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CALTIM Designs
163 Valleyview Road
Mooresville, NC 28117
704-500-1834
Email the Webmaster
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[ Home ] [ What We Do ] [ Why CALTIM Designs? ] [ What is it ] [ Step inside iPIX ] [ Faq ] [ iPIX Uses ] [ Technical Notes ] [ Real Estate Services ] [ Pricing ] [ Our Gallery ]
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Below are some of the more popular questions asked
about CALTIM Design's iPIX Virtual Tours. We
would of course also be happy to answer your
questions via telephone at
(704) 500-1834 or via E-mail the Webmaster today.
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Q
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Some
iPIX Virtual Tours I've seen are panoramic,
others are completely 360 degrees in every
direction, including sky to ground. What
gives?
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A
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The
panoramic virtual tours represent older, less
sophisticated technology and used to be called
"Bamboo" tours. They are still
around because Internet Pictures Corporation (iPIX)
merged with Bamboo, Inc., the company that
competed with iPIX and did the panoramic
tours. Many photographers are only familiar
with that type of technology, and for various
reasons have not switched to the full iPIX
format where you can view everything floor to
ceiling.
CALTIM Designs only does the completely
"omni-ramic" full iPIX photography
so that nothing is left to the imagination.
Not only is this format much better for
showing beautiful tile floors or vaulted
ceilings and skylights, but it has a
psychological effect on the person viewing the
image. The full iPIX images leave an
impression in the user's mind of having
"stepped inside of" the picture. The
full iPIX images are shot with a high-end
Nikon digital camera, whereas the panoramic
tours are filmed with a video camera. Video
cameras are no match for digital cameras in
picture quality AND the video images cannot be
edited without great expense!
CALTIM Designs Virtual Tours stand out from
the competition's, and so do the Web sites
that use them!
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Q
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Besides
the fact that the panoramic images created by
some iPIX photographers are not completely
360-degrees in every direction, are there
other differences?
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A
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Definitely!
The older-style panoramic images are built
from video tapped images. These panoramic
images suffer noticeably from distortion with
walls seeming to bow out and straight
horizontal lines appearing to be curved. The
full iPIX images CALTIM Designs produces are
composed of just two images, referred to as
"hemispheres," and the software used
to seam them together is able to correct for
distortion to a great extent. Don't just take
our word for it -- see for yourself in the iPIX
Gallery. Please also refer to our Tech
Notes for more information.
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Q
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How
does one view an iPIX image ?
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A
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iPIX images can
be viewed in a few ways, both on and off-line.
When iPIX images are placed on a Web site they
are available in two formats: the
high-resolution plug-in version, and a
Java-version. The plug-in version requires the
free
iPIX Plug-In and the Java version simply
requires a 4.0 Web browser (at least Netscape
4.0 or Internet Explorer/AOL 4.0). The plug-in
versions are higher resolution (more detail)
and appear much larger onscreen. The Java
versions are lower in resolution, but have the
advantage of being able to be viewed
immediately by virtually all users on the Web,
plus they download quickly.
When you're not online, you can view iPIX
images stored on your hard drive with the free
iPIX Viewer software. You run the Viewer
as you would any other program and open the
images just like you would open a word
processing document or any other file. The
Viewer can be used only for the standard high
resolution iPIX images (not the Java
versions).
The Real Estate Virtual Tours (a different
application of iPIX technology) can be viewed
"offline" with no additional
software -- the iPIX Viewer is actually built
into the tour (more details below).
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Q
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How
big in file size are the iPIX images (i.e.,
how fast will they download) ?
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A
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iPIX
images download extremely fast for what they
are -- complete 360-degree "omni-ramic"
images. The higher resolution plug-in versions
are between 150k and 200k on average and the
Java versions are between 70k and 90k. These
completely omni-ramic images are the same file
size as panoramic images! So why would you
choose panoramic when you can get the whole
picture with CALTIM Designs omni-ramic iPIX
images?!
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Q
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Can you
digitally edit the images to correct problems
due to either lighting or subject matter ?
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A
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In
the case of the standard iPIX Virtual Tours
(as opposed to Real Estate Virtual Tours),
CALTIM Designs uses its expertise to enhance
the images in many ways using Adobe Photoshop
after the iPIX images are created. We strictly
use the iPIX's professional "Builder
4.0" software to construct the iPIX
images after the raw images are shot onsite
with a high-end Nikon CoolPix 990 digital
camera.
In many cases, our competitors will use the
"Wizard" software to build the iPIX
images - we strongly frown upon this practice.
This is the equivalent of a baker using a box
of cake mix to make a cake. CALTIM Designs
bakes only the best iPIX images starting from
scratch. This produces the
"freshest," most professional images
-- and the difference is noticeable. We can
"replant" patches of dead grass on a
lawn, "repaint" the arm of a
weathered outdoor chair, or brighten a
specific portion of an image, all on the
computer. We can also add or replace elements
in an image -- just think of the
possibilities.
In the case of our Real Estate Virtual Tours (REVTs)
we are able to do a limited amount of editing
-- but far more than you would see from our
competition. See the sample REVT in the Realtor
Services section and sample editing done
on a REVT image in the Tech
Notes section.
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Q
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Do
I get to see a proof of the images before I
receive the final iPIX image files ?
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A
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Yes
(except in the case of the Real Estate Virtual
Tours). Just like any photographic project, we
will shoot a greater number of images than we
will end up using. We do this so we can get
the best possible results, given the
conditions at the time of shooting. Clients
receive proof iPIX images via e-mail that can
be reviewed with the free
iPIX Viewer software. The proof images
have white vertical lines throughout, created
by the software to indicate it is a proof
image. Clients then choose which images to use
and let us know. We will then finalize them,
edit them as necessary, and either e-mail them
back or upload them to a Web site.
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Q
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What
does CALTIM Designs give the client at the end
of production process ?
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A
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For
standard iPIX Virtual Tours clients receive
iPIX images in three formats: a low resolution
Java version suitable for display without a
plug-in (simply requires Netscape/Internet
Explorer version 4 or higher), a standard
resolution version for use online with the
iPIX plug-in, a high resolution version best
suited for distribution on a CD-ROM or over an
intranet, along with an unscaled version which
is the very largest file size possible. CALTIM
Designs can also provide clients with a series
of Web pages and thumbnail images (small,
still versions of each iPIX image) to launch
the iPIX images. We can handle uploading all
files to your Web site if you would like -- in
other words, a complete solution.
For Real Estate Virtual Tours, the tour is
uploaded to national real estate Web sites
(e.g., Realtor.com, Coldwell Banker, etc.),
and clients also receive a E-mailable
self-contained program that allows users to
view the tour without any additional software,
only the one file! If the client has his/her
own Web site (e.g., JoeRealtor.com) we will
also upload the tour and build the necessary
links.
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Q
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What
is the deal with circular graphic I see at the
"bottom" of many of the iPIX images
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A
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The
circular graphic is referred to as the
"tripod cap" and covers the
photographer's tripod which is actually
viewable in each iPIX image. Since the camera
captures a 185-degree field of view, the
tripod supporting the camera is visible in the
iPIX images.
For standard iPIX images, CALTIM Designs can
either completely digitally remove the tripod
and fill in the space with floor/ground or add
a custom-designed tripod cap or logo of the
client's choosing. For Real Estate Virtual
Tours, a customized tripod cap with the
Realtor's logo and/or phone number is inserted
into the cap to personalize iPIX images and
provide users a way to easily contact the
Realtor.
For examples, please see both images in the iPIX
Gallery.
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Real Estate Virtual Tour Specific Q&A
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Q
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Why
do some Real Estate Virtual tours (not those
done by CALTIM
Designs ) use panoramic
images instead of "omni-ramic"
images ?
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A
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Not
all iPIX images are created equally! Due to
the 1999 merger between Internet Pictures
Corporation (iPIX) and Bamboo, Inc.,
Bamboo-type panoramic images are now also
called "iPIX images." Many "iPIX
Photographers" create these Bamboo-type
panoramic images which are filmed with a video
camera. These filmed images are no comparison
to the "full 360° iPIX" images like
those CALTIM Designs creates for our Real
Estate Virtual Tours. Not only do CALTIM
Designs iPIX virtual tours show every inch of
the scene, but they have much less distortion
than the panoramic tours and the image quality
is far better due the superiority of
still-camera optics over typical video camera
optics.
Your clients will appreciate the fact that you
(their Realtor) choose CALTIM Designs and your
potential new clients will recognize the fact
that you go to the extra effort to present
their property and market it in the most
professional way possible.
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Q
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Most Real
Estate Virtual Tours contain four iPIX images,
is this always the case ?
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A
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You
can include as many iPIX images in a virtual
tour as you want, but the minimum fee is for
four images. Additional images are priced
individually so you can have five, seven or
ten images in the tour if you like. Contact
CALTIM Designs for the latest pricing
information.
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Q
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What
is the difference between iPIX images for Real
Estate Virtual Tours and iPIX images for other
purposes ?
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A
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Internet
Pictures Corporation (iPIX) developed a
special product for the real estate industry
that uses the same technology as other full
360° "omni-ramic" iPIX images. But
because Realtors will only make use of a
Virtual Tour for a matter of weeks, until a
property is sold or leased, iPIX created the
Real Estate Virtual Tour (REVT) built from
special software that produces lower cost,
Java-compatible images. REVTs are only
available to the real estate industry. The
images cannot be edited in the same manner as
the standard iPIX images and they are also
lower resolution.
There are many advantages of the REVTs for
Realtors. Not only is the REVT less expensive,
but the software that produces the tour does
so in a way that it can quickly be uploaded to
national real estate sites such as Realtor.com
as well as many broker Web sites. This
dramatically increases the exposure of the
property and thus can affect the number of
offers and the sale/lease price (that means
commissions!).
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Q
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Can
the Real Estate Virtual Tours be e-mailed to
potential buyers and other Realtors? Is it
difficult to do ?
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A
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Another
great benefit of the REVT format is that the
software that produces the completed tour also
produces a self-contained program with all the
virtual tour iPIX images plus the viewing
software necessary to see the tour. We even
include the Realtor's contact information,
photo, e-mail address link and a link to their
Web site, all in one file that can easily be
attached to an e-mail message and sent to
multiple people all at once. Once the tour has
been e-mailed to potential clients and other
agents, they can easily forward it on with the
click of the mouse and dramatically increase
the property's visibility.
The "E-mailable" REVTs are slightly
different in format than the tours you will
see online.
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Q
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How
long does it take for a Real Estate Virtual
Tour to be completed ?
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A
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CALTIM
Designs can shoot the still images onsite with
a high-end digital camera, build the iPIX full
360° virtual tour and have it up online with
national exposure in less time than it takes
to clean the carpets. In other words, within a
few hours, your client's home, office or
retail space can be displayed in "omni-ramic"
fashion across the Internet for hundreds
(thousands?) of potential buyers/renters to
see.
Onsite shooting usually takes 45-60 minutes
and the computer manipulation usually takes
about an hour. Uploading the tour to
Realtor.com and other national sites with
automated processes can take as little as 10
minutes, depending on server traffic.
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Q
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Can
the Real Estate Virtual Tour images be edited
(touched-up to correct imperfections)?
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A
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CALTIM
Designs can perform limited editing on the
REVTs to remove minor imperfections such as
sunspots and shadows cast by the camera's
tripod. One of the limitations of the REVT
images is that they cannot be digitally edited
to the same extent as the higher resolution
standard iPIX images once of the iPIX images
are created. In most cases the REVTs only need
limited editing.
For high-end properties, especially those with
outstanding views, consider a standard iPIX
virtual tour. CALTIM Designs can digitally
"paste" in the view out the windows
that would otherwise be severely over-exposed
due to the difference between available light
indoors and lighting conditions outside. It
simply is not possible to correctly expose for
both at the same time. CALTIM Designs advanced
digital editing techniques make it possible.
Again, this type of editing is not available
with the standard Real Estate Virtual Tours.
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