Smithsonian Institution Purchases Autopano Giga for Aerial Panorama of Reefs in Belize

Recently the Smithsonian contacted Panoramic Essentials to enquire about a panoramic stitching solution for a new project they are working on – photographing the reef in Belize. The Smithsonian project involved taking aerial photographs while flying over the reef, and the final image count was 10 rows of 100 images. Panoramic Essentials recommended their gigapixel image stitching software Autopano Giga, which was developed with the ability to manage multiple viewpoints and is perfect for stitching aerial photographs.

Says Adam Shehadeh, Sales/Support Manager at Panoramic Essentials, “It is always nice to learn that professional as well as non-profit organizations are taking advantage of advancements in panoramic photography. Even more interesting is the tasks that this technology is being applied to. I can only imagine how amazing an aerial panorama of the reef in Belize will look like and have dreamt of this vista since we learned of its existence.”

From his experience with the Smithsonian sale, Adam has noticed a pattern that has been developing overtime: photographers are having a difficult time selecting the appropriate software to complement the type of photography that they are stitching. Even though his business sells this software and as much as it benefits business when customers purchase the expensive software, it’s not always what they need and not what is recommended. When it comes to panoramic stitching software the first question a photographer must answer is what they will use it for: virtual tours, landscape panoramas, gigapixel panoramas; and will HDR be part of the creative process.

If the main intent is virtual tours, 360° photography and landscape panoramas then it’s enough to buy the basic software package Autopano Pro, because it has more than enough features to stitch any panorama you throw at it. If instead, you are compiling gigapixel panoramas then you need Autopano Giga, which can handle the workload necessary to stitch thousands of images to create a large and detailed gigapixel. Another important factor in determining which software package to purchase is your need for HDR capabilities. Autopano Pro has some basic HDR functions that have no customization functions for the user to tweak; but Autopano Giga does and supports image modification features necessary to create quality HDR images.

Panoramic stitching software is a necessary tool for landscape photographers and virtual tour photographers but it is important to keep in mind how you will apply this software in your workflow and choose the appropriate software for your needs, as the Smithsonian Institute will soon show with the Belize reef photos.

Panoramic Photography Gear for Police & Law Enforcement Agencies

Panoramic photography and virtual tour construction are not just great for displaying breathtaking views of landscapes; they can also help solve crimes. Techniques used by hobbyists and photographers are now being utilized by law enforcement officers to help create interactive documentations of crime scenes and clearer logistical briefing models.

As with all photography techniques, the application of panoramic equipment and software is only limited by the skill and imagination of the user. Law enforcement officers have always relied on the abilities of forensic photographers to document victims, evidence and locations in a highly detailed manner for official reference. The use of multiple-image composites for creating wider views of scenes is essential to accurately portraying locations in true detail. That is why many forensic photographers and law enforcement officers use a wide variety of pano heads and virtual tour construction software.

The ability to preserve a perfect 360-degree view of any scene or location is tremendously valuable for law enforcement officers. Due to its one-button simplicity, the Girocam 360 enables first responders to capture complete views of a scene. This technology benefits law enforcement officers by ensuring that the photos remain admissible in court due to the camera’s internal stitching function, which helps to create panoramic views without the liability of requiring a technician to manipulate or alter the original photos as was previously the case.

Creating simple one-button 360-degree panoramic photographs of crime scenes is not the only thing the world of panoramic photography has to offer law enforcement officials. With virtual tour construction software, interactive views and models of locations can be created for tactical strategizing and group briefings. Virtual tour software, such as Autopano Pro, enables in-house photographers to construct easy to use visual models that can be navigated and annotated for higher mission clarity through clearer demonstrations. This kind of real-world referencing ensures that everyone involved is in complete alignment for logistics and safety purposes.

Panoramic products, such as motorized pano heads, are also being used in surveillance operations to increase the amount of area that is being systematically documented. By utilizing a motorized pano head, law enforcement officials are able to precisely repeat panoramic photos over and over for accurate time-lapsed comparisons. The precision control of a motorized pano head makes it easy to spot subtle changes in the details of uniformly repeated photos captured over the entirety of a surveillance operation.

As with all panoramic photography and virtual tour construction, the finished projects are only limited by imagination and tools. For law enforcement offices that have just been introduced to the idea of expanded views, it may be better to sample these product’s potential by using a static pano head, like the Pano Maxx, and a basic pano stitching program, like Autopano. Turning those panoramics into virtual 360-degree tours is a snap with the help of software like Panotour.

There are even bundled packages available on the net that include the products any police or forensic photographer needs to get started in panoramic photography and virtual tour construction. Once a has seen a sampling of what a huge difference these techniques can make in crime scene documentation and logistics briefings, it will be easy to progress to an advanced level of construction and capture by investing in professional options like Girocam 360 or the Professional Virtual Tour Kit.