Video: Sony's MotionPortrait turns photos into 3D animations with chilling effect

We don't pretend to understand the Japanese, we usually just nod graciously and smile when they dazzle us with their consumer electronics and robots. But Sony's MotionPortrait is different, SolidAlliance different. The technology creates 3D graphics from 2D stills of human faces. The 3D faces can then be animated semi-realistically using standard computer graphics. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised to find this tech in a CyberShot point-and-shoot in a few years out. Innocent enough until you see how it's demonstrated. Click through to see the results and feel free to laugh or scream at the end -- we did both in unison much to our surprise.

[SolarS Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:08AM]

dear lord that is frightening

[000000 Posted Jun 4th 2009 8:28AM]

They have a unique sense of humor for sure. It's refreshing in a way.

[Hexydes Posted Jun 4th 2009 9:34AM]

@000000: And terrifying, in another?

[donperry Posted Jun 4th 2009 9:48AM]

Oh gosh, i 'm speechless....terrifically speechless!

[Steve Miller Posted Jun 4th 2009 10:34AM]

Hmm...anyone else thinking....THE GRUDGE?!

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 11:07AM]

More like Black Hole Sun.

[hemmy Posted Jun 4th 2009 12:07PM]

Ok that shit is scary. And I've seen over 9000 scary things that didn't bother me, but this takes the cake (is not a lie).

[Wwhat Posted Jun 4th 2009 2:48PM]

Freaky enough to make a children's TV show from, almost as scary as that horrible thomas the tank engine, which still freaks me out.

[Precision Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:15PM]

God, that was disturbing..
i really felt like stopping it before that smile(?) reached its climax.

i wasn't sure whether i was supposed to be scared or to find this hilarious.. i laughed for a solid 30 seconds *while avoiding eye contact with the demon lord*. ^^

[Patmc Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:11AM]

Damn... and I was just going to go to bed. I'm going to have to sleep with the lights on now... (shudder)

[Nerdtalker Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:33AM]

That totally just killed my will to sleep. Seriously. What the hell?

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:48AM]

Holy sh*t, that's freaky!

[princecloud35 Posted Jun 4th 2009 1:03PM]

leave it up to the Japanese to find something they think is practical, but is ultmately the thing that will give us nightmares :(

[Wwhat Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:27PM]

Reminded me a bit of that horror movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar, "the grudge", if you haven't seen it, and are awake anyway all night.. watch it to be freaked.

[amnesia Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:12AM]

That's some freakiness there.

[Mic2000 Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:12AM]

WTF was that all about

[Barbaric Posted Jun 4th 2009 10:16AM]

Apparently, the Japanese lady with the sword begins morphing into the Joker after cutting his tie... but then it ends suddenly. Just like The Sopranos. I don't get into these artsy college films either... Blair Witch sucked.

[BananaBoat Posted Jun 4th 2009 11:01AM]

I think I speak for most when I say; WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

[Shunnabunich Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:18AM]

COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.

[Stapyhlococcus Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:42AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mTCgIHpQXE#t=2m43s

[Hexydes Posted Jun 4th 2009 9:35AM]

I think I'd take my chances...

[LS Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:19AM]

This'll be pretty awesome if they can introduce some facial expressions that aren't all variations of a "lunatic-psycho" theme. Even when the 3D character was trying to smile at the end (I presume that's what it was doing) it still looked like it was only a few seconds away from murdering a family of kittens

[rDub Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:34AM]

Every time you animate a 3D shape created from a 2D image "something" kills a kitten...

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 8:26AM]

I think we have just seen that something...

[orangesrhyme Posted Jun 4th 2009 4:24PM]

@rDub
That'd be me.

[excelsium Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:19AM]

quite funny :).

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:26AM]

i'm 12 and what is this?

[EviLCuLT26 Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:37AM]

am 25 and i have no clue..

[mrmckeb Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:12AM]

LOL at the YouTube joke.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:35AM]

I'm 33 and also lost with this one ..

[Inzain Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:46AM]

You're probably too old to understand.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:22AM]

except for the mouth its... omg real virtual reality is here.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:25AM]

That is creepy and not in a good way.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:44AM]

Holy mother of God, thats disturbing!!

[Lyamshin Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:39AM]

The text at the end says "office love prohibition" for those who are interested.

[Tres Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:13AM]

The meaning is "office love IS prohibited" though.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:39AM]

im a pc and i kick apple's ass

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 8:57AM]

Hi im a reader and i iz here to downz rank youz

[Bearx807 Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:41AM]

ok now i can make more prank videos if i have it lol!

[ben92 Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:41AM]

the thing at the end says: office love…
but wtf? :D

[ben92 Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:43AM]

damn, didn't notice the kanji at the top. :D

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:59AM]

A perfect example for the "uncanny valley" definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley

[Takashi Omoto Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:01AM]

Actually, MotionPortrait has been around for a while, now - they have some Flash demos on their about page at motionportrait.com. In particular, the following one is absolutely fantastic to put on people's browsers while they're away (hit F11 for maximum effect)

http://www.motionportrait.com/about/TIminoriHair.swf

[suggymoto Posted Jun 7th 2009 5:59AM]

Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy

[Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi Posted Jun 4th 2009 7:18AM]

What the hell???

[jacks Posted Nov 25th 2009 2:31PM]

Dont worry, Its easy to change your avitar back to something less shocking

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 4th 2009 8:58AM]

http://www.motionportrait.com/e/demo/
Go here, and then upload a photo of yourself to the top one, if you thought the video of the japanese sword-wielding weirdo was strange, just try having your own face twisted about!

[jeeps Posted Jun 4th 2009 11:37AM]

Not to find that picture of my friends wife and some 'alone' time.....

[jeeps Posted Jun 4th 2009 11:40AM]

err... Not = Now

[Evi1d33d Posted Jun 4th 2009 6:13PM]

http://i40.tinypic.com/2qn4hev.jpg