Apple QuickTime VR User Manual
CHAPTER
1
Setting Up Your Software
System requirements for using
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
This section describes the hardware and software you need to use QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio.
Minimum system configuration
m Mac OS–based computer with a PowerPC™processor
m 16 MB RAM available for the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio application program
m 40 MBof space available on your hard disk
m CD-ROM drive
If you plan to create complex QTVR scenes or make high-resolution panoramas and object
movies, you may need a system that exceeds the minimum requirements.
System requirements for playing QTVR media
The QTVR media you create with QuickTime VR Authoring Studio can be played on any
MacOS or Windows
Wide Web browser.
Mac OS
The computer must have a 68030, 68040, or PowerPC processor. In addition, the computer
should have the following software installed:
m QuickTime extension version 2.5 or later
m QuickTime VR extension version 2.0.1 or later
m MoviePlayer version 2.5 or SimpleText
®
computer, either from a local disk or over the Internet using a World
1
If you’re playing the QTVR media over the Internet, you also need a World Wide Web browser
with the QuickTime plug-in version 2.0 installed.
Windows
The computer must have a 486 or Pentium processor. In addition, the computer should have
the following software installed:
m QuickTime for Windows version 3.0 or later
m QuickTime VR components version 2.1 or later
m MoviePlayer version 3.0 or later
If you’re playing the QTVR media over the Internet, you also need a World Wide Web browser
with the QuickTime plug-in version 2.0 installed.
What’s included with QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
The QuickTime VR Authoring Studio package includes a CD-ROM disc that contains
the following:
m QuickTime VR Authoring Studio application program
m Lenses file that contains files for a variety of camera lenses (You’ll need this for
stitching panoramas.)
m MoviePlayer 2.5
m QuickTime VR 2.0.1
m QuickTime 2.5
m QTVR Sample Source Material folder (You’ll use this as you complete the tutorials in
Chapters 3 through 7.)
m QTVRConverter (You use this to convert QTVR 1.0 files to QTVR 2.0 files.)
m SimpleText 1.4
m QTVR Examples folder
2 Chapter 1
Installing QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
Before you install QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, be sure to have your QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio serial number available. You will not be able to use the application until you
enter the serial number.
To install QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, follow these steps:
1 Insert the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2 Open the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD icon, then double-click the Installer icon.
The Installer window opens.
3 Follow the onscreen installation instructions.
4 After the installation is complete, double-click the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio icon.
A dialog box appears.
5 Enter the serial number that came with the QuickTimeVR Authoring Studio.
You only need to enter the serial number the first time you use the program.
Setting Up Your Software 3
CHAPTER
2
Introduction to
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio is a set of authoring tools that lets you create QTVR
panoramas, objects, and scenes. With its powerful and easy-to-use graphical user interface,
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio lets users quickly produce professional-quality media that
can be played back with MoviePlayer on Mac OS or Windows computers and over the
Internet using a World Wide Web browser with the QuickTime plug-in.
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio’s five authoring tools are
m Panorama Maker, for converting a rendered image or a single panoramic image into a
QTVR panorama
m Panorama Stitcher, for stitching together a series of images into a single QTVR panorama
m Object Maker, for making QTVR objects
m Scene Maker, for creating virtual reality scenes that allow users to move through the scene
and select destinations or manipulate objects
m Project Manager, for managing complex projects and automating processing tasks
5
What you can do with QuickTime VR Authoring Studio
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio has several features that help you create QTVR media easily
and efficiently. Using these features, you can
m take advantage of the easy-to-use graphical user interface
With its menus, windows, and dialog boxes, QuickTime VR Authoring Studio offers you
the same easy-to-use graphical user interface that you enjoy in the Mac OS. As a result,
you’ll be working productively right away and will have more time to concentrate on
creating compelling QTVR media.
m create Internet-savvy objects and panoramas
QTVR media that you create on your Mac OS computer can be played on a Mac OS or
Windows computer that has Internet access, Web browser software, and the QuickTime
plug-in. QTVR media does not require as much disk space as video, so it can be delivered
more quickly over the Internet than video can.
m automate tasks
You can achieve greater efficiency and productivity by using QuickTime VR Authoring
Studio’s Project Manager to automate common operations in QuickTime VR Authoring
Studio, such as creating objects and panoramas. Once you set the Project Manager in
motion, you are free to do other tasks.
m organize complex projects
The Project Manager helps you organize the media resources you’ll use for large projects,
such as creating a virtual space.
6 Chapter 2
QTVR media types
There are three types of QTVRmedia you can create with QuickTime VR Authoring Studio:
panoramas, objects, and scenes.
Panoramas
A QTVR panorama lets you view a scene, such as a room or an outdoor vista, from a variety of
angles. A full panorama can be panned horizontally 360 degrees to provide the illusion that
you are standing in the center of the panorama. Several examples of panoramas are on the
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD-ROM disc.
You view a QTVR panorama by pressing the mouse button and dragging the pointer over the
image in the direction you want to view. You can also zoom in on parts of the image for a closer
look by clicking the zoom button in the lower-left area of the MoviePlayer playback window.
Objects
A QTVR object lets you view a three-dimensional object, such as a teacup, a statue, or a
dinosaur bone, from a variety of angles. Several examples of objects are on the QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio CD-ROM disc.
You can rotate a QTVR object by pressing the mouse button and dragging the pointer over
the image in the direction you want to rotate it. You can also zoom in on parts of the image
for a closer look by clicking the zoom button in the lower-left area of the MoviePlayer
playback window.
Scenes
A QTVR scene is a collection of QTVR panoramas, objects, and other media. Each media
element in a scene is called a node.A scene resembles a panorama, but unlike a simple
panorama, you can interact with parts of the scene. Scenes have hot spots—areas that are
linked to other media. For example, a hot spot in a museum scene could link to another
room in the museum, or it could allow you to manipulate one of the objects in the museum.
Hot spots can also link to World Wide Web sites and a variety of other media.
Introduction to QuickTime VR Authoring Studio 7
Creating a QTVR scene
Creating a QTVR scene involves four steps:
m planning the project
m creating source material
m using a QuickTime VR Authoring Studio tool
m checking the final product
Planning the project
During the planning stage, you determine the type of experience you want to deliver to your
audience. For example, will you use real-world images or computer-generated images? Will
you include many panoramas within a scene for navigational freedom, or only a few? Will you
include QTVRobjects that can be picked up and manipulated? Will you include links to Web
pages to which users can go for additional information? Often, your decisions involve a tradeoff between creative preferences and resource limitations.
If you plan to develop a real-world scene from photographic or video images, you may want
to do some preliminary steps, including the following:
m Draw a floor plan to depict the layout of the scene and the location of each node.
m Mark the locations of the nodes on the floor plan with pins, stickers, or other materials to
facilitate the photography process.
m Create a scene log or notebook in which you and others involved with the photo shoot
and postproduction can keep track of production details.
m Create a storyboard for each scene.
m Build a database that will allow you to track your project through its completion.
8 Chapter 2
The time you invest in planning your project will pay off in the subsequent stages
of development.
Creating source material
Source material can take a number of forms:
m images taken with a digital camera
m images captured through a video camera
m images taken with a film camera, then converted to digital form using a flatbed or
film scanner
m images contained on a PhotoCD
m images created with a rendering program
Some of the techniques and equipment used to photograph or capture images for a QTVR
scene are different from the techniques used for standard photography. Chapter 8 contains
guidelines for creating high-quality source material and describes some of the special setups
you can use to photograph objects and panoramas.
Using a QuickTime VR Authoring Studio tool
You can use the Scene Maker or Project Manager to create a QTVR scene. You can drag
panoramas and objects created with the Object Maker, Panorama Stitcher, or Panorama
Maker directly into the Scene Maker window.
Checking the final product
Once you’ve created the scene, you should check the hot spots to be sure each hot spot
links to the appropriate destination and to the correct view for that destination. You should
also test the scene on the system your audience is likely to use. If you plan to make the QTVR
scene viewable on the Internet, be sure to test the scene using a World Wide Web browser
with the QuickTime plug-in version 2.0 or later.
How to get started on your first QTVR project
1 Install the software.
For instructions, see Chapter 1, “Setting Up Your Software.”
2 Learn to use QuickTime VR Authoring Studio’s five authoring tools.
“Fundamentals of the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio Interface” and “Setting QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio Preferences,” later in this chapter, provide a general orientation to
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio’s user interface and show how you can customize
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio for your use.
Chapters 3 through 7 contain step-by-step guides to using each of QuickTime VR Authoring
Studio’s five tools. As you work through each chapter, use the source material provided on
theQuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD so you can focus on learning how to use the tools.
3 Read Chapter 8, “Creating Source Material.”
Once you know how to use the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio tools, read Chapter 8
for tips on creating your own QTVRsource material. These tips focus on the differences
between conventional photographic techniques and techniques for QTVR photography
(or videography). You’ll also find information about QTVR equipment rigs.
Introduction to QuickTime VR Authoring Studio 9
Fundamentals of the QuickTime VR Authoring
Studio interface
When you open one of QuickTime VR Authoring Studio’s five tools, the window for that tool
appears. The windows for the Object Maker, Panorama Maker, Panorama Stitcher, and Scene
Maker have similar layouts. Each has a section for defining source images, another for
defining output files (the files the tool creates as it processes your QTVRmedia), a process
button, and a section where you can view source material.
You define source
images here. The
number and type of
buttons that appear
depend on the tool.
You save output files by clicking the
checkbox next to the file you want to
save. You can save intermediate files
as well as final QTVR media files.
You use the Rotate
and Sort buttons to
move images in
the bottom part
of the window.
You define locations and
names for output files here.
The number and type of files
depend on the tool.
This area
contains a
button
associated
with a
process, such
as stitching a
panorama
or creating
a scene.
Images used in panoramas and objects
are displayed in this part of the
window. Icons for scene nodes and
Project Manager elements appear in
this area.
10 Chapter 2
Setting QuickTime VR Authoring Studio preferences
You can change QuickTime VR Authoring Studio’s default preferences by choosing
Preferences from the Edit menu.
The Preferences window has six tabs. Click a tab to set the preferences related to that topic.
General
m Show Help Labels—If this option is selected, labels appear when you place the pointer
over buttons in the tool windows.
Make
m Display Images In Progress Window—Select this option if you want the images in your
QTVR media project to appear in a progress window as the images are being processed.
Selecting this option can increase processing time.
Introduction to QuickTime VR Authoring Studio 11
m Display QuickTime VR Movie After Make Is Complete—If this option is selected, a
playback window appears automatically after an object, panorama, or scene is created.
m Use Temporary Memory When Necessary—You may need to select this option if you are
making high-resolution QTVRmedia or media that contains a lot of source images. If this
option is selected, QuickTime VR Authoring Studio uses some of your hard disk space as
virtual memory.
Files
m Temporary Files—The QuickTime VR Authoring Studio tools create intermediate files
while processing your QTVR media. You can specify the location where the temporary
files will be saved.
m Aliases—Select whether you want to use relative aliases, and whether you want to include
the full path name in the filenames for output files. A relative alias records the location of
a file relative to the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio document it is associated with.
m Output Files—Select the checkbox labeled Automatically Specify Output Files When
Saving Documents if you do not want to name output files each time you create a scene,
object, or panorama. If you want to name the final QTVR file, but don’t care about the
names of the intermediate files, then select the checkbox labeled Only Specify Necessary
Output Files.
12 Chapter 2
Panoramas
m Compression—You can select a default compression method for making panoramas.
Details on selecting a compression method appropriate for panoramas are in Appendix A.
m Tiles—You can specify a tiling scheme if you do not want the Panorama Maker or the
Panorama Stitcher tools to set the tiling scheme automatically. For more information on
tiling, see Chapters 3 and 4.
m Files suffixes—If you do not want to use the default file suffixes shown, type new file
suffixes in the “Panorama image file,” “Panorama Node file,” and “Tile file” boxes.
These file types are explained in Chapter 4.
Objects
m Compression—You can select a default compression method for making objects. Details
on selecting a compression method appropriate for objects are in Appendix A.
m Files suffixes—If you do not want to use the default file suffixes shown, type new file
suffixes in the “Movie file” and “Object file” boxes. These file types are explained in
Chapter 5.
Introduction to QuickTime VR Authoring Studio 13
m Preload—Select to have frames of your object movie loaded before they are played.
m Cache hint—Select to have each frame of the object movie kept in memory as long as
possible when playing the object movie.
Motion Control
m Use motion control application—If you have a camera attached to your computer, you
can capture images directly into the Object Maker window. (See “Capturing Images
Directly” in Chapter 5 for more information.) You can use a motion control application to
control the movement of the turntable the object is mounted on, or to control the
movement of the camera.
m Select Application—If you click this button, a dialog box appears that lets you select a
motion control application.
m Wait for acknowledgments from application—If this option is selected, QuickTime VR
Authoring Studio waits a specified amount of time for the motion control application to
send a signal before capturing each image. This assures the object is not moving when the
image is captured.
14 Chapter 2
CHAPTER
3
Making a Panorama
From an Existing Panoramic Image
You can create a QTVR panorama in one of two ways using QuickTime VR Authoring Studio:
m by first creating a single panoramic image with a 3D rendering or CAD application or a
panoramic camera, and then converting the image to a QTVR panorama using the
Panorama Maker
m by capturing a series of images and then stitching the images together using the
Panorama Stitcher
This chapter shows you how to use the Panorama Maker.
It’s recommended that you learn the features of the Panorama Maker by using the panoramic
image provided on the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD. Once you have mastered using
the Panorama Maker, see Chapter 8, “Creating Source Material,” for tips on creating your
own images.
15
Using the Panorama Maker
To make a panorama from a single panoramic image, follow these steps:
1 Double-click the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio icon.
2 Choose New from the File menu, then select Panorama Maker.
A dialog box appears.
3 Type a name for your Panorama Maker document.
A Panorama Maker document is a record of your Panorama Maker session. If you quit
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio before you make the panorama, you can open the
document later to continue your work. You can also open the Panorama Maker document to
make changes to a panorama you’ve already finished.
4 Click Save.
The Panorama Maker window appears.
16 Chapter 3
5 Click Add Image.
A dialog box appears. Select the image you want to use for your panorama and click
Open. You can use any image that is in a format supported by QuickTime, such as PICT, TIFF,
JPEG, and GIF.
Shortcut: Instead of clicking Add Image, you can drag the image file you want to use to the
bottom section of the Panorama Maker window.
The image you select appears in the Panorama Maker window.
6 Check to be sure the image is oriented properly.
Normally the image should be in landscape orientation. If the image is in portrait orientation,
you may need to rotate it 90 degrees or –90 degrees. The left arrow rotates the image
counterclockwise; the right arrow rotates it clockwise.
7 If you want the tile movie file to have a different name or location from the one listed next to
the Tile button, click Tile. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name and location for the
tile movie file.
The tile movie is an intermediate step in the creation of a panorama. To make the tile movie,
the Panorama Maker compresses your image and divides it into equal-sized sections called
tiles.You can view a tile movie using a standard QuickTime player.
Be sure to click the checkbox next to the Tile button if you want to save the tile movie. There
are two reasons you may want to save the tile movie:
m To save time—If you decide to remake the panorama later and you saved the tile movie,
the Panorama Maker does not have to repeat the compression step.
m To play the panorama from your hard disk—If you don’t flatten the panoramic movie file
(see step 14), you must save the tile movie to be able to view your panorama.
8 If you want your panorama to have a different name or location from the one listed next to
the Pano button, click Pano. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name and location for the
panorama file.
The panorama file is the final QTVR panorama. To save your panorama, make sure there is an
X in the checkbox next to the Pano button.
Making a Panorama From an Existing Panoramic Image 17
9 Click Settings.
The Panorama Maker Settings window opens with the Compression tab selected.
If there is an X in the checkbox labeled Auto, the Panorama Maker will calculate the optimal
number of tiles to dice your panorama into. You should use the Auto setting unless you
understand the concept of tiling and want the Panorama Maker to use a specific dicing
scheme. You can find out more about tiling in Virtual Reality Programming with QuickTime
VR 2.0.
18 Chapter 3
10 If you want to change the type, depth, or quality of compression, click the Settings button.
The Compression Settings window opens. For details on selecting a compression method,
see Appendix A.
11 Click OK to close the Compression Settings window.
12 Click the Playback tab and adjust the playback settings.
The playback settings determine the orientation, viewing size, and field of view of the
panorama when the user opens it.
m Panorama Viewing Size—Type the width and height, in pixels, of the playback window.
m Default Pan—If you want your panorama to open with a pan angle other than zero, type a
pan angle. The pan angle is the horizontal distance (in degrees) from the “starting point”
of the panorama.
m Pan Range—If the panorama covers a full 360 degrees, enter 0 degrees for Start and 360
degrees for End. If the panorama is less than 360 degrees, enter the values that specify the
scope of the panorama. For example, if the panorama covers 210 degrees of the horizon,
enter 0 degrees for Start and 210 degrees for End.
m Default Tilt—If you want your panorama to open with a tilt angle other than zero, type
a tilt angle. The tilt angle is the distance (in degrees) above or below the “horizon” of
the panorama.
m Tilt Range—Click the checkbox labeled Auto if you want the Panorama Maker to calculate
the tilt range automatically. Otherwise, enter values to specify the tilt angles for the top
and bottom of the panorama.
m Default Zoom—If you want your panorama to open with a zoomed-in view, type the
percentage of zoom.
m Zoom Range—Enter the minimum and maximum zoom angle for your panorama.
Making a Panorama From an Existing Panoramic Image 19
13 Click the Imaging tab and adjust the imaging settings.
Imaging settings determine the quality and speed of the image during playback. (They do
not affect the quality of the stored panorama.) Staticsettings affect the panoramic image
when it is not moving. Motionsettings affect the panoramic image while it is being moved by
the viewer.
Thequalitysettings determine the general display quality of the panorama. The lower the
quality settings, the faster the responsiveness to the user. In most cases, you should choose
the Normal quality setting for motion and the High quality setting for static.
20 Chapter 3
Thecorrection settings determine how much the image is processed to make it look correct
on the screen. You should usually choose Full correction when the image is a true panorama.
You can choose None when the image is planar, such as a map.
Note: You should use the same correction settings for both static and motion to avoid
discontinuity between viewing the moving and the static image.
14 Click the File tab.
m Flattening—If you plan to distribute your panorama to other users, be sure the checkbox
labeled Flatten To Data Fork is selected. Panoramic movies that are not flattened will not
play unless the tile movie file is in the same location as the panoramic movie file.
Note: Files must be flattened to play on Windows computers.
m Copyright—Adding copyright information to your QTVR panorama is optional. When you
use MoviePlayer to view your panorama, you can see the copyright information by
choosing Show Copyright from the Movie menu.
15 Click OK.
The Panorama Maker Settings window closes.
16 Click Make Pano.
It takes a few minutes for the Panorama Maker to create the panorama. When it is done, a
playback window opens.
Making a Panorama From an Existing Panoramic Image 21
Using this window, you can view the panorama and adjust the playback settings. These
settings determine how the panorama looks when it is first opened. If you make any
adjustments you want to save, click Set Playback Settings, then remake the panorama with
the new settings.
17 Close the playback window, then close the Panorama Maker window.
Choose Quit from the File menu if you are done using QuickTime VR Authoring Studio.
22 Chapter 3
CHAPTER
4
Stitching a Panorama
From a Series of Images
This chapter shows you how to create a panorama from multiple images. The source material
for a stitched panorama can be images taken with a film or digital camera, images captured
from a video camera or video media, or 3D rendered graphics. It’s recommended that you
learn the features of the Panorama Stitcher by using the source material provided on the
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD. Once you have mastered using the Panorama Stitcher,
see Chapter 8, “Creating Source Material,” for tips on capturing or photographing images
for panoramas.
Using the Panorama Stitcher
To make a panorama from a series of images, follow these steps:
1 Double-click the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio icon.
2 Choose New from the File menu, then select Panorama Stitcher.
A dialog box appears.
3 Type a name for your Panorama Stitcher document.
A Panorama Stitcher document is a record of your Panorama Stitcher session. If you
quit QuickTime VR Authoring Studio before you stitch the panorama, you can open the
document later to continue your work. You can also open the Panorama Stitcher document
to make changes to a panorama you’ve already finished.
23
4 Click Save.
The Panorama Stitcher window appears.
5 Open the Lens pop-up menu and choose the lens you used to photograph your images.
If your lens does not appear in the menu, choose Edit, then click New. Add the appropriate
information. For details on how to add a new lens, see “Adding a Lens” later in this chapter.
24 Chapter 4
If you are using the images from the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD, choose
18mm Portrait.
6 Click Add Images.
A dialog box appears. Select the images you want to use for your panorama and click Open.
You can use any images that are in a format supported by QuickTime, such as PICT, TIFF,
JPEG, and GIF.
Shortcut: Instead of clicking Add Images, you can drag the folder containing the images
you want to use to the bottom section of the Panorama Stitcher window.
The images you select appear in the Panorama Stitcher window in alphanumeric order by
filename. If the file-naming scheme you used does not result in the proper sequence of
images for your panorama, you need to rename your files before you add them to the
Panorama Stitcher window.
7 Click to select the checkbox labeled Images Wrapped if the images give a 360-degree view of
the scene.
If this option is selected, the Panorama Stitcher connects the first image to the last image. Do
not wrap the images if you are creating a partial panorama. The sample images on the
QuickTime VR Authoring Studio CD form a 360-degree panorama.
8 Click Image Alignment.
The Image Alignment window opens.
9 Enter the appropriate information in the Horizontal Alignment section.
Enter the number of degrees between each image. For example, if you captured 12 images
for a 360-degree panorama, each image is 30 degrees from the next.
The Panorama Stitcher calculates the amount of overlap in pixels based on the number of
degrees between images and the length of lens you used to capture the images. If you
change the lens length or the degrees between images, click Recalculate.
If you want the Panorama Stitcher to search for the best horizontal alignment, enter a value
in the box labeled Search Range. The Panorama Stitcher looks for similarities between images
within the pixel range you specify.
Stitching a Panorama From a Series of Images 25
10 If your images were not captured on a level plane, enter the appropriate information in the
Vertical Alignment section.
If you are not able to keep the camera absolutely level when you shoot your images, adjacent
images may be vertically misaligned. You can estimate the vertical offset (in pixels) to
compensate for the misalignment. You can also enter a search range that the Panorama
Stitcher uses to align the image.
Note: If your images do not align properly, see “Aligning Images” later in this chapter for
information on how to use the Pair Alignment feature of the Panorama Stitcher.
11 Click OK.
12 Check to be sure the images are oriented properly and in the correct order.
Click each image you want to rotate, then click one of the rotation arrows to rotate the image
counterclockwise or clockwise.
13 Click one of the Sort buttons if you want to change the order of the images.
26 Chapter 4
You can sort your images in alphanumeric or reverse alphanumeric order.
Note: You can also change the order of images by dragging the image you want to move to a
new position in the series of images.
14 If you want the PICTfile to have a different name or location from the one listed next to
the PICT button, click PICT. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name and location for
the PICT file.
The PICTfile is an intermediate step in the creation of a panorama. To create the PICT file, the
Panorama Stitcher stitches your images into one file, then stores it in the location you specify.
If you want to save the PICT file for later use, click the checkbox next to the PICT button.
There are three reasons you may want to save the PICT file:
m To save time—If you save the PICTfile and you later decide to remake your panorama, the
Panorama Stitcher skips the stitching step, so processing time is much shorter.
m To retouch the image—If you want to make changes to the image, you can change the
PICTfile, then remake the panorama.
m To diagnose problems—If your panorama does not look the way you think it should, the
PICT file may help you determine the problem.
15 If you want the tile movie file to have a different name or location from the one listed next to
the Tile button, click Tile. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name and location for the
tile movie file.
The tile movie is an intermediate step in the creation of a panorama. To make the tile movie,
the Panorama Stitcher creates a PICTimage, then compresses it and divides it into equalsized sections called tiles.You can view a tile movie using a standard QuickTime player.
Be sure to click the checkbox next to the Tile button if you want to save the tile movie. There
are two reasons you may want to save the tile movie:
m To save time—If you decide to remake the panorama later and you saved the tile movie,
the Panorama Stitcher does not have to repeat the compression step.
m To play the panorama from your hard disk—If you don’t flatten the panoramic movie file
(see step 24), you must save the tile movie to be able to view your panorama.
16 If you want your panorama to have a different name or location from the one listed next to
the Pano button, click Pano. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name and location for the
panorama file.
The panorama file is the final QTVR panorama. To save your panorama, make sure there’s an
X in the checkbox next to the Pano button.
17 Click Settings.
The Stitch Settings window opens with the Image tab selected.
Stitching a Panorama From a Series of Images 27
18 Select the image options appropriate for the panorama.
Image Processing
These options determine the types of processing applied to the stitched image. All except
Stretch are selected by default.
m Blend—Softens sharp edges within an image and where images overlap.
m Fill—Fills the edge of the image not covered by pixels from the source images with the
first non-black color identified by the Panorama Stitcher.
m Deskew—Compensates for slight rotation in images that occurs when you capture
the images.
m Sharpen—Sharpens blurry images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels.
m Stretch—Stretches the source images as needed so they can be aligned more accurately.
28 Chapter 4
Image Size
m Crop—Removes pixels from the top and bottom of the stitched image to give a clean edge
and hide the boundaries of the original images. It is selected by default.
m Auto Size—Lets the size of the stitched image be determined by the size of the source
images. If you want to specify the size, be sure the Auto Size checkbox is not selected.
Then enter values (in pixels) in the Height and Width boxes.
Important If you are specifying the size, you should check the Tiles setting in the
Compression tab. Height must be a multiple of 4 times the number of vertical tiles. Width
must be a multiple of 4 times the number of horizontal tiles. If you use the default tiling
scheme of 24 vertical tiles and 1 horizontal tile, height must be divisible by 96, and width
must be divisible by 4.
19 Click the Compression tab.
If there is an X in the checkbox labeled Auto, the Panorama Stitcher will calculate the optimal
number of tiles to dice your panorama into. You should use the Auto setting unless you
understand the concept of tiling and want the Panorama Stitcher to use a specific dicing scheme.
You can find out more about tiling in Virtual Reality Programming with QuickTime VR 2.0.
20 If you want to change the type, depth, or quality of compression, click the Settings button.
The Compression Settings window opens. For details on selecting a compression method,
see Appendix A.
21 Click OK to close the Compression Settings window.
22 Click the Playback tab and adjust the playback settings.
The playback settings determine the orientation, viewing size, and field of view of the
panorama when the user opens it.
Stitching a Panorama From a Series of Images 29
m Panorama Viewing Size—Type the width and height, in pixels, of the playback window.
m Default Pan—If you want your panorama to open with a pan angle other than zero, type a
pan angle. The pan angle is the horizontal distance (in degrees) from the “starting point”
of the panorama.
m Pan Range—If the panoramic image covers a full 360 degrees, enter 0 degrees for Start
and 360 degrees for End. If the panorama is less than 360 degrees, enter the values that
correctly specify the scope of the panorama. For example, if the panorama covers 210
degrees of the horizon, enter 0 degrees for Start and 210 degrees for End.
m Default Tilt—If you want your panorama to open with a tilt angle other than zero, type
a tilt angle. The tilt angle is the distance (in degrees) above or below the “horizon” of
the panorama.
m Tilt Range—Click the checkbox labeled Auto if you want the Panorama Stitcher to
calculate the tilt range automatically. Otherwise, enter values to specify the tilt angles for
the top and bottom of the panorama.
m Default Zoom—If you want your panorama to open with a zoomed-in view, type the
percentage of zoom.
m Zoom Range—Enter the minimum and maximum percentage of zoom for your panorama.
30 Chapter 4
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