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Message |
    
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 31
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 7:00 am: |   |
Yeah ! Nearly 1 year without update ! Is this project DEAD ? |
David Richardson
New member
Username: Customdavid
Post Number: 50
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 11:36 am: | |
Oliver -
I certainly hope not. You and I have been around here for several years and have seen some of the things John has done, so I hope there is more to come. Speaking personally, I still am doing panorama photography, but do not use Panoramafactory as much for three reasons:
1. My 64 bit OS, while supported by Panoramafactory (and runs great BTW) is not supported by Apple QTVR, which is where most of my work had been. While this is not PF's fault, I have yet to go back and re-do all of my Panoramas from the last few years with another VR approach.
2. While I still try to take most of my panoramas with a pano head, sometimes I just have the camera and snap shots hand held. Other software lets me just throw it all in the blender and it comes out nicely on the other end. PF makes me struggle to match the points between every image if I don't have a pano head.
3. While PF has gone a long way in the last few years, it is still best suited for a single row panoramas. Trying to do a sphere is difficult and while others close the gap at top and bottom, PF still leaves the sphere open.
What I do like about PF is the control I have and the wide variety of outputs. The batch feature is something I particularly love and to me the strongest selling point. I realize that this is not part of the "standard" PF, but it has been great. I still think that there should be a interface to process the batch files for you. The one I wrote does a great job, but I think it could go further if it was integrated.
I love being able to very accurately line up images manually when you need to. Then adjust the perspective to get it to the desired look. I would really love it if you could throw the images in and get close and then tighten the final points in PF.
I hope that John will surprise us soon with a version 6 that will address some, if not all of these features and will show us what is next in the area of Panorama photography. In the mean time, I will use PF when it is appropriate, and when I need the control.
PF is still a great product, and I hope it gets back to regular updates as well.
David |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 32
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 11, 2010 - 4:58 am: | |
David,
I also hope that PF is not dead.
But I don't use it for stitching, because I bought a fisheye, and that is not supported by PF; so I changed to the free 'Hugin' stitcher. John was afraid of using fisheye calculation, in regards of pattent of Sony (I really hate Sony for many reasons : expensive memory sticks, rootkits on audio CDs, sony's dvd anti copy protection that makes the dvd unreadeable on some sony dvd players ,  , etc...). But if Hugin, PTGUI do it, why not PF ?
I only use PF as pano converter for the moment.
Also waiting for version 6, but I'm not sure there will be one. I would be proud to beta test it, if any ;)
Cheers,
Olivier.
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Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 33
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Friday, April 09, 2010 - 11:38 am: | |
Hmmm, no answer from John 
Hey, John, I also want to Alpha test, if no beta for the moment 
Please, don't tell us you a spending your time on an iPhone version  . We need a new PC version !
(Message edited by kitarolivier on April 09, 2010) |
David Richardson
New member
Username: Customdavid
Post Number: 52
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Friday, April 09, 2010 - 12:08 pm: | |
iPhone...Not John, got to be an iPad!
(Having neither of those, I would also love an updated PC version).
David |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 34
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Monday, May 17, 2010 - 3:46 am: | |
Today, there is one year without news. Not even a small update or bug fix.
I'm so sorry John (if you are still alive ?!). Maybe you have other business and no more time to spend on PF ?
I will leave PF for another software that allow fisheyes and get updates from time to time. Maybe Hugin in a first time, but PTGUI seems more user friendly.
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Eddie Hardman
New member
Username: Mr_edd
Post Number: 4
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Monday, May 17, 2010 - 11:15 am: | |
I am still using PF for all my panoramas. I have been using it for years (lost count) and is my first choice.
It would be a shame if this project has come to an end.
Hope John is well and alive and kicking.
Edd |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 35
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2010 - 3:09 am: | |
I'm still checking the site nearly every day, with the hope of ...
No success |
David Richardson
New member
Username: Customdavid
Post Number: 57
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2010 - 9:37 am: | |
Me too. Hopefully one day our patience will be rewarded.  |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 36
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2010 - 11:33 am: | |
Yeah, but when ???
It seems that John Strait does not even read the forums, otherwise he would have post something here... |
Gregg Childs
New member
Username: Photoguy42
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2010
| | Posted on Friday, August 06, 2010 - 7:43 pm: | |
I've been a PF fan for what seems like 10 years. When I chanced across the gallery, I was hooked on panorama photography. I think it cost me $35 back then. PF was so easy and user friendly, and John would answer my stupid questions within 24 hours, easy. Now, I can't seem to get any questions answered. My optimistic nature is telling me that John is secretly working on such a new upgrade in panorama stitching that will knock the pixels out of PTGui, Autopano Pro, and all the pretenders. He's not wanting to get us excited until he has an actual working package with no bugs. Please answer Yes, John. |
David Richardson
New member
Username: Customdavid
Post Number: 61
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 06, 2010 - 8:04 pm: | |
I hope you are right. It does surprise me that he has not responded to user questions in the current version for some time. I checked and the domain is registered through 2013, so let's hope he has a dazzler up his sleeve.
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Eddie Hardman
New member
Username: Mr_edd
Post Number: 5
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2010 - 7:46 am: | |
I was recently at a Car Club meet where I got them to form a circle. I did a full circle panorama and posted a link to them all.
A lot of interest was shown in how I did it and some said they would like to get PF.
I think there is still a lot of potential out there for this product.
Edd |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 37
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2010 - 3:15 pm: | |
Eddie, don't tell them to buy a dead product. There is no future with it. I recomend now using PTGUI. Support of fisheyes, many other things, and now in V9 beta 1 : can make a mask to remove some part of a picture (will not use it in blended panorama), or force to use this part (must be in blended).
I year without any news of John S., I hope (for him and his family) that he is not dead, but he doesn't even answer the mail. Maybe he has other priorities in his live now.
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Mr Edd
New member
Username: Mr_edd
Post Number: 6
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2010 - 5:35 pm: | |
What I don't understand is it costs money to keep a site like this up and running.
I( guess it will just disappear one day and that will be that,
I have been using it since the very late 90's when I worked at a school and demonstrated it to the kids. We had panoramas all over the school when we did an online walk around the school.
I have updated every time a new version came out.
I also demonstrated it to a school in Germany and I believe they really got into it.
I still use it quite often and it is my first point of call when I need to stitch images.
Once it becomes really clunky then I might move to something else. |
David Richardson
New member
Username: Customdavid
Post Number: 62
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2010 - 8:26 pm: | |
I have not been using it lately, but not because it is not a good product, but because Apple does not support 64 Bit creation of QTVR's in Quick Time. Maybe I should move to Java, but tried working with MS ICE and really liked the results. Pro's - Allowed me to get back to hand held panoramas (which are tough in PF). Con's does not allow me to do some of the really great post processing (i.e. drawing the blended areas to exclude problems) or fine tuning (i.e. when the auto stitch feature goes awry in ICE you can manually blend in PF).
As far as the cost for the site. Right now I have 4 sites for different reasons. Each one is paid up several years in advance both for the domain name and for hosting. If everything is prepaid the site will stay running for years, just never see any changes.
Lets hope we see changes. |
Robert Bernstein
New member
Username: Sbgreen
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2010 - 8:39 pm: | |
Yes, why no updates for a year? Can you please provide support for the Nikon Coolpix P100? |
John Strait
Moderator
Username: Jstrait
Post Number: 382
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2011 - 1:15 pm: | |
Hi Robert,
A camera library update (long overdue) is coming soon--I'm working on it right now. The Coolpix P100 will be in the list!
John
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Robert Bernstein
New member
Username: Sbgreen
Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2010
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2011 - 2:25 pm: | |
Great! Thanks, John! I love Panorama Factory and am very happy to know it is still alive and well! |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 38
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2011 - 4:09 pm: | |
I cant beleive it ! John, why so long without news ? Are you Okay ? |
Mr Edd
New member
Username: Mr_edd
Post Number: 7
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Monday, January 03, 2011 - 4:26 am: | |
Great to see that John is alive and well and this fantastic software maybe getting a new lease of life.
Edd |
Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 39
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Friday, January 07, 2011 - 3:42 am: | |
I'm leaving panorama factory due the lack of updates and news of John.
Moved to PTGUI (bought 2 days ago). Panorama factory will need may improvement to reach the power of PTGUI : masking for forcing part of images to be included / removed, support for Fisheyes, full sphere panorama, etc...
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Olivier Detry
New member
Username: Kitarolivier
Post Number: 40
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Friday, March 25, 2011 - 5:34 pm: | |
Nearly 2 years without oupdate now (you can't consider a camera database update as an update).
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