Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions » Panorama universe

Panobook 2013 Photo contest: When results of the contest will be announced?

philippe — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:23:43 +0000

The jury members have nearly finished to select the 150 top panoramas from all remaining submissions. Then, the last phase is also carried out by the jury, consisting of determining the 3 winning images from the selected panoramas.

Hopefully by the end of this month you should know, if your image(s) will be published in the Panobook 2013 and who will win the title of Kolor Best Panoramic Photographer of the Year…

During this phase of voting, we asked jury members about their feelings:

“Voting for all those images takes time but how exciting it is! It will really be difficult to decide between the last images… A Cornelian dilemma!” said Nicolas Mériau.

“It’s absolutely stunning to see the quality of images submitted during the competition! Some of panoramas are absolutely perfect in composition, color handling, sharpness and stitching quality. The significant amount of panoramas done with HDR techniques is just awesome.” said Thomas Bredenfeld.

Thank you for your patience and once again, sincere congratulations to all who joined the contest!

Stay connected with us on Facebook and receive news about the end of the contest.

Have a look on all images submitted via the Panobook 2013 gallery.

The post Panobook 2013 Photo contest: When results of the contest will be announced? appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

10 pictures that break pixel number records

philippe — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:09:46 +0000

Tom’s Guide, online magazine in IT field, underlines that with the advent of hi-tech digital cameras and professional gear (such as Gigapan Epic Pro), powerful lenses, ultra powered computers and advanced image processing technologies, now it’s possible for professional photographers to shoot pictures in great detail.

The Inauguration of President Barack Obama shot with Gigapan Epic Pro

A Gigapixel image is a digital image bitmap composed of one billion pixels, more than 200 times better than my mobile phone’s 5 MP camera! Here are some pictures stitched by Kolor Autopano Giga:

Paris 26 Gigapixels

London 320 Gigapixels

Budapest 70 Gigapixels

Have a look on 7 other gigapixels images on Tom’s Guide website (in French). We recommend you to use Firefox internet browser to visit the website.

Get more information about Autopano Giga

The post 10 pictures that break pixel number records appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Discover Marseille 50 Gigapixels by Guillaume Roumestan & Kolor

philippe — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:23:14 +0000

Discover Marseille 50 Gigapixels presented by Guillaume Roumestan through Gigapixel Tour (France’s leading website in gigapixel photography creation, managed by G. Roumestan) and Kolor company (the global leader in image-stitching technologies).

Marseille is one of the most beautiful city of the French mediterranean coast and also the largest. Its architectural heritage makes this image very interesting.

To establish this panorama, 5160 photos were taken from the catholic Basilica “Notre-Dame de la Garde” stitched with Autopano Giga software. Due to its height and closeness to the coast, the hill became an important stronghold and observation and lookout point. Thanks to Marseille 50 Gigapixels, you can discover the city & its several monuments, buildings, churches, fishing port, and other details…

Hardware:

- Motorized head: Gigapan Epic Pro

- Camera: Nikon D5100 ( APS-C 16 Mpxl)

- Lens: Sigma 50-500mm f4,5-6,3 DG APO OS

- Memory card: Transcend SDHC 32 Gb

Software:

- Autopano Giga

- Panotour Pro

Shooting:

- 5160 photos

- Lens: 500mm

- Shutter: 1/2500 sec

- Aperture: f16

- Iso: 1600

More about Guillaume Roumestan

Discover other projects led by Guillaume such as: Cannes 65 Gigapixels, Nice 52 Gigapixels, Barcelona 16 Gigapixels & Monaco 5 Gigapixels.

The post Discover Marseille 50 Gigapixels by Guillaume Roumestan & Kolor appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Panobook 2013: The entry period is now closed. What is the next step?

philippe — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:55:54 +0000

The entry period for the Kolor Panobook 2013 contest is now closed. We received more than 1400 great panoramas: many thanks to all who joined the contest this year! You can watch all images submitted thanks to the gallery.

The next step is the vote of the jury. It will be carried out by 3 professional photographers really fond of the panoramic format as the jury members this year: Thomas Bredenfeld, Nicolas Mériau and Henry Stuart. The voting process is carried out in 3 phases:

The first phase is carried out by Kolor directly, consisting of removing images which do not comply with participation conditions, technical, rules or composition restrictions.

The second phase is carried out by the jury to select the 150 top panoramas from all remaining submissions.

The third phase is also carried out by the jury, consisting of determining the 3 winning images from the selected panoramas.

Then the layout, the cover of the book and finally the printing…

Stay connected with us on Facebook to receive news about the contest, 1 panorama every day & also to have some surprises…

The post Panobook 2013: The entry period is now closed. What is the next step? appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Kolor Panobook 2013 Photo Contest, only 10 days left to send your panoramas!

philippe — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:55:14 +0000

The entry period of Panobook 2013 photo contest ends in 10 days only (Interested readers have until 31st March 2013)! If you have not sent your panoramas yet, do it NOW!

We have already received more than 600 panoramas. Add your own contribution too and take your chance to win one of the prizes and have your panoramas published in the Panobook 2013! Visit Panobook.org to get a preview of images already submitted, share them on Facebook & try to guess the winning panorama…

Share & like panoramas submitted on Facebook. Try to guess the winning panorama!

The top 3 panoramas will be offered high-quality prints by our partner Darqroom:

- The author of the winning panorama will be offered 3 prints

- The author of the 2nd winning panorama will be offered 2 prints

- The author of the 3rd winning panorama will be offered 1 print

Discover the full range of papers and printing services of Darqroom.

The post Kolor Panobook 2013 Photo Contest, only 10 days left to send your panoramas! appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Kolor Panobook 2013 Photo Contest, now open for entry. Submit your 3 best panoramas!

philippe — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:44:02 +0000

Kolor Panobook is the world’s biggest contest of panoramic photography leading to the publication of a beautiful hardcover book!

The 2013 Kolor Panobook Contest, is now OPEN for entries. Interested readers have until 31st March to submit their best panoramic images to the competition, which will be judged by professional photographers Thomas Bredenfeld, Nicolas Mériau and Henry Stuart.

The top 3 panoramas will be offered high-quality prints by our partner Darqroom:

- The author of the winning panorama will be offered 3 prints

- The author of the 2nd winning panorama will be offered 2 prints

- The author of the 3rd winning panorama will be offered 1 print

Discover the full range of papers and printing services of Darqroom.

All details are on the Panobook.org website

Don’t miss a piece of news about Kolor Panobook!

The post Kolor Panobook 2013 Photo Contest, now open for entry. Submit your 3 best panoramas! appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Prepare your panoramas! The Kolor Panobook 2013 contest opens this Friday

Rami — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:44:36 +0000

Become the Panoramic Photographer of the Year!

Are you ready to join the biggest international contest of panoramic photography leading to the publication of a book? This unique project is renewed every year by Kolor. It is a great opportunity for amateur and professional photographers to be recognized and published into a quality hardcover book.

The entry period of the Kolor Panobook 2013 contest begins this Friday and will last the whole month of March. So prepare your images and join the contest! Participation is free.

Have your panoramas published into a book!

Do you shoot and stitch panoramic photos? You have to join the contest and take your chance to be selected as the Panoramic Photographer of the Year!

A jury of 3 professional photographers will select the best panoramas and Kolor will publish them into a beautiful hardcover book! Discover the 4 previous editions of the Kolor Panobook.

Win high-quality panoramic prints!

The top 3 panoramas will be offered high-quality prints by our partner Darqroom, printed on FineArt 385gr paper:
- The author of the winning panorama will be offered 3 prints
- The author of the 2nd winning panorama will be offered 2 prints
- The author of the 3rd winning panorama will be offered 1 print
Discover the full range of papers and printing services of Darqroom.

Follow the contest on Facebook and receive 1 panorama every day

Like the new Facebook page of the Kolor Panobook and stay updated about the contest. You will also receive in your news feed one panorama everyday.

Discover the Kolor Panobook 2013 Jury

The team of Kolor is honored to have 3 professional photographers really fond of the panoramic format as the jury members this year: Thomas Bredenfeld, Nicolas Mériau and Henry Stuart. Discover them on this dedicated page.

The post Prepare your panoramas! The Kolor Panobook 2013 contest opens this Friday appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Gigapan Epic Pro (robotic camera mount) & Kolor Autopano Giga (image stitching software), gathered for a beautiful gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus!

philippe — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:15:09 +0000

3 billion pixels, 12 hours shooting & 6 months work, here are figures for this fantastic gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus in Krakow-Lagiewniki (Poland), painted by Adolf Hyła in 1934. Kolor put at your disposal case studie which will tell you how to reproduce a painting or artwork with very high resolution and perfect image stitching.

Gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus, in Krakow-Lagiewniki (Poland)

The shooting was made by Peter Tumidajski & used Gigapan Epic Pro (robotic camera mount), Autopano Giga (image stitching software), EOS 1Ds mark II, Canon 300mm 2.8 ISx 1,4 TC II, OSRAM continue light system with specialised and UV filter, tripod Manfrotto 161Mk2, 120 GB RAW data, MacBook Pro, 8GB RAM. Gigapan Epic Pro is also at the origin of various gigapixels projects such as: Machu Picchu 16 Gigapixels, President Barack Obama’s Inaugural, or a A 14 metre print of the centre of Leicester.

Gigapan Epic Pro used to shoot the gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus, in Krakow-Lagiewniki (Poland)

The final picture reached 3 billion of pixel (real resolution is about 700DPI) thanks to 1200 shots stitched with Autopano Giga.

Autopano Giga used to stitch the gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus, in Krakow-Lagiewniki (Poland)

Congratulations to Peter for this fantastic result which was a non profit project! Here are pictures from behind the scene:

Gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus, in Krakow-Lagiewniki (Poland)

Learn more about Peter’s projects

Get more information about Gigapan Epic Pro & discover other gigapixels made with this gear such as: Machu Picchu 16 Gigapixels, President Barack Obama’s Inaugural, or a A 14 metre print of the centre of Leicester.

Download & try Autopano Giga 3

The post Gigapan Epic Pro (robotic camera mount) & Kolor Autopano Giga (image stitching software), gathered for a beautiful gigapixel fine art reproduction of Jesus! appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Kolor technology strikes again & breaks the world record! Discover the 320-gigapixel panorama of London shot by Jeffrey Martin (BT Tower, 360cities)

philippe — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:31:13 +0000

Record-breaking 320-gigapixel panorama of London

An amazing image of London taken from the top of the BT Tower has set a new record for the world’s largest panoramic photo. The final image, made up from nearly 48,000 individual photos stitched together with the help of Autopano Giga software from Kolor, shows a full 360 degree view of London in incredible detail. If printed at normal resolution, the photo would be 98 meters long (323 feet) and 23 meters high (77 feet) – almost as big as Buckingham Palace.

Record-breaking 320-gigapixel panorama of London

The 320 gigapixel panorama was photographed by Jeffrey Martin, Holger Schulze and Tom Mills (from expert panoramic photography firm 360Cities.net) and then subsequently created by Jeffrey Martin.

Photographers: Jeffrey Martin, Holger Schulze and Tom Mills

Project by numbers:

• 320 – the number of gigapixels in the photo

• 48,640 – the number of individual images shot

• 3 – the number of days it took to shoot all the individual photos

• 3 – the number of months over which the computer processed the final result

• 60,000 – times bigger than an iPhone 4 photo

• 98 – the number of meters long if printed in normal photographic resolution

• 24 – the number of meters high if printed in normal photographic resolution

• 29th – the floor at the BT Tower where the photos were taken

• 20 – number of miles distant to the viewable horizon

This screenshot taken from Autopano Giga software, represents only a quarter of the final image

Technical photographic information and how the photo was taken:

• Working over a period of three chilly days in 2012, the 360Cities team spent hours on the 29th floor outdoor platform of the BT Tower working with four cameras to record the 48,640 images comprising the panorama.

• Four Canon EOS 7D cameras with EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lenses and Extender EF 2x III teleconverters were mounted on Clauss company Rodeon VR Head ST robotic panorama heads and positioned in four secure locations around the 29th floor platform.

• The Clauss company robotic panorama heads are capable of 72,000 steps in a single 360 degree arc, and in this case were set to fire four frames a second.

• Laptops monitored a live preview of the progress of the shoot, which was accomplished in the teeth of sub-freezing temperatures and occasional 50 mph winds high above London.

• The 360Cities photography team of Jeffrey Martin, Tom Mills and Holger Schulze ensured that not a single individual frame from the more than 48,000 planned was missed.

• The raw images were then processed over a multi-week period using Fujitsu Technology Solutions’ Celsius R920 workstation with 256GB of RAM and 16 cores at 3.1GHz, and Autopano Giga panorama stitching software from Kolor.

• The resulting online interactive version of the photo is presented in multi-layered, tiled resolution that permits zooming in to view extreme details, and is composed of millions of individual image tiles.

The image shows a full 360 degree view of London in incredible detail

Learn more about the London panorama

Download & try Autopano Giga 3

The post Kolor technology strikes again & breaks the world record! Discover the 320-gigapixel panorama of London shot by Jeffrey Martin (BT Tower, 360cities) appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.

Kolor Panobook 2013 Jury announced: Thomas Bredenfeld, Nicolas Mériau and Henry Stuart

Rami — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:03:07 +0000

The team of Kolor is honored to welcome Thomas Bredenfeld, Nicolas Mériau and Henry Stuart as the jury members of the Kolor Panobook 2013 panoramic photography contest. Many thanks to them for having accepted to join the project. Discover the 3 jury membres below.

Prepare your panoramic photos! The entry period is March!

Follow all the Kolor Panobook news on Facebook

Thomas Bredenfeld

Thomas studied electronics and painting and still has his roots in art and technique as well. Among a lot of other interests panoramic photography is his favorite activity. He is sharing his experience in lectures, video trainings and especially in his book “Digitale Fotopraxis Panoramafotografie“. In its 2nd edition it continues to be the standard book about panoramic photography in German language. Thomas is also Abobe beta tester and Lightroom/Photoshop expert.

Nicolas Mériau

Nicolas is a photographer and the chief redactor of Image & Nature magazine, the 1st French magazine entirely dedicated to nature photography. He has a passion for the image in general and is interested in all kinds of photos, all expression forms and all techniques including panoramic image stitching. Through his articles, he tries to make these techniques understandable to his audience and praises the pleasure and exigence in photography.

Henry Stuart

Henry founded London-based business, Spherical Images, in 2006. The company specializes in capturing GigaPixels, 360 Photos and other forms immersive media. Henry has built up an impressive client base including Adidas, Rolls Royce, the London Eye, the Times and Credit Suisse. In 2011 he was commissioned by the BBC to capture the Royal Wedding procession GigaPixel and in 2012, he became the first ever dedicated 360 and gigapixel photographer to cover the Olympic games for Getty Images.

The post Kolor Panobook 2013 Jury announced: Thomas Bredenfeld, Nicolas Mériau and Henry Stuart appeared first on Kolor: Image-stitching & virtual tour solutions.