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CALTIM Designs
163 Valleyview Road
Mooresville, NC 28117
704-500-1834
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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 ]
TECHNICAL NOTES
How iPIX Images are Produced
CALTIM Designs uses the high-end 3.34 MegaPixel
Nikon CoolPix 990 digital camera with a Nikon
fisheye lens attachment to capture the raw images
onsite. Each iPIX image is composed of two raw
images that are "seamed" together using
iPIX software (see example on "What
is iPIX?" page). To produce the standard,
high resolution iPIX images, CALTIM Designs uses
Internet Picture Corporation's professional
Builder 4.0 software. (Many other iPIX
photographers build inferior images with the iPIX
"Wizard" software -- just make sure you
know what you are paying for.) To produce the Real
Estate Virtual Tours (REVT), a specialized iPIX
product for the Real Estate industry, we use the
Real Estate Wizard 2.0 (the only software
available for REVTs). The Builder software allows
us to first build "proof" iPIX images to
send clients for review. Each proof image is
covered with white vertical lines to identify it
as a proof. (Proof images are not available for
standard REVTs.)
After reviewing proof images, the client chooses
the images they want to use, and CALTIM Designs
finalizes the images by using digital keys from
iPIX. Every time an iPIX image is created, one
digital key must be used. Each digital key can
only be used once and CALTIM Designs must pay
Internet Pictures Corp. for every key. Key prices
vary. They are most expensive for standard iPIX
images produced using the Builder 4.0 software and
least expensive for the Real Estate Virtual Tour
images. The prices are set by Internet Pictures
Corporation which maintains a monopoly on the
technology and digital keys. All iPIX
photographers unfortunately must pass on this cost
to their clients.
After the standard iPIX images are
"keyed" they are digitally edited to
remove minor flaws and enhance them to the
greatest extent possible (within reason, of
course) using Adobe Photoshop 5.5. Editing the
images is very taxing on a system and therefore
CALTIM Designs uses a 700 MHz Pentium III machine
with 256MB RAM running Windows 98. Why do we
mention this? Because we can do more editing on
the images in a given amount of time, making
CALTIM Designs iPIX images that much better.
Limitations & Constraints
The Seam
After the raw images are shot onsite they are
uploaded into the computer and "seamed
together" using iPIX software. Each raw,
hemispherical image covers a 185-degree field of
view. There is therefore 5-degree overlap between
the two images -- think of placing two bowls
together with their openings touching to form a
sphere. (The area all around the bowls where they
meet is the seam.) The seam goes all the way
around the image and is precisely aligned by the
software.
The lighting in each hemisphere greatly affects
the visibility of the seam. The seam is almost
always visible - the extent of which is determined
by the lighting conditions at the time the raw
images are shot AND the precise placement of the
camera by the photographer.
There are two important considerations to make
about camera placement: the position of the
dominant light source and subject matter. Both are
crucial to the visibility of the seam. The seam is
most visible when shooting outdoors with a sunny
clear blue sky or indoors with a plain, solid
color ceiling. CALTIM Designs edits standard iPIX
images to "blend away" the seam to the
greatest extent possible (within reason), but it
will almost always be visible, however subtle.
Action Shots and Other Movement
Two raw images are needed for each finalized iPIX
image. Therefore if someone or some thing is in
the first raw image and they then move to the
other side of the camera before the photographer
repositions the camera to shoot the second raw
image, they will be in the finalized iPIX image
twice! Similarly, if an element of the image is
split by the seam (e.g., half of a car or person
is in the first raw image), and they move when the
photographer repositions the camera, only part of
that car or person will appear in the finalized
iPIX image. CALTIM Designs can, in some cases, add
the missing half, but in most cases we will
digitally remove them completely (again, only
standard iPIX images are editable after creation;
the REVT images cannot be edited in this manner).
About the formats - Plug-In and Java Versions
For standard iPIX Virtual Tours (as opposed to
Real Estate Virtual Tours), CALTIM Designs creates
iPIX images in three formats: a high resolution
version (around 650k) suitable for distribution on
CD-ROM or a corporate Intranet; a plug-in version
(150-200k) for use on Web sites with the free iPIX
plug-in for either Netscape or Internet
Explorer/AOL; and a Java-compatible version
(70-90k) for use with the iPIX Java Applet
(software). iPIX images use a JPeG compression
algorithm to achieve their small file size. Hence
when you zoom in to the maximum extent possible on
an iPIX image, you will see the typical JPeG
"shower door" effect.
The current Java Applet version number is 2.4, but
many other iPIX photographers do not keep up with
changes in the technology and continue to provide
their clients with outdated Java applets. It is
easy to tell what version is in use -- when the
Java iPIX image loads you see a start up screen
that gives the version number. The current
version's start-up screen has a white background
with a black, blue and yellow iPIX logo, and it
has a loading progress display. The older versions
have a black background with white text.
The online Real Estate Virtual Tours (REVTs)
utilize Java-compatible iPIX images run by the
Java applet. No plug-ins are required. The Real
Estate Wizard 2.0 software from Internet Pictures
Corporation also produces a
"self-contained" REVT -- a single,
self-executing file (.exe file extension) that
incorporates the iPIX Viewer software and the iPIX
images. The file is small enough to fit on a
single floppy disk or be attached to an e-mail.
REVTs are composed of four or more iPIX images,
additional images can be added for a nominal fee -
call CALTIM Designs for the latest pricing
information.
Note: All iPIX images can be viewed offline
with the free
iPIX Viewer software.
The Tripod Cap - or Lack Thereof
Since the camera with its fisheye lens
attachment captures raw images with a 185-degree
field of view, the tripod supporting the camera is
visible when the iPIX image is initially built on
the computer.
There are two options for dealing with the tripod.
The first is to place a circular, customized
graphic over this part of the iPIX image - this is
referred to as the "tripod cap." The
second is to digitally "erase" the
tripod altogether. In actually, this process
involves covering the tripod with flooring/ground
captured from other parts of the iPIX image and
pasting it over the tripod. This is truly digital
art and CALTIM Designs strives to be the leader in
this technique. Examples in the iPIX
Gallery include both images with customized
tripod caps and images where the tripod has been
digitally erased.
Editing Capabilities
Several examples of CALTIM Designs iPIX digital
editing expertise are provided via the links
below. In each case, the finalized, edited image
is provided first with a link to the unedited
version. The first two examples illustrate a
common problem (and solution) in iPIX photography
-- lighting conditions that differ dramatically
from indoors to outdoors.
When shooting indoor iPIX images, views out a door
or window will be completely "washed
out" by sunlight or "blacked out"
when shooting indoors at night). This happens
because the photographer must use the correct
exposure for the lighting inside and therefore
must ignore the lighting outside. CALTIM Designs
shoots the raw images anticipating this problem
and potential solutions to implement later when
the images are imported into Adobe Photoshop.
ONLINE GALLERY
Below are links to five before and after
examples. These images are available in the iPIX
Plug-In version only. If you have yet to install
the iPIX Plug-In you can get
it FREE online, right now.
Enjoy!
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