Well, the long-running Panoweaver Series has been reviewed a couple of times now on Cyber Aspect, and with the release of version 5.0, we again thought we'd put it through its paces. Is it worth the upgrade? Sure is! And here's why.

Anyone out there who has tried to create virtual tours for a website will know that there are a lot of products available to get the job done. These can range in both quality and price quite dramatically, and may be a difficult learning curve for some users. Starting Panoweaver 5.0 I realised these needn't be problems when creating a Virtual Tour project, as what I had in front of me was an easy and efficient device, perfect for the job. For those unfamiliar with the program, Panoweaver is a professional tool that allows users the ability to seamlessly merge several digital images together in order to create a 3600 panoramic screen shot. Just perfect for real estate agents, virtual tour companies, web developers, or amateur digital photographers wishing to dabble.

Creating a new panorama is not a hugely complicated process, and is quite simply explained within the help menu in the program. All that is required is 4 - 8 fish-eye style digital shots of a panorama (depending on the type of box model you have selected) and then open these within the program. It is then just a matter of selecting which order the images are taken in, selecting a top and a bottom image, and then clicking the stitch button to have Panoweaver automatically line up and merge the images together. If you are not happy with the outcome (which I haven't experienced yet) then you are able to manually tell the program which points to line up yourself. Seems easy enough doesn't it? It is then just a matter of saving and publishing your work into either a Flash or Quicktime output file and you're done.

So why purchase this version over Panoweaver 4.0? Well this isn't just a mere upgrade but rather a package that offers much more controlled and higher quality results than in previous versions. Some of these new features include:

• The ability to publish high resolution panoramas for Flash output
• Now features the use of High Dynamic Range for images (HDR) which allows for greater resolution of over-exposed or under-exposed shots
• The ability to stitch a selection of images together without opening the program (simply highlight your selection and right click)
• Now supports stitching of 16 bit images
• Is now able to stitch raw camera file format straight from your camera
• Supports the Smartblend plug in allowing defective images within a panorama to be seamlessly merged
• Support stitching of images taken by wide angle zoom lenses

The Panoweaver featured customer range is extremely diverse, ranging from real estate and educational institutions, through to health care and transportation companies, and really makes a dramatic statement about the power of using Virtual Tours. With the Internet becoming a more and more popular resource for people to browse and base decisions on before even leaving their house, businesses really cannot afford to ignore this technology any longer.

 
Stitched Panoramic shot from Panoweaver

For professional and seamlessly integrated Virtual Tours, you cannot go wrong with Panoweaver 5.0. Sporting its simple interface, powerful tools, seamless image integration and quality final output, it really is a fantastic little program. It has taken the best parts of version 4.0 and added to it, creating an even greater overall package. Well worth the upgrade, and a valuable tool for any Virtual Tour creators or users wishing to add that little extra to their business. A well deserved two thumbs up.