Google launched the Cardboard Camera app for iOS users, ten months after it was launched for Android users. This app allows the users to create 360 degree 3D images, just using the smartphone camera.
The latest version of the app can be used to take VR photos.
How to click
The ‘how to’ is quite simple: hold the iPhone vertically- tap on record- turn around like clicking a panorama image.
The 3D effect is to the extent that it makes objects in the distance look far and the ones near look close by. Apart from the viewer being able to distinguish the objects placed far away, from the others, it gives a different view from each new angle. This feature in particular gives a 3D-like viewing experience. However, it is not really 3D, as such technology for flat screens without glasses isn’t available. The movement away from a flat and static image is quite refreshing. The option to allow recording audio with the image helps with the animated feel and create an immersive experience.
How to share
The biggest change since its launch is the social. From now on the users will be able to share their VR images on social media, according to the Google announcement.
In order to share the photos, the users will have to add them to an album and then click on share. However, the other users also need to have the same app, to view it. According to Google, since its launch for Android in December, last year, Android users have created over 5 million images.
There are an array of apps like Prisma and Vinci for Android and iOS, which hold on to a traditional flat imagery when it comes to making things interesting. The Cardboard Camera, on the other hand, has created a different domain for photos and images. Allowing regular smartphones to click 3D images is as close to getting the best out of a smartphone camera as it can get.
It is similar to panorama images, but with Google’s imagination. The app is a little away from perfect, but knowing the giants, it is going to get better. Just like in panoramic images, a little shake of the hands ruins the entire image. If one may wonder, just like most other Google apps, this one is also free.
