It takes massive amounts of data to train AI models. But sometimes, that data simply isn’t available from real-world sources, so data scientists use synthetic data to make up for that. In machine vision applications, that means creating different environments and objects to train robots or se…
Adobe today announced that it is adding video support to Lightroom, its image organization and manipulation tool for photographers. Users will be able to use the same tools they currently use for changing the look and feel of images to manipulate videos, too. And while Lightroom won’t replace…
3D content collaboration startup Taichi Graphics closes $50M Series A
For years, open source software in China was only attracting developers and was poorly understood by returns-seeking investors. But they are finally having a moment like their Western counterparts. The latest open source project to get funded in China is Taichi Graphics, a 10-month-old startup that…
3 methodologies for automated video game highlight detection and capture
Distilling the most impactful five to 10 minutes of content out of eight or more hours of raw video becomes a non-trivial time commitment. AI can help, but there are distinctions in methodologies.
AI-driven audio cloning startup gives voice to Einstein chatbot
You’ll need to prick up your ears for this slice of deepfakery emerging from the wacky world of synthesized media: A digital version of Albert Einstein — with a synthesized voice that’s been (re)created using AI voice cloning technology drawing on audio recordings of the famous sc…
Epic Games buys photogrammetry software maker Capturing Reality
Epic Games is quickly becoming a more dominant force in gaming infrastructure M&A after a string of recent purchases made to bulk up their Unreal Engine developer suite. Today, the company announced that they’ve brought on the team from photogrammetry studio Capturing Reality to help the …
How China’s synthetic media startup Surreal nabs funding in 3 months
What if we no longer needed cameras to make videos and can instead generate them through a few lines of coding? Advances in machine learning are turning the idea into a reality. We’ve seen how deepfakes swap faces in family photos and turn one’s selfies into famous video clips. Now entr…
3D model provider CGTrader raises $9.5M Series B led by Evli Growth Partners
3D model provider CGTrader has raised $9.5 million in a Series B funding led by Finnish VC fund Evli Growth Partners, alongside previous investors Karma Ventures and LVV Group. Ex-Rovio CEO Mikael Hed also invested and joins as board chairman. We first covered the Vilnius-based company when it rais…
Walmart is acquiring Memomi, an AR startup powering virtual try-on for eyewear
Walmart is expanding its array of virtual try-on services for shoppers with today’s news that it’s planning to acquire Memomi, an AR optical tech company and current Walmart partner offering virtual try-on experience for eyewear. Deal terms were not disclosed, but Memomi has enabled dig…