How iPIX Images are Produced
NETSTROM uses a high-end Nikon CoolPix digital camera with a fisheye
lens attachment to capture the raw ("still") images onsite. Each 360° image is composed of two raw images
that are "stitched" together using iPIX software (see example on "What is iPIX?" page). NETSTROM uses only Internet Picture Corporation's professional Builder 5.0 software.
(Many other iPIX photographers build inferior images with the iPIX "Wizard" software, or software from other vendors that require more than two fisheyes thus creating added, unnecessary distortion -- just make sure you
know what you are paying for.) To produce the Real Estate Virtual Tours (REVT), a specialized iPIX product
for the Real Estate industry, we use the Real Estate Wizard (the only software available for REVTs).
The Builder software allows us to first build "proof" images to send clients for review.
Each proof has faint "iPIX Proof" markings to identify it as a proof and they automatically expire in 30 days. (Proof images
are not available for standard REVTs.)
After reviewing proof images, the client chooses the images they want to use, and NETSTROM finalizes
the images by using digital keys (a.k.a license fees) from iPIX. Every time an iPIX image is created, one digital key
must be used. Each digital key can only be used once and NETSTROM must pay Internet Pictures Corp.
for every key. Key prices vary. They are most expensive for standard iPIX images
produced using the Builder software and least expensive for the Real Estate Virtual
Tour images. The prices are set by Internet Pictures Corporation which maintains a
monopoly on the keys. All iPIX photographers unfortunately must pass on this
cost to their clients.
After the standard iPIX images are "keyed" they are digitally edited to remove minor flaws and enhance
them to the greatest extent possible (within reason, of course) using Adobe Photoshop 6.0.
Editing the images is very taxing on a system and therefore NETSTROM uses cutting-edge computer systems. Why do we mention this? Because we can do more editing on the
images in a given amount of time, making NETSTROM's iPIX images that much better.
Limitations & Constraints
The Seam
After the raw images are shot onsite they are uploaded into the computer and "stitched together" using
iPIX software. Each raw, hemispherical image covers a 185° field of view. There is therefore
5° overlap between the two images -- think of placing two bowls together with their openings touching
to form a sphere. (The area all around the bowls where they meet is the "seam.") The seam goes all the way around the image and is precisely aligned by the software.
The lighting in each hemisphere greatly affects the visibility of the seam. The seam is almost always
visible - the extent of which is determined by the lighting conditions at the time the raw images are
shot AND the precise placement of the camera by the photographer.
There are two important considerations to make about camera placement: the position of the dominant
light source and subject matter. Both are crucial to the visibility of the seam. The seam is most
visible when shooting outdoors with a sunny clear blue sky or indoors with a plain, solid color ceiling.
NETSTROM edits standard iPIX images to "blend away" the seam to the greatest extent possible (within
reason), but it will almost always be visible, however subtle.
Action Shots and Other Movement
Two raw images are needed for each finalized iPIX image. Therefore if someone or some thing is in the
first raw image and they then move to the other side of the camera before the photographer repositions the
camera to shoot the second raw image, they will be in the finalized
iPIX image twice! Similarly, if an element of the image is split by the seam (e.g., half of a car or
person is in the first raw image), and they move when the photographer repositions the camera, only part
of that car or person will appear in the finalized iPIX image. NETSTROM
can, in some cases, add the missing half, but in most cases we will digitally remove them
completely (again, only standard iPIX images are editable after creation; the REVT images cannot be edited
in this manner).
About the formats - Plug-In and Java Versions
For standard iPIX Virtual Tours (as opposed to Real Estate Virtual Tours), NETSTROM
creates iPIX images in multiple formats: a high resolution version (around 650k) suitable for distribution
on CD-ROM or a corporate Intranet; a plug-in version (±200k) for use on Web sites with the free iPIX plug-in
for either Netscape or Internet Explorer/AOL; a Java-compatible version (±75k) for use with the
iPIX Java Applet (software), and Apple QuickTime-compatible images (panoramic with QT4, omniramic with QT5). iPIX images use a JPeG compression algorithm to achieve their small file
size. Hence when you zoom in to the maximum extent possible on an iPIX image, you will see the typical JPeG
"shower door" effect.
The current Java Applet version number is 3.3, but many other iPIX photographers do not keep up with
changes in the technology and continue to provide their clients with outdated Java applets. It is easy to
tell what version
is in use -- when the Java iPIX image loads you see a start up screen that gives the version number.
The online Real Estate Virtual Tours (REVTs) utilize Java-compatible iPIX images run by the Java applet.
No plug-ins are required. The Real Estate Wizard software from Internet Pictures Corporation also
produces a "self-contained" REVT -- a single, self-executing file (.exe file extension) that incorporates
the iPIX Viewer software and the iPIX images. The file is small enough to fit on a single floppy disk or
be attached to an e-mail (download a sample - for Windows). REVTs are composed of four or more iPIX images, additional images can be
added for a nominal fee - contact NETSTROM for the latest pricing information.
Note: All iPIX images can be viewed offline with the free iPIX Viewer software.
The Tripod Cap - or Lack Thereof
Since the camera with its fisheye lens attachment captures raw images with a 185-degree field of view, the
tripod supporting the camera is visible when the iPIX image is initially built on the computer.
There are two options for dealing with the tripod. The first is to place a circular, customized graphic
over this part of the iPIX image - this is referred to as the "tripod cap." The second is to digitally
"erase" the tripod altogether. In actually, this process involves covering the tripod with flooring/ground
captured from other parts of the iPIX image and pasting it over the tripod. This is truly digital art and
NETSTROM strives to be the leader in this technique. Examples in the iPIX Gallery
include both images with customized tripod caps and images where the tripod has been digitally erased. You may also wish
to view the "After & Before" examples in the section below.
Editing Capabilities
Several examples of NETSTROM's iPIX digital editing expertise are provided via the links below. In each case,
the finalized, edited image is provided first with a link to the unedited version. The first two examples
illustrate a common problem (and solution) in iPIX photography -- lighting conditions that differ dramatically from indoors to outdoors.
When shooting indoor iPIX images, views out a door or window will be completely "washed out" by sunlight or "blacked out" when shooting indoors at night). This happens because the photographer must use the
correct exposure for the lighting
inside and therefore must ignore the lighting outside. NETSTROM shoots the raw images anticipating this problem
and potential solutions to implement later when the images are imported into Adobe Photoshop.
After & Before ~ Digital Editing Examples
Below are links to six before and after examples. In each case you'll see the "after" image first, and then the "before"
image. The first three images are examples of filling-in
washed-out outdoor portions of indoor scenes. The fourth image is a sample Real Estate Virtual Tour image shot in a master bathroom where the photographer and camera were visible in the mirrors and had to be digitally removed. The fifth shows typical digital editing done on an outdoor scene, and the last image shows how we are able to remove the tripod completely when needed and give the viewer a feeling floating in mid-air. These images are available in the iPIX Plug-In version only. If you have yet to install the iPIX Plug-in you can get it free online right now. Enjoy!