DMD Panorama – Panoramas Made Easy
Camera phones have overtaken standalone digital cameras for most casual snapshots, but there are still some features that haven’t yet translated smoothly into a mobile experience.
Smartphones, for instance, can’t fully capture panoramic images with the same quality as a dedicated photographic device, and the loss of quality more easily shows in a widescreen picture, which require quality lenses to capture detail.
But camera phones are catching up. There are, of course, many apps that can stitch together photo panoramas from several images, but the vagaries of smartphone cameras can hamper the quality of the end result: the individual photos can be of uneven quality, and the “stitching” can look amateurish. However, the “DMD Panorama” app closes the gap between digital cameras and mobile phone ones, offering a quality photo app that makes often stunning widescreen images worthy of a Facebook cover photo spot.
What’s the App?
The DMD Panorama app, developed by Dermandar for iOS and Android for $2, is one of the best-rated panoramic picture apps currently on the market. A panorama’s success hinges ultimately on how well it can capture all the separate images of a vista. The big difference maker for the app is its fully-automated capture system — it makes it easy for users to captures all the single images that make up the widescreen shot without compromising quality. It also pieces together individual images together beautifully.
The app itself is easy to use, making it a snap to capture the images that make up panoramas with the help of a simple, elegant interface. You simply orient the camera vertically and then hit “Start.” As you steadily move to the left or right, a yin-yang symbol signals when the app is taking the next picture, up to 360 degrees — no need for you to stop and line up the “edges” of the next image. The app then stitches together the images to create a seamless photo panorama.
The capture system is excellent, but other photo features also add to the experience. You can control the light exposure within the camera, as well as pinch or double tap to zoom, letting you make adjustments to the image before capturing, helping you get as perfect a picture as possible before the app begins working. It’s also just a lot of fun to play around with, with a fast learning curve and great ease of use.
You’ll Want It If…
You’re a smartphone photography enthusiast who wants to go beyond the typical Instagram image and experiment with widescreen images. The app is also great for travelers who want to capture epic landscapes and city skylines that elude typical smartphone photo apps. Newbies and experts will find the app easy and fun to use, expanding the possibilities of photography further on mobile devices.
Instagram users who want to think beyond the square might also like DMD Panorama, especially if they like the sharing aspect of smartphone photography. Like most apps, DMD Panorama has many social sharing features, as well as the ability to browse and contribute to an evolving gallery of panoramic pictures — many of which are quite stunning.
It’s Not My Thing — What Else Ya Got?
Of all the panoramic photo apps I’ve tried, DMD Panorama overall rendered the most consistently quality results, and its bustling public gallery attests to this consistency. But it lacks some of the razzle-dazzle that makes smartphone photography so fun for many users, including the ability to edit and process your images on the fly. The Wonderland Panorama app for both iOS and Android offers the same capabilities as DMD Panorama, but also includes filters to add some pizzazz to your snaps. Many users have issue with some of the in-camera features, like the zoom function, but the ability to add some Instagram-like filtering to an image makes up for it for others.
