Smithsonian Institution Purchases Autopano Giga for Aerial Panorama of Reefs in Belize

Columbia, MO, November 15, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Recently the Smithsonian contacted Panoramic Essentials to enquire about a panoramic stitching solution for a new project they are working on – photographing the reef in Belize. The Smithsonian project involved taking aerial photographs while flying over the reef, and the final image count was 10 rows of 100 images. Panoramic Essentials recommended their gigapixel image stitching software Autopano Giga, which was developed with the ability to manage multiple viewpoints and is perfect for stitching aerial photographs.

Says Adam Shehadeh, Sales/Support Manager at Panoramic Essentials, “It is always nice to learn that professional as well as non-profit organizations are taking advantage of advancements in panoramic photography. Even more interesting is the tasks that this technology is being applied to. I can only imagine how amazing an aerial panorama of the reef in Belize will look like and have dreamt of this vista since we learned of its existence.”

From his experience with the Smithsonian sale, Adam has noticed a pattern that has been developing overtime: photographers are having a difficult time selecting the appropriate software to complement the type of photography that they are stitching. Even though his business sells this software and as much as it benefits business when customers purchase the expensive software, it’s not always what they need and not what is recommended. When it comes to panoramic stitching software the first question a photographer must answer is what they will use it for: virtual tours, landscape panoramas, gigapixel panoramas; and will HDR be part of the creative process.

If the main intent is virtual tours, 360° photography and landscape panoramas then it’s enough to buy the basic software package Autopano Pro, because it has more than enough features to stitch any panorama you throw at it. If instead, you are compiling gigapixel panoramas then you need Autopano Giga, which can handle the workload necessary to stitch thousands of images to create a large and detailed gigapixel. Another important factor in determining which software package to purchase is your need for HDR capabilities. Autopano Pro has some basic HDR functions that have no customization functions for the user to tweak; but Autopano Giga does and supports image modification features necessary to create quality HDR images.

Panoramic stitching software is a necessary tool for landscape photographers and virtual tour photographers but it is important to keep in mind how you will apply this software in your workflow and choose the appropriate software for your needs, as the Smithsonian Institute will soon show with the Belize reef photos.