A virtual tour is a simulated first-person view of an actual location allowing the viewer to move through the location by viewing a series of 360 degree panoramic images. Each 360 degree panoramic image is a composition of a number of still photographs stitched together to form an uninterrupted view of a given location.
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Don't be confused when you see "HD" virtual tours. The term "high definition" is used interchangably with "high quality". Although this term is used in conjunction with virtual tours, it is not a different type of technology for example when you compare HD Ready and non-HD Ready TV displays.
In effect all of our virtual tours are HD or high difinition as they are all high quality to start with. Our tours for example look amazing viewed at full screen size on an HD Ready 50" LCD TV as well as ona 15" computer monitor.
Often when you view a virtual tour its initial presentation will be reduced in size - usually to fit into an existing webpage or small sized browser window. However our virtual tours for example offer the viewer to view the image in full screen. This expands the tour to occupy your entire monitor screen area offering a truly immersive viewing experience - the best and only way to view a virtual tour. A full screen tour is exactly that - your full screen whether you have a 15" monitor or a 30" monitor - not a bit bigger than the smallest view, not twice as big, nor three times as big.
IPIX™ (IPIX Corporation.) was an imaging technology company headquartered in Reston, Virginia. A proprietary tour format primarily aimed at the American real estate market. IPIX™ filed for bankruptcy in 2006. You are required to download an IPIX™ viewer to view an IPIX™ tour.
Our high quality full screen virtual tours can start at as little as £189. We would be happy to send you a quote once we know your full requirements. See our pricing page or contact us for more information.
Typically it would take between 5 - 10 minutes to shoot each virtual tour viewpoint. We don't take short cuts nor compromise on quality so we keep shooting until we are completely satisfied we have the best shot possible.
See our "Choosing a tour provider" page to see why you must not use a virtual company who uses one shot lens technology. For an in depth comparison of oneshot and traditional lens photography, see our oneshot lens article.
This is another name for the one shot lens.
This is short for High Dynamic Range. Using this technique each time a photograph is taken the camera will process 3 images of the same shot with different exposure settings. For a given scene the camera produces dark, normal, and light versions of the image. What we do is take these three images and combine them to form a more naturally balanced image as the eye would see it. If you are interested in reading more, see our article on HDR photography - why we use it and why it is important in creating a high quality virtual tour.
An immersive image is one which fills the entire screen and gives a 360 degree view in every direction - the best way to simulate actually being there.
This is the set of menus, hotspots, buttons and clickable elements such as maps or plans that allow the viewer to move around a virtual tour. See our Westchurch showhome virtual tour which incorporates a number of these elements.
We use the term "viewpoint" to refer to a point within a building or location where the web visitor will view the tour from.
A clickable button or other on screen image that allows the viewer to move from one viewpoint to another. For example a hotspot located over a doorway may move you to the next room when clicked.
Field of View - sometimes known as field of vision. The human eye has an almost 180-degree forward-facing field of view. Our tours replicate this full 180 degree forward and rear facing view - the best way to give the feeling of "actually being there". Remember that one shot lenses cannot achieve this.
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Virtual tour BlogOur BLOG for anything and everything related to virtual tours and more.. |
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Helping you decideChoosing a virtual tour provider. Our guide to help you make the right choice. |
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Virtual tours explainedGetting around the jargon associated with virtual tours. |
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