Microsoft Introduces Photosynth for
Photo Sharing
Microsoft Photosynth, a new service from Microsoft Live Labs, aims to
offer a new photo-sharing experience to consumers. You can use Photosynth
to transform regular digital photos into a three-dimensional, 360-degree
experience. Microsoft says with Photosynth, you can look up or down, pan
from left to right, zoom in, or pull back to reveal the full sense of
where you were and it provides close-up detail of a place as seen in the
collaboration with National Geographic.
Synths
constitute an entirely new visual medium. Photosynth analyzes each photo
for similarities to the others, and uses that data to estimate where a
photo was taken. It then re-creates the environment and uses that as a
canvas on which to display the photos. The potential uses of Photosynth
can range from sharing experiences to storytelling and documentation.
To begin,
says Microsoft, take a few dozen digital photos -- 20 to 300 photos are
required, depending on the size of the place or object -- with overlap
between each shot, from a number of locations and angles.
Then,
download a small, free software application to your computer from http://photosynth.com/.
This software works in concert with the Photosynth Web site, which is also
a free service.
Build
your synth in two steps: First, from the Photosynth Web site, click on
Create and select the pictures you want to use. Then, give your creation a
name and click on Synth, and Photosynth automatically creates and uploads
your synth. In about the same amount of time, it would take to upload the
pictures to a photo-sharing site, you can enjoy your pictures in detailed
3-D.
The
finished synth can be accessed from any Windows XP- or Windows Vista-based
computer with a broadband connection. If you want to comment on other
people's synths or create your own, you'll also need a free Windows Live
ID.
Once
created, synths can also be embedded on Web sites, blogs, and social
networking sites or virtually any Web site where HTML can be edited.
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