Disney's obsession with de-aging technology is only increasing, because it's now developed an artificial intelligence tool that can change the age of actors.
Disney calls it "re-aging." The Face Re-aging Network is capable of making actors look younger as well as older and promises to drastically speed up visual effects processes that take weeks to complete.
There are some processes that need to be done manually, such as painting an actor's face or replacing an actor with a puppet.
Disney researchers wrote in an accompanying paper that using an artificial intelligence would complement traditional re-aging techniques.
The models that struggled with motion were the previous ones. A face could lose its identity from being too generic if too much movement or too odd an angle were to start creeping in.
While leaving the rest of the face untouched, the Disney designed artificial intelligence tool uses alterations to specific parts of the face to detect when a person is older or younger. Artists can modify and add to the results by hand. Disney says that FRAN is ready for production.
Researchers first needed to create a database of thousands of randomly generated faces, which they then altered using existing age modification tools. There was a lot of material to train FRAN with because of the sheer volume of faces created and altered.
It isn't flawless, as impressive as it is. Aging isn't just getting older, it's also getting more complex, and the process is difficult to capture. de-aging by simply making its subjects' skin smooth can easily end up in the realm of overkill.
It doesn't have to be flawless. It could save weeks of work and millions of dollars. That alone is worth something.
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