Review: Realviz Stitcher Unlimited 5.5 panorama creator

Realviz has reorganized its Stitcher line of panoramic photo-stitching applications into three, namely Stitcher Unlimited, Pro and Express.

We've reviewed the Unlimited version here. Like the Pro version, it's aimed at professionals, but it can also stitch fisheye images and convert between panorama formats. The Express version has nearly all the features of Pro, but at a quarter of the price.

The main new feature in this release (and pretty much the only new feature of note) is the ability to stitch together photos shot with a fisheye lens.

Panoramic applications that can stitch fisheye images are rare because of patents on the process held by US company Ipix Corporation.

It’s not clear whether Realviz moved in response to news of Ipix’s recent financial troubles, but it’s an interesting coincidence that this new fisheye-friendly version was released on the same day that Ipix filed for bankruptcy.

Whatever the reason, this feature is the missing piece of the puzzle that completes Stitcher.

Due to the wide angle of view, it's possible to stitch a panorama with as few as five fisheye shots, compared to around 13 with a super-wide-angle lens.

Automatic stitching means that, providing you’ve done the shooting part right, you simply have to import the images, click a button and wait for the results.

Rendering options include Spherical and Cubic; these provide flat non-VR (virtual reality) files that can be retouched. Stitcher uses the excellent third-party Enblend utility for seamless edges and adds an equally capable Smart blend option.

There are new VR output options including Immervision’s Java-based Pure Player and Field-Of-View’s Shockwave 3D-based Spi-V Viewer.

This release will cement Stitcher’s position as the leading tool for creating high-quality VR panoramas. The competition at this level, mostly based around Helmut Dersch’s Panorama tools suite, is capable but comparitively complex.

Related reviews:
Realviz Stitcher Express
Value-for-money image panorama application

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