Video Augmentation for Photosensitive Epilepsy

Photosensitivity, formally known as photosensitive epilepsy, is a condition that results in sensitivity to certain visual patterns, particularly flashing lights. When exposed to these visual stimuli, a person with photosensitivity can experience seizures or seizure-like symptoms. The Epilepsy Foundation has identified key triggers for light-induced seizures, including, but not limited to, the frequency and intensity of flashing light.¹

This program detects patterns of flashing light in video and outputs an augmented video with the photosensitive-triggering light patterns removed, achieved in near real-time for standard definition video. Although video producers are the first line of defense in removing content that could trigger photosensitivity, online video platforms like YouTube currently lack the necesary regulation. This software is meant directly for the end-user, giving agency and peace of mind for video viewers with photosensitivity.

Although this program has shown promising results on augmenting dangerous flashing videos like the “Pokémon Shock” episode,² the photosensitivity-trigger reduction is not all-encompassing nor is it thoroughly tested. Please use at your own risk.

_{1   Epilepsy Foundation. “Shedding Light on Photosensitivity, One of Epilepsy's Most Complex Conditions.” Epilepsy Foundation, www.epilepsy.com/article/2014/3/shedding-light-photosensitivity-one-epilepsys-most-complex-conditions-0.}

_{2   When the 1997 episode of Pokémon (termed “Pokémon Shock”) debued, 685 children in Japan were hospitalized due to one scene with flashing red and blue lights. For more information, see “The Pokémon Panic of 1997” by Skeptical Inquirer (May 2001), https://web.archive.org/web/20020125093204/http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-05/pokemon.html.}

Usage:

To generate an output video file with photosensitivity triggers reduced, run main.py, passing in the unprocessed video file as a command line argument:

python3 main.py my_video.mp4 --realtime

To view a video with photosensitivity triggers reduced in real-time, use the --realtime flag:

python3 main.py my_video.mp4 --realtime

Optionally, specify the type of video augmentation with the --augmentation flag:

python3 main.py my_video.mp4 --augmentation contrast_drop

For a full list of video augmentation options, use the --help flag:

python3 main.py --help