Photosynth from Microsoft Live Labs
Posted by Jacque on August 6th, 2007
I heard about a Microsoft product called Photosynth from an article in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
The news that brought on the article is a collaboration with NASA using Photosynth technology to create three-dimensional environments of preparations for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour.
With Photosynth, “viewers can experience unprecedented views of shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad, interior and surrounding area of the Vehicle Assembly Building, and the return of previous flight Shuttle Atlantis atop a 747. Photosynth is able to capture the depth and complexity of the shuttle’s structure, providing exclusive images to viewers around the world enabling the unique ability to explore this NASA mission.”
Microsoft says, “Photosynth is an amazing new technology from Microsoft Live Labs that will change forever the way you think about digital photos. Our software takes a large collection of photos of a place or an object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed three-dimensional space.”
Just what is Photosynth? Photosynth, which is free, uses hundreds of standard digital camera images to construct a three-dimensional view of an environment or “synth.” The synths allow you to explore, zoom into tiny details, and see where the photographer was standing (or flying) when he/she took the pictures.
The current collections include:
- The interior and surrounding area of the Vehicle Assembly Building
- Space shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad including shots taken from a helicopter
- The previous flight STS-117 Shuttle Atlantis returning from Edwards Air Force Base in California to Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility.
Using the technology you can:
- Walk or fly through a scene to see photos from any angle
- Seamlessly zoom in or out of a photo
- See where pictures were taken in relation to one another
- Find similar photos to the one you’re currently viewing
- Send a collection – or a particular view of one – to a friend
Be sure to check out the system requirements. Currently you must be using Microsoft XP or Vista. Supposedly you can launch Photosynth with Firefox, but I couldn’t get it to install. With IE it worked right away, and I must say the effects are pretty spectacular.
The “technology preview” available on 8/6/07 was called a “few steps short of a beta.” It makes heavy use of graphics hardware and may not run on some older programs. See the FAQ for more information.
Click here to install Photosynth or visit the video section to see the technology in action.
