Magic Lens

Last revision: 01/15/2008, G. Waloszek

Figure: KPT f/x Scope was one of the first commercial applications of magic lenses (Kai Power Tools 3.0)

Purpose

Magic lenses allow to select a arbitrarily shaped area of an object and to manipulate this area with specific operators. Magic lenses can be moved like ordinary lenses. One of their advantages is that they cover only a part of the object; this part is shown with the effect applied. Finally, the user can apply this effect to a part or to the whole object.

Applications

Magic lenses may be and in the meantime are actually used in image processing programs. The users moves the magic lens over the image and previews, how a selected effect modifies the image. Kai's Power Tools 3.0 from Kai Krause at MetaTools (now marketed by Corel) was one of the first commercial applications that used this device.

Authors, Date

M.C. Stone, K. Fishkin, E. A. Bier (Xerox Parc); 1994/95

Links, Papers

• Magic Lens Interface Project (Xerox Parc): http://www2.parc.com/istl/projects/MagicLenses/
• Fishkin, K. & Stone, M.C. (1995). Enhanced Dynamic Queries via Moveable Filters. Proc.ACM CHI '95 Conference, 415-420.
• Stone, M. C., Fishkin, K. & Bier, E. A. (1994). The Moveable Filter as a Usre Interface Tool. Proc. ACM CHI '94 Conference, 306-312. (http://www2.parc.com/istl/projects/MagicLenses/94CHIFilters.html)
• Eric A. Bier, Maureen C. Stone, Ken Fishkin, William Buxton(1), Thomas Baudel(2). A Taxonomy of See-Through Tools. Paper from SIGCHI '94. (http://www2.parc.com/istl/projects/MagicLenses/Taxonomy.html)
• Eric A. Bier, Maureen C. Stone, Ken Pier, William Buxton(1), Tony D. DeRose(2). Toolglass and Magic Lenses: The See-Through Interface. Paper from SIGGRAPH '93. (http://www2.parc.com/istl/projects/MagicLenses/93Siggraph.html)