together carefully selected review articles from world renowned researchers at the forefront of this exciting area. The contributions cover topics including image processing, computational geometry, optics, pattern recognition, and computer science. The book is divided into three sections. Part I covers active vision; Part II deals with the integration of visual with cognitive capabilities; and Part III concerns visual communication.
Artificial Vision will be essential reading for students and researchers in image processing, vision, and computer science who want to grasp the current concepts and future directions of this challenging field.
Key Features
* This state-of-the-art book brings together selected review articles and accounts of current projects from world-renowned researchers at the forefront of this exciting area; The contributions cover topics such as:
* psychology of perception
* image processing
* computational geometry
* visual knowledge representation and languages
* It is this truly multi-disciplinary approach that has produced successful theories and applications for the subject.

The games industry is serious business and the role of a games designer has dramatically changed over just the last few years. Developers now have to rethink everything they know about the creative, technical and business challenges to adapt to the transition to games as a service. Games as a Service: How Free to Play Design Can Make Better Games has been written to help designers overcome many of the fears and misconceptions surrounding freemium and social games. It provides a framework to deliver better games rather than theevil ormanipulative experiences some designers fear with the move away from wasteful Products to sustainable, trustworthy Services. Oscar Clark is a consultant and Evangelist for Everyplay from Applifier. He has been a pioneer in online, mobile and console social games services since 1998 including Wireplay (British Telecom), Hutchison Whampoa (3UK) and PlayStationHome. He is a regular columnist on PocketGamer.Biz and is an outspoken speaker and moderator at countless games conferences on Games Design, Discovery, and Monetisation. He is also a notorious hat wearer.

Inspire your own creativity with Digital Mayhem 3D Machine Techniques. Compiled by Duncan Evans, founder of 3D Artist Magazine, this book is the next installment of the Digital Mayhem series. Explore, page after page, spectacular machine images created by the industry's top talent. With over 500 stunning images, Digital Mayhem 3D Machine Techniques is not your basic software manual. It is where technique and inspiration meet - a detailed and innovative guide to great machine images. Each chapter contains vibrant images and an explanation of the artist's workflow, including a step-by-step tutorial to help you achieve similar results. From pre-viz to post production, this book takes you through the whole process of creating your very own machine masterpiece! Get inside the minds of the artists with breakdown overviews and supporting imagery to explain what went into their piece. Expand your digital canvas to include a variety of software techniques, tools and workflows. Visit the companion website for additional resources to help you develop your machine technique skills. Key Features Tutorials and images are provided by artists who are from all regions of the world Every image is coupled with a description of the artists' techniques and their problem solving solutions. Helps anyone develop time saving workflow tricks, apply software shortcuts, and keep abreast of industry trends Each artist highlights a specific creative technique or design element, offering cutting-edge insight and technical know-how of digital masters

This book moves beyond the basics of "pushing the buttons"; explaining the most efficient and effective ways of using Xpress Pro to tell the story. Readers develop a working knowledge of the application with lessons and tutorials that cover every essential method and technique. An excellent resource for students and professional editors new to Xpress Pro, this book and downloadable resources combo provides valuable hands-on practice with an extended example that demonstrates the edit of an entire sequence. Project media and plug-ins are provided on the downloadable resources.

Master the most powerful photo editing tools and techniques that Elements has to offer! Using step-by-step projects, Mark Galer will have you creating stunning images in no time at all. Whether you want to create impressive, seamless montages, optimize your photos for perfect print quality, or simply enhance your images for maximum impact, Maximum Performance will give you the skills and know-how you need to create professional quality results. Featured projects teach you how to work with multilayered 16 bit/channel files, as well as convert to black and white using Adobe Camera Raw, create High Key images, work with image borders and textures, and create tilt-shift and cross-process effects. Three movie tutorials featuring specific techniques from the book are available for free online, and a supplemental package of images and movies can be purchased with an easy one-time download from the authors' website, www.elements-maxperformance.com. Find everything you need to unleash the power of Elements with Max Performance, or for a more interactive learning experience, download the supplemental images and movies for comprehensive, hands-on learning.

An up-to-date, expert guide to modern digital image databases

This volume presents the state of the art in digital image database design, with a concentration on storage and retrieval techniques, and includes a set of selected application case studies.

Chapters by experts from around the world explore a variety of techniques for accessing images based on color, texture, shape, and semantic descriptions. Underlying principles are stressed, including compression, indexing, storage organization, and transmission.

Image Databases also features detailed coverage of these important issues:

• Hierarchical storage management
• Database support
• Search at multiple abstraction levels
• Content extraction from compressed imagery
• Standards for representation and search

Case studies cover important application areas including:

• Photographic images
• Satellite imagery
• Images in the oil industry
• Medical imagery

A wide range of introductory material and an extensive bibliography makes Image Databases an excellent text for graduate-level students. It also serves as a valuable reference for developers and researchers in the field, and as a guide for helping IT professionals more fully understand the discipline.

Let Mark Galer guide you through the most powerful photo editing tools and techniques that Elements has to offer! A unique cominbtion of step-by-step projects, movie tutorials and sample images will have you creating stunning images in no time at all. Whether you want to enhance your images for maximum impact, optimize your photos for perfect print quality, or creating impressive, seamless montages, Maximum Performance will give you the skills and know-how to create professional quality results, enabling you get maximum performance from this credit crunch approved software. The package is completed with an astonishingly supportive website packed with over 7 hours of movie tutorials, 100+ sample images, multimedia content and stock photography as well as automated actions to get even more out of the software.

Are you into photography not photomanipulation? Frustrated that you are spending too much time in front of the screen and not enough behind the lens? Feel like you are not getting the most out of the powerful processing functions of Apple Aperture? This straightforward, inspiring guide is aimed at photographers whose goal is to use the software to bring out the best in their photographs. Professional photographer and educator Corey Hilz leads you through a highly effective, professional's workflow with Aperture, from importing your photos from your camera and making image adjustments, to labelling each photo with metadata and keywords for effective organization and searching, and finally outputting your images for print or social media. He focuses on the vital aspects for photographers such as correcting tone and color, targeted adjustments, metadata, and managing a fast expanding library. Focus On Apple Aperture is packed with stunning photographs and screenshots to illustrate every tweak the author makes, to effortlessly teach the new or beginning user the fundamentals of the software. Users of all versions of Aperture will benefit from this book.

Using a unique combination of step by step projects, movie tutorials and sample images, Mark Galer guides the reader through the most powerful photo editing tools that Elements has to offer. Discussing and demonstrating the skills and know-how to create professional-quality results with this budget-priced software. Whether optimizing photographs for printing, enhancing images for maximum impact, or creating impressive, seamless montages, this book will enable any aspiring digital professional to get the maximum performance from the credit crunch approved software. The package is completed with astonishingly comprehensive downloadable resources packed with over 7 hours of movie tutorials, 100+ sample images, a stock photo gallery as well as automated actions to get even more out of the software.

Case-based reasoning in design is becoming an important approach to computer-support for design as well as an important component in understanding the design process. Design has become a major focus for problem solving paradigms due to its complexity and open-ended nature. This book presents a clear description of how case-based reasoning can be applied to design problems, including the representation of design cases, indexing and retrieving design cases, and the range of paradigms for adapting design cases. With a focus on design, this book differs from others that provide a generalist view of case-based reasoning.
This volume provides two important contributions to the area:
* a general description of the issues and alternatives in applying case-based reasoning to design, and
* a description of specific implementations of case-based design.
Through this combination, the reader will learn about both the general issues and the practical problems in supporting design through case-based reasoning. This book was prepared to fill a gap in the literature on the unique problems that design introduces to computational paradigms developed in computer science. It also addresses the needs of computational support for design problem solving from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

The three volume set provides a systematic overview of theories and technique on social network analysis. Volume 3 of the set mainly focuses on the propagation models and evolution rules of information. Information retrieval and dissemination, topic discovery and evolution, algorithms of influence maximization are discussed in detail. It is an essential reference for scientist and professionals in computer science.

The animation studio United Productions of America (UPA) was able to challenge Disney supremacy in the 1950s entertainment market by creating cutting-edge animated cartoons. UPA films express a simplified audiovisual language consisting of stylized layout designs, asymmetrical compositions, colors applied flatly and in contrast with each other, limited animation and a minimalist use of sound effects. UPA artists developed this innovative style by assimilating those aesthetic features already expressed by Modern painters, graphic designers and advertisers. This book considers UPA films as Modern animations, because they synthesize a common minimalist tendency that was occurring in US animation during the 1940s and 1950s. It examines the conditions under which UPA studio flourished and the figure of its executive producer Stephen Bosustow; the influence of Modernist stylistic features of painting, graphic design and poster advertising on UPA animations; and UPA animated cartoons as case studies of a simplified audiovisual language that influenced 1950s-1960s international productions. Key Features Looks at UPA's origins during the 1940s and postwar American stage, and how this influences later Modern movements and styles Learn about the production methods of UPA and its lasting graphic contribution to animation history Discover how UPA audiovisual styles were born from the assimilation of Modern paintings, graphic art, and poster advertising Explores how UPA influenced animation in other parts of the world, including Romania, Russia, and Japan Highlights the impact UPA had on styles with famous international legends like Dusan Vukotic, Fyodor Khitruk, and Osamu Tezuka

Religion and the Internet will present a range of scholarly articles that offer a critical overview of the interdisciplinary study of new media, religion and digital culture. Scholars have documented individuals using computer networks for religious discussions and enagagment since the early 1980s. In the mid 1990s, when the Internet became publicly accessible, scholars began to study how users were translating and transporting their religious practices onto this new digital platform. This collection will cover the development of the study of Religion and the Internet over the past three decades, highlighting the core research topics, approaches and questions that have been explored by key international scholars at the intersection of new media and religion. The collection seeks to present how new forms of religious practices have emerged and been interrogated by scholars. It will also present how religious communities have negotiated their engagement with digital techologies and the online and offline implications this has had for religious practioners and individuals.

Sixth in the book series, Advances in Image Communication, which documents the rapid advancements of recent years in image communication technologies, this volume provides a comprehensive exploration of subband coding.

Originally, subband coding and transform coding were developed separately. The former, however, benefitted considerably from the earlier evolution of transform coding theory and practice. Retaining their own terminology and views, the two methods are closely related and this book indeed aims to unify the approaches. Specifically, the volume contributes effectively to the understanding of frequency domain coding techniques. Many images from coding experiments are presented, enabling the reader to consider the properties of different coders.

Chapter 1 introduces the problem of image compression in general terms. Sampling of images and other fundamental concepts, such as entropy and the rate distortion function, are briefly reviewed. The idea of viewing coding techniques as series expansions is also introduced. The second chapter presents signal decomposition and the conditions for perfect reconstruction from minimum representations. Chapter 3 deals with filter bank structures, primarily those displaying the perfect reconstruction property. Quantization techniques and the efficient exploitation of the bit resources are discussed from a theoretical perspective in Chapter 4 and this issue is further examined in Chapter 6, from a more practical point of view. Chapter 5 provides a development of gain formulas, i.e. quantitative measures of the performance of filter banks in a subband coding context, and these are then employed in a search for optimal filter banks. A number of examples of coded images using different subband coders are presented in Chapter 7, these indicating that subband coders give rise to some characteristic types of image degradations. Accordingly, Chapter 8 presents several techniques for minimizing these artifacts. The theory and practice of subband coding of video, at several target bit rates, is discussed in the last chapter.

Spectacular advances during the last decade have altered the related disciplines of computing and telecommunications beyond all recognition. The developments in the"enabling technologies,"which have made these advances possible, have been less obvious to the casual observer. The subject of this book is one of these technologies--the coding of still images and picture sequences (video).
Digital Compression of Still Images and Video is general in approach and covers all the recognized coding algorithms; explaining their basic theory in enough detail that the reader will understand the principles involved. Results which have been achieved with coding algorithms by researchers in all parts of the world are also discussed. A brief historical review of the area is included to orient those new to the field, and the work is supported by references spanning the period from the earliest work on time/frequency analysis, to the latest topic of research interest--image sequence transmission using asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) techniques.
This book will make an excellent reference for graduates and researchers working on image coding and transmission, and will also be of use to those in the related areas of computer vision and multimedia developments. It is essential reading for the rapidly increasing number of technical and professional staff in the industrial environment who, maybe for the first time, are coming to grips with image coding.
Key Features
* Provides complete and up-to-date coverage of all digital image and video coding (compression) techniques
* Includes more than 850 references covering relevant work from the 1940s to the present
* Presents information on new directions in coding
* Contains details on current coding standards
* Describes and explains all algorithms in use for image coding

There is nothing quite like that feeling you get when you see that look of recognition and enjoyment on your students' faces. Not just the strong ones, but everyone is nodding in agreement during your first explanation of the geometry of directional derivatives. If you have incorporated animated demonstrations into your teaching, you know how effective they can be in eliciting this kind of response. You know the value of giving students vivid moving images to tie to concepts. But learning to make animations generally requires extensive searching through a vast computer algebra system for the pertinent functions. Maple Animation brings together virtually all of the functions and procedures useful in creating sophisticated animations using Maple 7, 8, or 9 and it presents them in a logical, accessible way. The accompanying downloadable resources provide all of the Maple code used in the book, including the code for more than 30 ready-to-use demonstrations. From Newton's method to linear transformations, the complete animations included in this book allow you to use them straight out of the box. Careful explanations of the methods teach you how to implement your own creative ideas. Whether you are a novice or an experienced Maple user, Maple Animation provides the tools and skills to enhance your teaching and your students' enjoyment of the subject through animation.

Providing a wealth of information on fundamental topics in the areas of linear air and underwater acoustics, as well as space-time signal processing, this book provides real-world design and analysis equations. As a consequence of the interdisciplinary nature of air and underwater acoustics, the book is divided into two parts: Acoustic Field Theory and Space-Time Signal Processing. It covers the fundamentals of acoustic wave propagation as well as the fundamentals of aperture theory, array theory, and signal processing. Starting with principles and using a consistent, mainly standard notation, this book develops, in detail, basic results that are useful in a variety of air and underwater acoustic applications. Numerous figures, examples, and problems are included.

Digital Forensic Art Techniques: A Professional's Guide to Corel PainterTM illustrates hands-on techniques to digitally create forensic art for police and investigative purposes. Coverage focuses specifically on how to utilize the software to create realistic human likenesses, including composites of suspects and drawings of persons in unidentified remains cases. Drawing digitally is like using any tool in art: a pencil, a charcoal stick, a conte' crayon. A stylus is just another tool to master. Digital work is easier for artists to send to the case detective, and the work always reproduces exactly as it was completed. Another benefit to working digitally is that one can use video conferencing with a witness online to provide services remotely world-wide. This enables police departments who have never had access to a forensic artist to have a sketch done within hours of the crime. Chapters address the more basic functions to serve as a primer for those transitioning to working digitally. There is also instruction on light and shadow, and bones and muscles of the skull. All of the discussion is intended to make the reader see things as an artist to improve drawing skills and overall digital techniques. In short, Digital Forensic Art Techniques is a practical, easy-to-follow manual for working forensic artists that will give readers a solid base from which to start. It serves as an essential resource to greater skill and comfort with the hardware and software, thus furthering current best practices and technological advances in the field.

The rapid advancements in image communication technologies are documented in the book series, Advances in Image Communication. Each publication provides an in-depth exploration of an intrinsic element of the multi-disciplinary field and together they form a comprehensive overview of the whole.

This volume, the fifth in the series, examines the definition, study and use of the wavelet transform in communications for two-dimensional (2-D) digital signals. The transform is used for signal reorganization before compression and the trade-off between these two steps and the whole compression process is discussed.

The five chapters specifically present the theory of wavelets applied to images, then applications of compression of still images and sequences. Chapter 1 introduces biorthogonal bases of compactly supported wavelets: this generalization of orthonormal wavelet theory allows the use of linear phase filters. A non rectangular wavelet representation of 2-D signals is developed in the second chapter: the properties usually used with wavelets, phase, linearity, and regularity are discussed. Chapter 3 is composed of three parts: a description of commonly used biorthogonal wavelets; a presentation of vector quantization algorithms; a consideration of lattice vector quantization followed by a discussion of the bit allocation procedure (with experimental results given). The fourth chapter deals with a region-based discrete wavelet transform for image coding. Chapter 5 investigates the transmission of image sequences: wavelet transforms and motion estimation are detailed in a multiconstraint approach of image sequence coding.

This unique reference presents in-depth coverage of the latest methods and applications of digital image processing describing various computer architectures ideal for satisfying specific image processing demands.

Animate the world around you! Follow along with veteran Disney effects artist Mauro Maressa as he teaches you how to create and animate natural phenomena like water, fire, smoke, lightning, lava, mud, and wind. Essential Effects will help you plan, draw, design, and animate traditional 2D effects, taking your ideas all the way from rough sketch to finished product. Using a series of full-color visual breakdowns and diagrams, this book gives you a clear, concise understanding of what it takes to create credible, compelling effects in your own projects. Key Features Build a strong foundation of observation and drawing skills that you can rely on for the rest of your career Tips and tricks for applying classic effects principles to computer-animated and CG projects Over 400 full-color images and diagrams for clear step-by-step learning

Timing for Animation has been one of the pillars of animation since it was first published in 1981. Now this 40th anniversary edition captures the focus of the original and enhances this new edition with fresh images, techniques, and advice from world-renowned animators. Not only does the text explore timing in traditional animation, but also timing in digital works. Vibrant illustrations and clear directions line the pages to help depict the various methods and procedures to bring your animation to life. Examples include timing for digital production, digital storyboarding in 2D, digital storyboarding in 3D, and the use of After Effects, as well as interactive games, television, animals, and more. Learn how animated scenes should be arranged in relation to each other, how much space should be used, and how long each drawing should be shown for maximum dramatic effect. All you need to breathe life into your animation is at your fingertips with Timing for Animation. Key Features: Fully revised and updated with modern examples and techniques Explores the fundamentals of timing, physics, and animation Perfect for the animation novice and the expert Get straight to the good stuff with simple, no-nonsense instruction on the key techniques like stretch and squash, animated cycles, overlapping, and anticipation. Trying to time weight, mood, and power can make or break an animation-get it right the first time with these tried and tested techniques. Authors Harold Whitaker was a BAFTA-nominated professional animator and educator for 40 years; many of his students number among today's most outstanding animation artists. John Halas, known as "The father of British animation" and formerly of Halas & Batchelor Animation Studio, produced more than 2,000 animation films, including the legendary Animal Farm (1954) and the award-winning Dilemma (1981). He was also the founder and president of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) and former Chairman of the British Federation of Film Societies. Tom Sito is Professor of Animation at the University of Southern California and has written numerous books and articles on animation. Tom's screen credits include Shrek (2001) and the Disney classics Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). In 1998, Tom was named by Animation Magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People in Animation.

"... a genuinely useful guide to the more technical side of phone shooting, including editing with popular apps like Snapseed. Jo Bradford makes the most of the creative possibilities of modern smartphone cameras, and her tips on improving exposure and ensuring decent prints are really useful." Awarded 5 stars by Amateur Photographer Maximize your potential to get the shots you want with this guide to photography for both Apple and Android phones. There's a saying that the best camera for the job is the one you have with you when an opportunity arises. Thanks to the boom in camera-phone technology, today we're lucky enough to have a camera to hand to capture all those incredible moments. But are you making the most of that powerful tool in your pocket? Do the photos you have taken tend to be blurry, or look nothing like what you're seeing? If you want to shoot incredible images with your phone, buy Smart Phone, Smart Photography. Covering simple techniques that will allow you to get the image that you see every single time, you will soon be telling your camera what to do with confidence. Start with The Big Picture and get to know your camera phone and the rules behind taking the perfect shot. The next chapter, Taking Great Pictures, explains the key disciplines of photography - portrait, abstraction, macro, still life and plenty more. Finally, the Post-production chapter demonstrates how to use apps to edit and enhance your images and create incredible prints for display.