ChartBlender: An Interactive System for Authoring and Synchronizing Visualization Charts in Video

TL;DR

ChartBlender is an interactive system that simplifies embedding and synchronizing data visualizations in videos, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy through automatic tracking and customizable templates.

Contribution

We introduce ChartBlender, a system with automatic tracking and visualization templates that streamlines creating synchronized data visualizations in videos.

Findings

Enables accurate synchronization of visualizations with video content.

Speeds up the production of data-driven videos.

Supports robust object and camera tracking.

Abstract

Embedding data visualizations in video can enhance the communication of complex information. However, this process is often labor-intensive, requiring designers to adjust visualizations frame by frame manually. In this work, we present ChartBlender, a novel system that streamlines this process by enabling users to create data visualizations, embed them seamlessly into video scenes, and automatically synchronize them with both camera motion and moving objects. Particularly, ChartBlender incorporates a tracking algorithm that supports both object and camera tracking, ensuring robust alignment of visualizations with dynamic video content. To maintain visual clarity and aesthetic coherence, we also explore the design space of video-suited visualizations and develop a library of customizable templates optimized for video embedding. We evaluate \oursName\ChartBlender through two controlled experiments and expert interviews with five domain experts. Results show that our system enables accurate synchronization and accelerates the production of data-driven videos.