Researchers at the University of Washington have managed to sew together millions of public photos, taken from the Internet, to create stable time-lapse videos. Their sequences depict everything from the construction of skyscrapers in Las Vegas to the retreat of glaciers.
The team started with a database of 86 million photos, sorting photos of 120,000 landmarks and the most common photo angles of those landmarks. Photos were warped to make them appear as if they were taken from the same viewpoint. The result is over 10,000 time-lapse sequences of nearly 3,000 landmarks, each comprising over 300 images.
While time-lapse photography usually requires a photographer to park themselves or their equipment in one place for a long time, this new system bypasses that and makes it easier than ever to put together stunning time-lapse videos.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Crowdsourced Time-lapses
- By utilizing publicly available photos, researchers are able to create time-lapse videos without the need for a dedicated photographer, opening up new possibilities for capturing dynamic sequences.
- Automated Photo Stitching
- The use of advanced algorithms to seamlessly combine millions of photos into stable time-lapse videos presents opportunities for automation and efficiency in the photography industry.
- Data-driven Visual Storytelling
- The ability to gather and analyze vast amounts of public photos enables the creation of compelling visual narratives through time-lapse documentation.
Where This Applies
- Photography
- The photography industry can leverage this innovation to offer new services and products that cater to the growing demand for unique time-lapse videos.
- Tourism and Travel
- Travel companies and destinations can utilize time-lapse videos created from public photos to showcase landmarks and attractions in an engaging and immersive way, enhancing visitor experiences.
- Research and Education
- The ability to create large-scale time-lapse sequences from public photos provides researchers and educators with valuable visual resources for studying various subjects, from geographical changes to urban development.
