Gigapixel Panoramas - Microsoft HDView

The first viewer I will review briefly is the HD View (Beta 2) by Microsoft Research's Interactive Visual Media group with quite a number of interesting projects they work on. I leave it to you, to question if their objective is to create ultimately new Microsoft Products or it throw into the opensource or "free" pool.
The viewer is a (guess what) non-flash plugin that you can download (500k) and install it for free without any hazzle or registration. Of course, this reduce the potential number of visitors drastically because most internet user either dont have admin rights on the PC (eg. office, internet cafe), just dont want to install any plugin beyond Flash and Java, dont like Microsoft or use a different OS, because at the time of writing the viewer is available only for Windows.
The viewer works only if you are connected to web, you cant use it offline like the zoomify flash.
A plugin for Photoshop is available, so it is fairly simple to produce content, just export a "big" image and it creates a simple website with all necessary files. I am not sure how actively they pursue the development if a final viewer. It seems some projects just slowly die, some (eg Panorama Stitch) find their way into commercial MS products. They are not as active as other "open" projects. You also can check out Microsoft Live Labs (same like research group or competing internally?) and their Photosynth (good idea, but looks like stalled project, no more blog entries since September 2007!).

HD View test:
Singapore Boat Quay with 36.656 x 5.211 pixel (~190MP, uncompressed 546 MB file)
Mamiya AFD II, ZD Back, 105-200 lens at 200
15 Images stitched with PTGui Pro
Exported with jpg quality setting 65
Resulting in 4.109 tile files in 290 subfolders.

Click here to see the result here (if you dare to download the plugin)
(hosted on a free hoster, I dont want to fill up my webserver with tons of files)

Links: HD View, Microsoft Research's Interactive Visual Media group, Zoomify, PTGui, Microsoft Live Labs

Viewer for large images and panoramas

Since a couple of years developers try to find ways to transport large (large as in file size as well resolution) images via the internet to the browser. An image with 210 Mpix and dimension of 21.000 x 10.000 would take to long to transfer and the browser has no chance to really display the image. So one came up with the idea to slice the images in small pieces and transfer only what you currently see (that is the short description).
A couple of years ago I started using Zoomify (link, my website is even listed on their reference page), by today more (mostly flash based viewers) are out there with more or less features to configure.

Some of them
HDView (Microsoft, currently in Beta, requires plugin)
Silverlight Deepzoom (Microsoft, requires Silverlight installed)
www.gigapan.org (flash viewer embedded into the google sponsored website, not standalone)
krpano Flash Pano Viewer (Flash)

If I come across others or you share more with me, I will add them. In the next posting I will talk about the MS HDViewer and add some live samples.

Photoshop CS3 upgrade

I know Photoshop since the earlier days. Not that early ! .. the foundation was created by 2 brothers in 1988 by creating a piece of Software for Macintosh Plus called Display, later ImagePro and finally renamed in Photoshop. PS 1.0 was released in 1990. Fast forward.... I am using it on a more professional level since about 10 years and bought the last version (CS) in 2004. So far I did not see why I should upgrade to CS2 or CS3 (released in 2007), but more and more plugins, tutorials and books are referring at least to CS2 now, so I invested 340.- SGD in the Windows upgrade. Today I also would consider GIMP (if start again),even most of the functionality I use, is to do basic photographic touchup, but I stick to PS and I am happy with it. One of the few software that maintains a very good reputation and does not disappoint you with crashes and blue screens.
Links: Photoshop (Adobe), History of Photoshop in Wikipedia, GIMP

Worldwide Panorama No.1/2008 live !

Today the World Wide Panorama went live (link). Almost 200 submissions from all over the world covering the topic "Beginnings".

Open interactive SPI-V Viewer (requires Shockwave)
Update 16.04.2008: I removed the integrated view here and added the link, Shockwave just consume to
much CPU and memory if you add several ones on the same page.

Petronas Towers VR

For a long time I didnt create any VR's for fun. In Kuala Lumpur finally spend some some time in the evening to create another beautiful VR of the famous towers. Unfortunately I didnt bring my VR head, so I was guessing and turning the whole tripod. But the result still looks good without too much post processing.

I am using the flickr SPI Viewer from Aldo Hoeben, great viewer.

Open interactive SPI-V Viewer (requires Shockwave)

Coming back from Kuala Lumpur, I processed the RAW files using a PC with more horsepower and memory. The gigapan comes at 21.100 x 9.900 pixel (~210MPx).

Short Visit to Kuala Lumpur

A conference brought me back to Kuala Lumpur, haven't been there for a while. An impressive view from the roof terace at the 34th floor (this one made with the Kodak V705). A bit later the day I re-shoot the pano with the 1Ds. Will upload the highres version for your exploring pleasure asap. Unfortunately there is no way to have the Petronas Towers in the panorama due to some ugly building roof in front of it. Just a normal (alias non-panoramic) night view.

Featured in Google Earth

3 of my highres panoramas from Australia are featured in the Gigapan Gallery in Google Earth. Select "Gigapan Photos" in the gallery layer.
Check out Hawkesburry River Cruise (link), Woy Woy Bay (link) near Sydney and the Adelaide Harbor (link).
Gigapan (link), Google Earth (link)

First Digital Back Gigapan

First experiments creating large panoramic images with the Mamiya ZD back and 150mm lens (Note the shallow depth of field at F5.6).
10 Images RAW (4.000x5.336) with estimated overlap using a panohead, converted with Adobe Lightroom into jpg max files and stitched with PTGui Pro; resulting in a 144Mp 27.541x5.235 panorama. (Shot at the Kranji War Memorial)

Worldwide Panorama No.1-2008 on its way

The regular VR panorama event that unites 100's of panorama photographers worldwide in shooting in the same period of time (usually the solstice) all over the world and working out a submission to the same topic, this time "Beginnings". The shooting is 19.to 23. March 2008. I will submit again after being offline there for 2 years after 5 previous submissions.
A new.. Beginning !

The World Wide Panorama

Short Visit to Shekou

A 2 day trip to visit a friend brought me to Shekou, Shenzen. The city is less than 30 years old and lacks of history or old China kind of attractions, so I made only a handful of V705 panos. I stayed in a hotel (Seaworld Hotel) converted Cruise Ship (The Minghua, bougth by China from France in the 70's) , that was somehow stranded years ago and then caught by land reclamation.

Jurong Hill

Another Singapore dusty attraction that I "found" last week. Nearvy the famous Jurong Birdpark, hardly any tourist finds his way the tower on the hill. Yes, it was there all the time, but since I bought the van, I am exploring more places than before. Jurong Hill is a lookout tower cum restaurant, both seen better times, but you have very interesting view over Singapore from Bukit Timah Hill to Jurong Island. Weather was rainy and overcast, so I marked it on my todo list for a highres panorama soon. Experience with the Kodak V705: as usual, the cam is not made for overcast situation ! The below images are photoshoped to increase dynamic range a bit and boost the flat color.

Singapore Airshow 2008 (II)

Another day at the new show location. Today overcast weather, so the sky not as fantastic as Tuesday. Form y taste there far too much military stuff and killing accessories on display, so I dont indulge in giving the details of these planes, except for the Airbus A380.

Singapore Airshow 2008

The next 4 days I will be at the Singapore Airshow, a tradeshow (mix of civil aviation and military accessories). Some panoramic opportunities in between manning the booth. The first set.Links: Singapore Airshow 2008, Airbus, Singapore Airlines A380

Bukit Timah Hill MTB track

Dont believe I am spending 100% of my time doing panoramas. Just this morning I went on my regular MTB session at the Bukit Timah Hill track, about 6km (the short loop) along a mostly narrow track with lots of short up- and downhill sections (spiced with gravel). I love this, during the week you have the track for yourself and there are some spots along the track which are really serene and quiet, make me feel like being at home in Germany (ignore the exact variety of plants and animals, which is not matching). This is a very unique feature of the track. A service road cut through it, I assume for less than 2 cars per day. Someone decided to protect the street and put up a barrier on both sides in a nice dark grey/green color. So you have a slope downwards towards the barrier with a moldy green warning signboard ahead. Of course the second time coming there you (might) remember, but some very enthusiastic drivers on their first visit will get challenged by a suddenly appearing metal barrier.
Another track highlight. The signboard tells you "Stair ahead, shift down to lower gear". OK, I saw stairsections before and even managed to ride some stairs up and down, but coming around the corner of this signboard you see some stairs that are still waiting for a master to take. This is MTB not climbing stuff.Resume: Its the best place for MTB in Singapore you can go. My advice: This is not for beginners in MTB cycling and not for a walk in the park with your kids on the children bikes ! You should be experienced in riding narrow, occasionally wet and slippery, sections with lots of gravel. Bring water, there is no shop, there is basically nothing and come in the morning before 10am, or you are an experienced rider under tropical conditions. I declare this 6km as my "postcard from home", representing the 100's of km tracks through forest around my hometown.