Video Image Stabilization with Enforced Stabilization Constraints

Techniques to improve a digital image capture device's ability to stabilize a video stream—while enforcing desired stabilization constraints on particular images in the video stream—are presented that utilize an overscan region and a look-ahead technique enabled by buffering a number of video input frames before generating a first stabilized video output frame. More particularly, techniques are disclosed for buffering an initial number of input frames so that a “current” frame can use motion data from both “past” and “future” frames to adjust the value of a stabilization strength parameter and/or the weighted contribution of particular frames from the buffer in the determination of stabilization motion values for the current frame. Such techniques keep the current frame within its overscan and ensure that the stabilization constraints are enforced, while maintaining desired smoothness in the video stream. In some embodiments, the stabilization constraint may comprise a maximum allowed frame displacement.