Comments on: Microsoft Releases Photosynth: Just a Novelty?

By: pfitz

pfitz — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:30:32 +0000

Doesn’t run on Mac OS X. Yes just a novelty for windows users.
Try using http://openphotovr.org/ instead please.

By: honeymonster

honeymonster — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:27:01 +0000

AFAICT openphotovr require you to manually place/stitch the photos. With Photosynth this is a completely automated process. The software looks for “characteristic” features on each photo. By indexing the photos by these features it can locate other photos in the set with a number of the same features. By comparing features and placement the software calculates where each photo was shot in the 3D space – and arrange them accordingly in the synth.

I think Photosynth is awesome. Although impressive it is still a bit rough – if the synth isn’t perfect you can easily get backed into a corner of the synth with no obvious way out – short of starting over.

Thinking of the possible applications of this technology is mind-boggingly. The obvious are realtors, tourists, tourist agencies, museums, department stores etc. You can get a “tour” of public buildings before even going there – all is needed is for someone to shoot a synth and upload it.

But also imagine a football arena with multiple cameras constantly shooting images of the event. You can then “synth” a point in time a do an orbit of the interception.

Google Streetview is awesome, but this technology has the potential to go inside the buildings as well. Instead of expensive equipment operated by a single global entity (Google) this will be de-centralized, much like the web is now.

The “indexing” algorithm can also be used to find totally unexpected links. In the synth of the Nortre Dame Cathedral the software actually found a poster and placed it into the synth. If you have an image of a rare sculpture or of a painting the same algorithms can conceivably be used to find images of the same/similar objects.

It would be nice to be able to view synths in Flash, though. Once the synths are generated it the viewer is comparatively simple. Although I suspect that eventually Silverlight and not Flash will be required…

By: jordan

jordan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:41:03 +0000

microsoft is lame.
they don’t know who they are anymore and they’re floundering. when you start trying all this random stuff that doesn’t really work and when you have to resort to hidden-camera-blind-consumer testing (ie. mojave experiment) as a marketing plan to convince people Vista doesn’t suck, you know you are losing market share.

By: Roy

Roy — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:32:13 +0000

This is one of those things where Microsoft’s rep hurts them.

This is a pretty cool tool, and it was released by Apple or Google everyone would eat it up, but when the super evil corporation releases it…it “just a novelty”

I’m not a MS supporter, but I think people at least need to stop being biased of the product just because of the company that made it.

By: Ryan Stewart

Ryan Stewart — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:23:18 +0000

I played with it for the first time today and was impressed. I didn’t upload any synths, just browsed some. You’re right about some of the synths being a little underwhelming, but some of them are really good. I think as more people upload and get used to how things are stitched together, we’ll see some cool stuff.

Also, is there a way to get a feed of just your blog posts, Josh?

=Ryan
ryan@adobe.com

By: locomotivate

locomotivate — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:42:35 +0000

Openphotovr has been online for quite some time and is a flash based alternative to Photosynth: http://openphotovr.org/
I haven’t tried Photosynth because I’m on a mac without a windows installation handy.