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| Interactive 360° movies from still photographs |
| QuickTime VR™ is extraordinary virtual reality software created by Apple Computer that makes it possible for viewers to step into a scene — using any personal computer — as if they were really there. This immersive imaging photography system works without the cumbersome goggles, headsets or gloves that are required by some virtual reality technologies — all that's required is that the viewer have a standard computer and mouse, free 'player' software and of course, a QuickTime VR movie file created by photographer George Wedding. |
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An
interactive, QuickTime VR, 360° panorama, top of page,
is actually made up
of several still photographs that are seamlessly stitched
together using sophisticated software. See links to examples
of completed movies below. |
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| A
VR panoramic movie, seen as a 'flattened' image (top of
page), actually is a series of still photographs that
have been merged together to create a single, 360°
image. When viewed using Apple QuickTime Player software
(or your properly-configured Web |
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browser), the computer mouse can
be used to rotate the view 'around the viewer,' so to
speak. QuickTime VR allows Macintosh™ and Windows™-based
computers to play custom-made panoramic movies —
without the need for expensive hardware add-ons. And QuickTime
is ubiquitous — it is preinstalled on (or supported
by) virtually all personal computers (both PCs and Macs)
sold today. QuickTime VR Player software and a plug-in for |
Web browsers (on either
platform) can be freely downloaded from Apple's corporate
web site. Download
QuickTime
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| How
are QuickTime VR panoramic movie files created? |
| Combining
traditional photography and new media, QuickTime VR transforms
still images from a flat, two-dimensions into interactive,
three-dimensional media. To create most QuickTime VR movies,
Wedding uses a Nikon D1x professional digital camera and
wide-angle lens with a special tripod head |
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Digital camera, VR
tripod.
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(right)
to photograph a scene from a central viewpoint. A series
of separate, vertically-oriented exposures (usually between
12 and 18) are made in a circular view. After each exposure,
the camera is precisely rotated in incremental steps on
the tripod until the full, 360° panoramic view of
a scene is recorded onto digital media. |
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Next,
the photographs are transferred to a personal computer,
where they are examined, edited and color-corrected as
needed, using Adobe Photoshop, an image editing software
package. Apple's marvelous QuickTime VR Authoring software
then is used to seamlessly stitch the individual photographs
together into a single, panoramic still photography. Eventually,
this becomes the moving, 360§ panoramic movie. QuickTime
VR movie allows a computer viewer to "step into a
scene" and experience it by using the mouse to "look"
in virtually any direction or even zoom in to inspect
details.
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| What
happens on the shooting day? |
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Capturing a set of photographs for a QuickTime VR panorama
takes just a few minutes, but setting up equipment beforehand
can take an hour or two. Their are exceptions, but outdoor
scenes generally are best photographed when the sun
is directly overhead at midday, to avoid the complications
of pointing the camera lens directly into a glaring,
natural light source. People and animals can be included
in scenes, although this can complicate a production
and may necessitate staging and blocking. Building interiors
can be photographed with additional lighting to achieve
the best quality or produced quickly (without supplemental
lighting and a quality guarantee) at a reduced rate. |
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Lighting indoor scenes
Attractive lighting ensures
that your property looks its best and that the final
QuickTime VR image is professional, although this does
increase the time required for indoor location shoots
— and the cost. Time and budget permitting, Wedding
will temporarily add soft lighting to fill shadows and
accent lights that draw attention to interesting architectural
or landscape features. To depict both indoor and outdoor
scenes together (through windows) the scene may need
to be photographed at dawn or dusk (to balance the outdoor
and indoor lighting). Also, the orientation of windows
in a structure can affect shooting times; some rooms
are best photographed in the morning, while others may
need to be captured using afternoon sunlight.
Whatever the challenge, George Wedding
pays special attention to your desire to showcase important
features. The scene and lighting will be analyzed, measured
and noted, as a shooting plan is finalized.
Other location issues
Since he usually uses a digital
camera, Wedding downloads the images to a laptop computer
on location, spot checks images for quality and at the
end of the day, backs up the shoot onto a CD-ROM disc
(Remember, there are no film originals with a digital
camera). Occasionally, the very smallest rooms may require
the use of a film camera to depict the widest view (due
to current digital camera/lens design limitations).
If deadlines demand, movies can be created on the spot
using the laptop computer and the finished files immediately
delivered. However, it's usually more efficient, and
less expensive, if the photographer completes this part
of the process in the imaging lab.
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| The resulting
movies and still images have several uses |
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QuickTime VR is a versatile
medium. Movies create a sense of "being there"
and can be a lively content addition to Web pages
and interactive CDs. Offering QuickTime movies
on the Internet is a great way to get visual information
in front of remote customers. The movie window
size can be set small for the fastest downloading
or scaled larger for high-speed Internet or CD/DVD-ROM
viewers who want more detail.
Since different panoramic scenes
can be linked together, QuickTime VR allows the
creation of a virtual tour of an entire structure,
room or place. VR movies of objects even can be
created, to show a product from all sides and
angles. Also, a sound track with music or narration
can be added. QuickTime VR movies can be embedded
into hybrid print/computer presentation documents
that often are created with software such as Adobe
Acrobat™ or Microsoft PowerPoint™. In
fact, most major software applications now allow
QuickTime movies to be embedded and played in
electronic documents. A QuickTime VR movie even
can be "flattened" and reproduced in
printed brochures as a single panoramic photograph.
Since Wedding uses a high resolution, pro digital
camera, large mural-sized prints even can be made.
Multiple QuickTime VR scenes
can be linked together in any final electronic
presentation, and the photographer will help you
create a map of the shooting site, and identify
the crucial 'nodal points' that will become the
center of each movie and 'hot spots' that can
be added to the movie to allow viewers to move
from room-to-room. |
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| How much
does it cost? |
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Photographer George Wedding will provide a written
estimate based on your production and publication
needs at competitive editorial, commercial or
advertising rates. The finished movies are copyrighted
and owned by the photographer but licensed for
each client's specific needs. Ultimately, the
final price is based on usage, production time,
and the duration of publication, but Wedding strives
to deliver a creative product within your budget.
Some competing VR products require the payment
of an extra royalty to the software manufacturer,
but this is not the case with QuickTime VR. See
Licensing and Rates for more information. E-mail
to ask questions or request a detailed estimate.
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PHOTOGRAPHS
Apple Computer, Bogen Photo Corp., Photoflex,
George Wedding
QuickTime VR is a trademark of Apple Computer,
Inc.
Acrobat is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.
PowerPoint is a trademark of Microsoft.
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Virtual Reality (VR) movies add a dynamic perspective to
Web sites.
High
bandwidth
(420x240 pixels)
Low bandwidth
(210x120 pixels)
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