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January 20, 2009

Microsoft & CNN capture Obama inauguration in 3D

Photosynth will be used to stitch images together

Sharon Gaudin

Microsoft and CNN are joining forces to create a detailed 3D image of President elect Barack Obama's inauguration, which takes place today.

microsoft_photosynth CNN is urging anyone attending the event to submit their digital photos of the moment Obama takes the Oath of Office. Then using Microsoft's Photosynth, CNN will stitch the photos together into what it's hoping will be "the most detailed experience of a single moment ever".

"We're partnering with CNN to gather thousands of your photographs to create an immersive experience of the moment when President Obama takes the Oath of Office. From the vast sweep of the crowd to a close-up on the President's hand on the Bible, every part of this historic scene will be frozen in time and presented in 3D as only Photosynth can," Microsoft said on its Photosynth blog.

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"We'll take your photos from every angle, combine them with CNN's professional shots, and produce what we hope will be an amazing experience that will be shown live on CNN."

Photosynth, developed in a collaboration between Microsoft and the University of Washington, is designed to enable users to take regular digital photos and transform them into a three-dimensional, 360-degree visual. Users can spin the resulting visual around so they can look at it from different angles or even zoom in and out.

Those with digital cameras are asked to take three photos - a wide-angle, mid-range and zoom - of the swearing in. Anyone with a cameraphone can also submit a picture. They are being asked to take a single shot of the moment Obama raises his hand to take the Oath of Office and submit it.

"Don't worry if he's too small to see clearly in your photo. As long as you get the Capitol building in your shot it will synth in and help reconstruct the environment," Microsoft said.

Computerworld.com

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