Everyone is a now a photographer right? Between inexpensive digital cameras and mobile devices with GPS, your ability to take pictures anytime from anywhere has never been more prevalent. We are now even able to annotate, crop, print and publish these with tools so they look highly professional. So what else do you need? Microsoft Live Labs has the answer: Photosynth. Photosynth combines your images into a 3-D perspective, giving you impressive multi-dimensional and deep zoom views that will revolutionize the industry. Available as a viewing only BETA version to high acclaim over a year ago, Photosynth was officially released this past week to the consumer with complete ability to not only view but create your own 'Synths'.
Take 25 pictures of your kids at the local playground and upload those to Photosynth. Add this on your personal website or Facebook. Now share this with your friends and family and see the engaging experience created. Photosynth is a free tool that uses intelligent synthesizing and imagery technology to stitch your photos together. Using a small desktop download you can then create your own Synth. The product is not perfect and may miss the image stitching at times where it will make you scratch your head, but when it is on the results are nothing short of amazing. Microsoft is controlling the publishing process at this stage by making you store your Synths on the PhotoSynth site. The jury is out on whether or not this is going to work and foster adoption.
In my opinion, Photosynth technology will be even more useful as a social tool. Imagine multiple people 'photosynthing' a subject area such as a mountain over four seasons by hundreds of people or a professional sport scene with thousands of people in attendance getting a snapshot of a historic moment. The potential Photosynth and contributors will only grow as the features mature.
National Geographic and Sphinx and Pyramids
Boston Redsox vs. Yankees
Virtual Earth and PhotoSynth visit St. Peter's