It has been claimed that the advances in digital camera technology have pretty much reached a peak, as far as picture quality goes anyway. Apparently, 12 mega pixels are all a camera needs to produce a high definition shot, and the only way forward is to improve the performance of high spec SLRs is to concentrate on colour accuracy or application of digital imagery. Photosynth from Microsoft Live labs is one such application that promises to take digital pictures into a new dimension, literally.
It is well known that we have become a global nation of documentary photographers; with every person wielding a digital camera of some description, whether it is a phone camera or high quality SLR, the net is full to the brim with images of people, places and events. Microsoft has used this bank of images to create 3 dimensional images; layer upon layer of snapshots are mapped using special software to create an interactive environment for exploration.
The most successful applications for Photosynth so far are for viewing the world’s favourite tourist spots, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza. By using the multitude of images taken by professional and amateur photographers alike, it is possible to view the pyramid in a three dimensional format and zoom in on specific features, often through many different photographs. However, having explored the images available so far, there are very few which achieve 100 per cent ‘synthicity’.
The inauguration of Barak Obama for example is rated as only 58 per cent ‘synthy’. As impressive as this technology seems, it is a long way off being an application that has enough clout to impress the internet using masses that can fly around the globe in Google Earth. The future of the research behind the Photosynth software however has potential. Eventually we could be immersed in a 3 dimensional photograph that will allow us to explore the wonders of the world, and experience every significant media event as if we were actually there ourselves.
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