Forward-view transition algorithm between the near and the far views and its extension to the panoramic images

We propose a new algorithm that generates intermediate scenes from the near and the far views. Assuming that two cameras can be approximated with the affine model, we align the optical axes of the near and the far views on the transition baseline using the Fourier method. Then we determine the scale of the desired novel scene, zoom in the far view, and zoom out the near view. The zoom-in far view is theoretically the same as the zoom-out near view, but disparities exist that cause the synthesized image to present the double-blurring effect. Therefore, we remove the disparities of the zoom-out near view and then synthesize it with the zoom-in far view. For the panorama-based navigation system, the proposed algorithm can also generate images having smooth and realistic transitions as the viewer walks from the current panoramic image to the next panoramic image.