Editing Morphing (section)

==Digital morphing==
[[File:Morphvideo-ape-bird-april12-2015.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=1|An animated example of an ape morphing into a bird]]
In the early 1990s, computer techniques capable of more convincing results saw increasing use. These involved distorting one image at the same time that it faded into another through marking corresponding points and vectors on the "before" and "after" images used in the morph. For example, one would morph one face into another by marking key points on the first face, such as the contour of the nose or location of an eye, and mark where these same points existed on the second face. The computer would then distort the first face to have the shape of the second face at the same time that it faded the two faces. To compute the transformation of image coordinates required for the distortion, the [[Beier-Neely Morphing Algorithm|algorithm of Beier and Neely]] can be used.

===Early examples===
In or before 1986, computer graphics company Omnibus created a digital animation for a [[Tide (brand)|Tide]] commercial with a Tide detergent bottle smoothly morphing into the shape of the United States. The effect was programmed by Bob Hoffman. Omnibus re-used the technique in the movie ''[[Flight of the Navigator]]'' (1986). It featured scenes with a computer generated spaceship that appeared to change shape. The plaster cast of a model of the spaceship was scanned and digitally modified with techniques that included a [[reflection mapping]] technique that was also developed by programmer Bob Hoffman.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=20 May 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC0NX4dVmO0 |title=CGM 13 - Flight of the Navigator |publisher=Gorkab |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708085042/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC0NX4dVmO0 |archive-date=8 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 1986 movie ''[[The Golden Child]]'' implemented early digital morphing effects from animal to human and back.

''[[Willow (1988 film)|Willow]]'' (1988) featured a more detailed digital morphing sequence with a person changing into different animals. A similar process was used a year later in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'' to create Walter Donovan's gruesome demise. Both effects were created by [[Industrial Light & Magic]], using software developed by [[Tom Brigham]] and [[Douglas Smythe|Doug Smythe]] ([[AMPAS]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilm.com/vfx/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade|title=INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE|website=[[Industrial Light & Magic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/vfx/10-unforgettable-morphs-film-tv-music-videos-144036.html|title=10 Unforgettable Morphs in Film, TV, and Music Videos|website=[[Cartoon Brew]]|date=12 December 2016}}</ref>

In 1991, morphing appeared notably in the [[Michael Jackson]] music video "[[Black or White]]" and in the movies ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'' and ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]''. The first application for personal computers to offer morphing was [[Gryphon Software Morph]] on the [[Classic Mac OS|Macintosh]]. Other early morphing systems included ImageMaster, MorphPlus and CineMorph, all of which premiered for the [[Amiga]] in 1992. Other programs became widely available within a year, and for a time the effect became common to the point of [[cliché]].  For high-end use, [[Elastic Reality]] (based on MorphPlus) saw its first feature film use in ''In The Line of Fire'' (1993) and was used in ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]'' (work performed by the Post Group).  At [[VisionArt]] Ted Fay used Elastic Reality to morph [[Odo (Star Trek)|Odo]] for ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. The [[Snoop Dogg]] music video "[[What's My Name? (Snoop Doggy Dogg song)|Who Am I? (What's My Name?)]]", where Snoop Dogg and the others morph into dogs.  Elastic Reality was later purchased by [[Avid Technology|Avid]], having already become the de facto system of choice, used in many hundreds of films. The technology behind Elastic Reality earned two Academy Awards in 1996 for Scientific and Technical Achievement going to Garth Dickie and [[Perry Kivolowitz]]. The effect is technically called a "spatially warped cross-dissolve".  The first social network designed for user-generated morph examples to be posted online was Galleries by Morpheus.

In Taiwan, Aderans, a hair loss solutions provider, did a TV commercial featuring a morphing sequence in which people with lush, thick hair morph into one another, reminiscent of the end sequence of the "[[Black or White]]" video.

===Present use===
Morphing algorithms continue to advance and programs can automatically morph images that correspond closely enough with relatively little instruction from the user. This has led to the use of morphing techniques to create convincing slow-motion effects where none existed in the original film or video footage by morphing between each individual frame using [[optical flow]] technology.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} Morphing has also appeared as a transition technique between one scene and another in television shows, even if the contents of the two images are entirely unrelated. The algorithm in this case attempts to find corresponding points between the images and distort one into the other as they crossfade.

While perhaps less obvious than in the past, morphing is used heavily today.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} Whereas the effect was initially a novelty, today, morphing effects are most often designed to be seamless and invisible to the eye.

A particular use for morphing effects is modern digital font design. Using morphing technology, called interpolation or [[multiple master fonts|multiple master]] tech, a designer can create an intermediate between two styles, for example generating a semibold font by compromising between a bold and regular style, or extend a trend to create an ultra-light or ultra-bold. The technique is commonly used by font design studios.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Riggs|first1=Tamye|title=The Adobe Originals Silver Anniversary Story|url=http://blog.typekit.com/2014/07/30/the-adobe-originals-silver-anniversary-story-how-the-originals-endured-in-an-ever-changing-industry/|website=Typekit blog|publisher=Adobe|access-date=2 July 2015}}</ref>