Microsoft combines Photosynth with Virtual Earth

Microsoft has made a number of changes to its Photosynth software, including integration with Virtual Earth, to make the two services act together. In an obvious attempt to compete with Google Street View, Photosynth is now being targeted at tourism groups, retail chains and the public sector.

Microsoft launched Photosynth last year and the application gained much publicity after it was used to capture the moment Barack Obama was inaugurated into office as the 44th President of the United States.

In essence, Photosynth stitches together still photographs to create a 3D panorama. A synth can take many forms, from the inside of a building, a landscape, or an important moment in history such as Obama’s inauguration. As long as a number of different shots are taken of a scene, a synth can be easily created.

There is now a new version available, for free, which utilizes Microsoft’s Silverlight technology. This means the resulting images, or synths, will be viewable on any platform, including Apple Macs. However, to create a synth, you must be using a Windows-based PC.

This video explains how Photosynth and Virtual Earth work, and how the two apps are now working together.

Features added in the new release include extended privacy controls, one-click usability, and the ability to commercially license a synth. In the same way Google Street View is used by personal users, Microsoft is hoping Photosynth will achieve similar market penetration. If so, this should help Silverlight gain more widespread installations.

The application has a number of practical applications. The most obvious of these is to highlight the appeal of tourist spots around the world and allowing potential visitors experience a kind-of virtual tour of the locale. But all of this is reliant on users providing the images. Unlike Google Street View, Microsoft has no part to play in the imaging process, which is all left up to the users themselves.

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