COOL 360

Rating:
Summary: Great Software
Review: I have used the trial software and found it to work better than my own Nikon software. It's quick, accurate and easy to use.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Program, Simple interface
Review: Cool 3d allows you to create 360 degree photos in a very simple way. The interface is easy to use, but provides a great deal of features. You can import from differnt programd including adobe illustrator, and export your project to flash or use your project in a presentation program like powerpoint. This is a very powerful program for a very good price. Ulead has some great plug-ins that you can download for free from their website including a very good instruction manual and some great samples. It is a very stable, fast, and powerful program that maybe people overlook. a steal at 40 bucks!

Rating:
Summary: Too Frustrating
Review: I bought this product wanting to scan my 12X12 scrapbook pages and then "stitch" them together. Forget it! It's hard to line up the pages, as well as the system kept locking up!

Rating:
Summary: It does what it says
Review: I had this software when it was first released. It worked OK But I lost the CD. It appears that in buying and downloading this latest release, they have cleaned up the code to allow a smoother operation in making 360 degree and extreme wide view splices. Did I say I liked it so much, I bought it twice?

The blending has been very good and so easy that my 8 year old has made 360 degree photos for 2nd grade (while I was at work).

It does what it says and does it very well. What more can you ask?!?

BTW, with the download option, I had it in 10 minutes, instead of waiting for a week to get it in the mail. Good choice for me.

Todd

Rating:
Summary: It does what it says
Review: I had this software when it was first released. It worked OK But I lost the CD. It appears that in buying and downloading this latest release, they have cleaned up the code to allow a smoother operation in making 360 degree and extreme wide view splices. Did I say I liked it so much, I bought it twice?

The blending has been very good and so easy that my 8 year old has made 360 degree photos for 2nd grade (while I was at work).

It does what it says and does it very well. What more can you ask?!?

BTW, with the download option, I had it in 10 minutes, instead of waiting for a week to get it in the mail. Good choice for me.

Todd

Rating:
Summary: Great for the money
Review: I was taking pictures of property in my area for a relative to view from a long distance. I found this software when I was investigating those virtual tours that some realtors use to showcase their listings. Ulead had a sample on thier site that was pretty good. I downloaded the free trial version and took a about 15 overlapping pictures with my digital camera to create a 360 view of my backyard. I uploaded the pictures into the program and it did everything for me. Using Ulead's viewer I was able to create a 360 virtual tour of my backyard. You can export it to a file with the viewer and email it, put it on a web page or even make a screen saver. This is a pretty cool piece of software for [the price]. ... Just a hint. Your project will turn out a lot better if you use a tripod to take the overlapping pictures. The software will merge things the best it can but if you have a couple of pictures where the camera was at a slightly different angle it will definitely make some rough spots in your project.

Rating:
Summary: With a Little Effort, Excellent Results
Review: I wasn't expecting much after a bad experience with Ulead's "Face Factory", but this product works well. As a test, I "organized" my work room (a bedroom with a bunch of computers and music gear) so everything was at about the same height. Then I set my 1 megapixel digital camera on a tripod on a small table in the middle of the room. I took 12 shots, rotating the camera to roughly match the hours on a clock. Then loaded the shots into the program and said "Go" (or whatever). It came out very good, pretty seamless, so that in Quicktime, you can mouse around the screen and feel like you're turning inside the room. Plus you can zoom in and out and raise and lower the view (a little). And, of course, the view is continuous, i.e. there is no "end" - you just keep turning and see the room again. Plus you can add Photoshop type filters to any or all of the shots for some interesting effects.

You do have to be careful about the clock hours views, if you don't align the shots like that you can get a discontinuity.

Rating:
Summary: With a Little Effort, Excellent Results
Review: I wasn't expecting much after a bad experience with Ulead's "Face Factory", but this product works well. As a test, I "organized" my work room (a bedroom with a bunch of computers and music gear) so everything was at about the same height. Then I set my 1 megapixel digital camera on a tripod on a small table in the middle of the room. I took 12 shots, rotating the camera to roughly match the hours on a clock. Then loaded the shots into the program and said "Go" (or whatever). It came out very good, pretty seamless, so that in Quicktime, you can mouse around the screen and feel like you're turning inside the room. Plus you can zoom in and out and raise and lower the view (a little). And, of course, the view is continuous, i.e. there is no "end" - you just keep turning and see the room again. Plus you can add Photoshop type filters to any or all of the shots for some interesting effects.

You do have to be careful about the clock hours views, if you don't align the shots like that you can get a discontinuity.

Rating:
Summary: With a Little Effort, Excellent Results
Review: I wasn't expecting much after a bad experience with Ulead's "Face Factory", but this product works well. As a test, I "organized" my work room (a bedroom with a bunch of computers and music gear) so everything was at about the same height. Then I set my 1 megapixel digital camera on a tripod on a small table in the middle of the room. I took 12 shots, rotating the camera to roughly match the hours on a clock. Then loaded the shots into the program and said "Go" (or whatever). It came out very good, pretty seamless, so that in Quicktime, you can mouse around the screen and feel like you're turning inside the room. Plus you can zoom in and out and raise and lower the view (a little). And, of course, the view is continuous, i.e. there is no "end" - you just keep turning and see the room again. Plus you can add Photoshop type filters to any or all of the shots for some interesting effects.

You do have to be careful about the clock hours views, if you don't align the shots like that you can get a discontinuity.

Rating:
Summary: Shallow Learning Curve & Great Results
Review: I've used Cool 360 for several years now. It's very easy to use, and, once you get the idea of a minimal overlap in each shot, it gives great results. You have to be aware of parallax, so using a tripod is very helpful. However, once the concept is mastered, you will get great wide agnle or 360 degree panoramic photos. For the price, it is the best out there for the purpose. I would like to see it updated to a full-screen mode and menus, but those are minor. Go for it!