14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has introduced an update to the technology that allows end users to build three-dimensional spaces from stitching together 2D images. Following the refresh, Photosynth got not just a range of bug fixes, but also tweaks and improvements, and a redesign, explained Darius Monsef, program manager of community for Photosynth. Undoubtedly, the visual updates will be the first that end users will notice. First off, Photosynth now features a new home page, revamped in order to contain what the company referred to as fresh content. (via LiveSide)
The software giant is essentially offering users an easy way to access one of a selected number of synths. One synth will be offered in the viewer, with an additional six being featured on the home page, with the promise that the content designed to welcome visitors will be updated constantly.
“Our green Photosynth theme has been with our team since the beginning and we didn’t want to lose it completely, but we did realize that as our pages got longer with more useful community content we needed to improve the design to help make that content easier to read. The darker background and colors also help the great photos in your synths shine the most on the page,” Monsef added.
The search capabilities of the website have also been kicked up a notch. Users will now be able to search for synths not only in accordance with the keywords that define content, but also taking into consideration additional details including synth quality, popularity, date and even author. Tradecards across Photosynth now offer comment count and a geotag icon, to indicate which items are actively discussed, and which synths have been connected to a geographical location.
“The point cloud gets a lot of love, but sometimes we know you might not want it to show by default when your synth loads... and sometimes that’s all you want to show! We’ve added a setting to the Synth Editing panel to allow you to set the initial visibility to include the images & points, images only or points only. You can get to this setting by logging in and viewing any of your own synths. There is a Edit Synth & Highlights button that will take you to the edit page when clicked,” Monsef said.