How could Apple create a seamless dynamic desktop background from the same Catalina Island viewpoint at different times of day?
Asked 11/25/2019
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macOS Catalina includes a dynamic wallpaper showing Catalina Island from what appears to be nearly the same aerial viewpoint across multiple times of day. The images line up very closely, which makes me wonder how this was produced.
Was this likely done by repeatedly flying a drone back to the same position using GPS/altitude data, possibly with careful reference measurements and stitching, or would a workflow involving photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and heavy post-processing be more realistic? I'm mainly interested in the photographic/logistical side of how such a consistent series could be captured and aligned.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
2
This is just an opinion. But nowadays I do not think it is too difficult, as drones have altimeters and GPS.
You can add some laser measurements on a boat from you send the drone.
So It can be done with some budget. You do not even need GPS.
Get a couple of rangefinders. Find two reference spots A, and B, on the island and take some measures so you get the exact position of the boat in reference to the island.
Get a drone with an altimeter. There are big drones that can carry some weight, so probably you can put a big camera, or you could make several shots and stitch them together. (If you are a big brand you probably want to show off and use the big camera)
The images are "Just" 36Mpx. You could use a medium format camera with a higher pixel count and make some cropping to exactly match the framing.
I am sure that a couple of feet off is not a big deal.
A quick note. These brands like to show off the logistics of the making of the wallpapers. For example, the windows 10 wallpaper, that could easily be done in a 3D application is a photo using computer-controlled lights, etc, but a photo: https://youtu.be/ewmXizBqjl0
Knowing Apple, instead of using a medium format camera they probably even used an array of iPhones to make a higher resolution image. After all they are in the photography business.
Originally by user37321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37321
4y ago
0
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Most likely, this was achieved with a mix of precise capture and significant post-production.
On the capture side, repeating an aerial viewpoint is very feasible today. A drone can return to nearly the same GPS position and altitude, and a controlled launch point or additional reference measurements would improve consistency. If higher resolution was needed, multiple frames could also be stitched.
That said, the near-perfect alignment and some visual cues suggest it may not be eight purely straight photos. A plausible workflow is to capture source images from closely matched positions at different times, then use photogrammetry/3D modeling and compositing to refine alignment and blend elements. Heavy retouching would help keep the landscape consistent while changing light, sky, and atmosphere.
So the seamless result is probably not just “one drone, eight perfect flights,” but rather careful repeatable aerial capture combined with extensive modeling, warping, compositing, and retouching.
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