smoothglide

SmoothGlide is a term used to describe a family of motion-smoothing and frame-interpolation techniques used in digital video, animation, and user interface design to reduce stutter and provide fluid transitions. It encompasses methods that estimate motion between consecutive frames and generate intermediate frames to produce smoother motion at lower frame rates or to stabilize rapid camera movement.

In practice, SmoothGlide can be implemented in software players, game engines, or hardware devices. Core components include motion estimation, frame interpolation, and temporal filtering. Techniques may rely on optical flow, block matching, or learning-based models to predict intermediate frames. Systems often allow tuning of smoothing strength and latency to balance fluidity against artifacts and delay.

Applications include video playback for low frame-rate content, virtual reality and augmented reality, and cinematic post-processing. SmoothGlide is used to improve perceived quality on devices with limited processing power or bandwidth, and to enable smoother transitions in user interface animations. It is also employed in post-production workflows to enhance slow-motion footage.

Critics note that aggressive smoothing can introduce artifacts such as ghosting, smearing, or motion bias, which can alter the intended look of the original material. Modern implementations commonly provide safeguards, including adaptive filtering, content-aware adjustments, and user controls to disable smoothing for content where fidelity is paramount.