ADG"s greatest advantage is that no additional programs are required in order to view the 360-degree images. While Apple"s solution requires QuickTime to be installed on your computer, and other panorama programs need additional plug-ins for your web browser in order to make the images visible, ADG Panorama doesn"t need any of that. The images can be viewed in any web browser that supports Java. However, if you prefer QTVR or JPEG - there are no problems! Simply click "Options" button to change output file format. The 3D image generated with ADG Panorama is easily displayed in browsers with Java capability. The user can zoom into the image, pan from right to left or scroll vertically through the photo. The production of a panorama of this kind is based on individual photos that are combined by the software in seamless fashion. The photos must be evenly spaced and taken from a tripod if at all possible (see Power Tip).Depending on the focal length of the lens, just a few shots are enough to create an impressive 360-degree image. The important thing is that the individual photos overlap a little, because only then can the software generate a seamless panorama. Twelve shots are basically recommended, each of which is taken at an interval of 30 degrees with a slightly wide-angle lens of 34 millimeters focal length.The images are transferred to the computer and numbered. In this context, keep in mind that ADG expects the images to arrive in clockwise order. This means that the second image is attached to the right of the first photo. In addition, you should edit the individual images in an image editing program, i.e. match the colors. You can get help from the automatic functions contained in image editing programs that automatically correct the tonal value settings or curves.After you start the program, the individual images to be combined to form the 360-degree view are opened in ADG. Once the photos have been edited and loaded in ADG Panorama, the user can first make the basic settings required for viewing later on. Changing these parameters results not only in qualitative differences, but naturally also in image files of various sizes for downloading from the Internet. The only thing you can do here is experiment in order to find a good mix between quality and the data volume you can expect viewers of your website to handle. The user starts the stitching process in ADG Panorama by clicking on the corresponding icon in the tool bar. Only it"s photos and not cloth that are sewn together in this case! The user can sit back for a few moments and watch on the monitor how the program searches for matching features in two adjacent photos and merges them by slightly overlapping them. During this process, the software displays the parameters it uses for overlapping in the status line at the bottom of the screen - including the angle at which the photos were connected to one another. The entire process goes so fast that the panorama is finished in just a few seconds. Just watching the Auto Stitching process is a lot of fun. The program shows in live action how it connects the images by tilting and sliding them a little. ADG Panorama simultaneously displays the coordinates and image numbers on the bottom line. In most cases, the program"s automatic functions are totally sufficient for generating a seamless panorama. In rare instances, however, the software cannot find enough matching points in two adjacent images in order to carry out the stitching process. The user must intervene manually here and he has two tools to do so. The two tools are very easy to understand. The first tool can be used to shift the image both horizontally and vertically in order to match it to the adjacent image. The second function relates to the angle at which the photo is to be "stitched" to its neighbor. Since both processes are visible on the monitor in real time, merging in these problem cases is still very easy and takes just a few seconds. Once all image editing processes have been completed to the satisfaction of the user, the great moment of image export comes next. ADG Panorama stores not only the stitched image, but also the required Java applet, the graphic control elements and the actual HTML page. Right after exporting, you can thus open and view the panorama image in a web browser, such as the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. The automatically generated "viewer" can easily be integrated in your website by copying the HTML code, so you can present the pictures to a broad public.Incidentally, ADG"s website has a bunch of links to various sites that have 360-degree views. They show how you can also create 3D views of objects for use in web shops, for example. When the "visitor" enters a virtual store of this kind, he can look at a product from all angles and decide whether he would like to buy it based on the panorama image. BASIC FEATURES - Automatically aligns images (Auto-stitching) - Automatically warps images into true cylindrical view - Automatically blends & corrects colors (Auto-blending & color-matching) - Automatically corrects brightness along panoramic image - Automatically corrects contrast of panoramic image - Automatically calculation of optimal output image resolution - Automatically lens detection - Automated panorama embedding into the web page - Automatically calling of stitching and Web preview - Adjustment of panoramic image resolution - Adjustment of panoramic image compresson - Adjustment of images order and rotation. - Interactive 3D Editor for photos alignment and lens/tilt adjustment - Output files format: ADG, QTVR, JPEG - Source files format: JPEG, TIFF, TARGA, BMP, GIF - Single panoramic image import - Input image EXIF format support - TWAIN-32 import from scanners and digital cameras - No restrictions on single size of all input images - Saves projects to work on later - Customized user interface - Output image bilinear filtration - Vertical camera movement perspective correction - Mouse, wheel and keyboard control - Javascript control - 3D hardware support