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image © Pete McArthur
Fall 2000
STUDIO
PHOTOGRAPHY
2000
2000
2000
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image © Pete McArthur |
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image © Pete McArthur
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Object VR |
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| Having grown far beyond "surround videos," VR opens new business vistas for studio and product photographers | ||
Fall 2000 by George Thomas |
Traditional product photography has accompanied websites,
print brochures and related sales collateral for many years now. With the global reach and
24/7 timeliness of the Internet, new demands are
placed on the seller. As e-commerce matures with the ever-expanding Internet, many
companies are now looking for new ways to display and sell their products. When it is not
possible for a buyer to see or hold a product for purchase, the next best thing to being
there live is an interactive digital image which is now commonly called a Virtual Reality
(VR) Object or Immersive Image. A VR Object consists of a series of digital images shot in
sequence then authored into an interactive digital file. These sequential shots simulate
the rotation or functionality of an object and display different views of the object. What
makes an immersive image "immersive" is the control a viewer has over the
object. Unlike a still image that presents one view, shot from the most appealing angle,
the immersive image is viewed from a variety of angles controlled by the viewer and
viewer’s mouse. Depending on the quantity of images shot, a viewer can rotate an
object in a landscape view to see the front and back of an object or longitudinally to
view top and bottom.
This VR object can be displayed
within a web page, CD-ROM or within a corporate Intranet. An Object VR image is displayed
as a digital sequence of images displayed through an image file format such as
QuickTimeVR, Macromedia Flash, JAVA script or animated GIF image. The source images that
comprise the sequence are captured in specific intervals within a 360-degree rotation. A
12-shot interval consists of 12 images, 1 shot every 30 degrees. To "rotate" an
object for higher-angle views, the camera is moved to a positive or negative angle in
relation to the landscape latitudinal view.
With additional views, the number of
total images increases as well as the file size of the overall image. A careful balancing
act between image quality and file size is always taken into consideration. Depending on
the method of display, the higher file sizes can be displayed on CD-ROM or Business to
Business high-speed T1 connections, while smaller file sizes can be displayed on a website
with a 56K Internet connection.
A variety of traditional and digital
equipment can be used to create an Object VR image. From 12 to 36 images will be needed
for creating a landscape view of an object, depending on the desired
"smoothness" of a rotational view. When adding a top or higher-angle view, the
quantity of images increases. When using a traditional film camera, careful attention must
be paid to lighting since the imaging production process includes film processing and
PhotoCD scanning. To maintain a visual consistency to the overall sequence of images,
attention also must be paid to the lighting for each captured interval. Strobes or hot
lights can be used, although some photographers favor hot lights in this situation for
their WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) qualities. Hot lights do have the advantage
of preview like not noticing some glare on frame 27 of a 36-shot rotation after the VR
image is shot!
An object turntable is an integral
part to creating a VR Object. An object turntable looks a lot like a pottery wheel. One
low-tech method is to purchase a lazy susan and manually index the turntable. Motorized
turntables have the advantage of automation and the functionality to interface with the
digital capture device (camera). Sequential rotations are either automatically executed or
rotated manually to provide the desired effects.
When shooting digitally more room
for experimentation and image capture exists. High-end digital cameras such as the Phase
One LightPhase will interface with a Phase One or Kaidan turntable. This interface offers
an automatic image capture and in some cases an integrated QuickTimeVR file creation.
Other digital cameras, while not offering the high resolution of the Phase One cameras, do
offer quite adequate resolution. The Nikon D1 and the Kodak DCS series are all great
cameras for this type of image capture. Many consumer-level cameras, however, can offer
professional results when combined with studio strobes and careful lighting.
Once the images are captured, a
variety of techniques can be used to author the sequential series of images into a VR
Object image. To create a QuickTimeVR image, Apple’s QuickTimeVR authoring studio or
VR Toolbox ObjectWorx are excellent professional choices. Within these software
applications, the final VR image is assembled and prepared for the designated display
method, whether it is a high-speed corporate usage or a consumer-level display visible to
an AOL user.
QuickTimeVR files require the
installation of "plug-in" software that is now commonly available in a free and
a low-cost professional version. Many VR authors also create a variety of
"flavors" of VR images in different file formats to allow for the many different
system configurations for the end user or viewer. Among these formats available are JAVA
scripts that present interactivity through mouse actions, interactive Flash animations
(require Flash Plug-in) and self running animated GIFs that are visible on all Internet
browsers.
Object VR photography enables
companies to showcase their products to a broad base of customers without physically
shipping product. Product functionality can be featured through a series of animations and
a variety of other information can be hyperlinked. VR images provide
"stickiness" (forces a visitor to stay on the site) to websites through their
interactivity and ironically their sometimes long download times. Involving a customer
with a virtual representation of the product they are interested in leads to a greater
chance of a sale. Object Virtual Reality photography is redefining the traditional meaning
of the Product shot. No longer is the product shot confined to one angle. Now a customer
can examine a product in its full dimensionality with the click of a mouse.
RESOURCES Immersive Imaging Equipment
Digital Cameras
VR Informational Resources
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