MagToo is a service for creating really simple slide shows and interactive panoramic photos you can share on your blog or social-networking profile or by e-mail. To help put what you share into context, MagToo also throws in geotagging, letting you stamp any of the content you've added with a specific place where it was taken. Other users can then browse through the items on a large world map like they would photos and videos on Flickr.
Of all the tools my favorite is the panorama maker. While I couldn't get any of the three tests I did to look as good as the example shot, the site offers up a small guide to help get your panoramic-photo-taking skills up to snuff.
Like software that comes with some digital cameras, MagToo will take up to five photos across and several down and stitch them together into a single image. The final result goes into a small viewer that will automatically scroll back and forth, or let you casually pan around with your mouse. It's quite engaging, especially with large photos that have a lot of detail.
One snag I ran into is that it's nearly impossible to add other panoramics you've done into a single slide show viewer without first saving them as their own photographs, then plugging them back in. It's kind of irritating, but easily fixable. Otherwise get used to making panoramics one at a time. The panoramic tool also requires Internet Explorer, as ActiveX fuels the photo-stitching tool.
The service isn't nearly as jaw-droppingly beautiful as ViewAt.org, a geotagged panoramic photo viewer I looked at in September of last year, but it's far easier to compile casual shots into some really beautiful panoramic pictures. You could also just shell out for a DSLR with an $800 panoramic lens, but MagToo will let you get by with that point and shoot you can fit in your pocket.
(Via SociableBlog and MoMB)
If you're into panoramic photos there's a cool place just for you. It's called viewAt, and it's a really slick panoramic photo service where you can browse through other people's panoramic photos, and upload your own. If you've ever checked out panoramic shots on other photo services, you'll know they're hard to enjoy unless you have a large, widescreen monitor. Even then, you're missing out on the experience of actually looking around like you would in real life. viewAt attempts to solve this problem with its specially designed Flash viewer that lets you pan around and enjoy big, panoramic shots in their full glory.
The service employs the Flash Panorama Player, which manages to serve up a similar experience to the Quicktime VR functionality of yore, but uses the same plug-in you've got installed to watch YouTube videos. Each of the shots on viewAT is geotagged as well, letting you sort and browse through shots by country. There's also a mini map that opens up below each shot to let you see if there are others nearby. Other users can comment on the shot, as well as read up on the equipment and technique that was used to capture it.
If you're looking to upload your own panoramics to the service, there is some heavy lifting involved. viewAt has provided a brief how-to here, although be warned--it involves a stitching program, and some photography skills.
Enjoy other people's panoramic works at viewAt. If you've got one of your own, you can upload it too.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
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