We have all seen panoramic shots, and programs that can automatically stitch are photos together such as autostitch for one, but the Gigapan takes this technology to an entire new level.
Imagine 50 high resolution photos being stitched together seamlessly and automatically, all with the digital camera you already own. Carnegie Mellon University, NASA, Google, and National Geographic are working on a project that will allow you to do just that...the Gigapan.
The Gigapan is a robotic device that connects to a tripod and your existing digital camera. The photographer sets the top left corner and the bottom right corner of the overall photo, and the device can take care of the rest. The software to stitch all of this together properly is also being developed. The amount of detail you can achieve in your images using this technique is astounding. You have got to see some of the sample images.
This technology was originally developed for the Mars rovers to take huge panoramic pictures of the red planet, but fortunately for us there is also a consumer version that will be available shortly. The greatest part about all of this is that the developers of this device hope that it will inspire photographers to take many super high resolution pictures from around the globe to create a sort of virtual database of the world, therefore, they are making the device available for relatively cheap. I heard one reporter that had been using the prototype say that it would be available to the public for around $100! Imagine taking these amazing shots for that cheap. I'm sure that the creative possibilities of such a tool will lead many inspiring images.
Check out the homepage of the project here, and make sure to check out the amazing sample panoramas. I like the one of the grand canyon seen above. You'll be amazed at how far you can zoom in.
Imagine 50 high resolution photos being stitched together seamlessly and automatically, all with the digital camera you already own. Carnegie Mellon University, NASA, Google, and National Geographic are working on a project that will allow you to do just that...the Gigapan.
The Gigapan is a robotic device that connects to a tripod and your existing digital camera. The photographer sets the top left corner and the bottom right corner of the overall photo, and the device can take care of the rest. The software to stitch all of this together properly is also being developed. The amount of detail you can achieve in your images using this technique is astounding. You have got to see some of the sample images.
This technology was originally developed for the Mars rovers to take huge panoramic pictures of the red planet, but fortunately for us there is also a consumer version that will be available shortly. The greatest part about all of this is that the developers of this device hope that it will inspire photographers to take many super high resolution pictures from around the globe to create a sort of virtual database of the world, therefore, they are making the device available for relatively cheap. I heard one reporter that had been using the prototype say that it would be available to the public for around $100! Imagine taking these amazing shots for that cheap. I'm sure that the creative possibilities of such a tool will lead many inspiring images.
Check out the homepage of the project here, and make sure to check out the amazing sample panoramas. I like the one of the grand canyon seen above. You'll be amazed at how far you can zoom in.
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5 comments:
that will really be available for that cheap? It sounds really cool, and that picture amazing. I don't quite understand how it will work, but I hope it really does.
This looks similar to the work on http://www.xrez.com/ You can browse the full res of 4 gigapixel images using a google maps hack.
I don't see anything about a google maps hack. I do see that they are using similar equipment, plus 3d software (maya) which is awesome. The stuff they are doing is really amazing.
I recognized the name Eric Hansen over there at Xrez. He is a former architect that made the switch to digital set design and that sort of thing. He did the 5th element. He is always doing really amazing stuff, and this xrez project is no exception.
Everyone should check out Xrez as well. Really fascinating. Hopefully soon we will be able to create this kinds of images ourselves.
Great article. I will be bookmarking this.
Get digital camera deals at Megacameras.com
Interesting to know.
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