14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has kicked up a notch a service designed to let end users build three dimensional spaces of 2D images. At the end of November 2009, the Redmond company introduced the latest update to Photosynth, indicating that users will be able to benefit new graphical user interface elements as well as a boost in performance. However, customers currently leveraging Photosynth should not expect any major changes as they won’t be able to see any. Instead, the latest iteration of Photosynth brings to the table tweaks and minor enhancements.
First off, the company indicates that users will come across a new, cleaner UI. “All the controls are still here, starting from the left with the transport controls: Back, Play, Next. In the center is the navigation disk. I think it's easier to use the white quads in the scene to navigate, but a lot of people still like the arrows. Next to that of course are the zoom buttons, followed by help (more about that later) and then the view control and full screen,” revealed a member of the Photosynth team.
In fact, as far as GUI changes are concerned, the biggest change implemented by the Redmond company is the new view control. “It allows quick access to the different ways of viewing a synth: the normal 3D (synth) view, Overhead view, the 2D photo grid and the Point Cloud only view. This is also the first time we've had a UI control to get to the Point Cloud only view,” the Photosynth team representative further mentioned.
In addition, Microsoft has enhanced the service for first time users. Photosynth, as some of you already know, is a technology designed to permit end users to upload a collection of images of the same area, and have the service rebuild the location in a navigable 3D space, dubbed a synth. However, Photosynth is not exactly perfectly intuitive when users first come across it. This is why the software giant has boosted the help content.
“The help panel is our initial take at addressing the problem. Since Photosynth is still new to many, we thought it would be good to have some of the basic controls explained right away,” the Photosynth team representative said. “Yes, it comes up on load, and I know many of you will hate me for it. Just select 'Don’t Show Again' and you won't be bothered by it again.”
Moreover, the Redmond company has improved the performance of Photosynth in relation to actions that involve zooming on images. According to Microsoft, modification to the download queues were introduced, catalyzing the images in synths to resolve faster on zooming.