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Microsoft Image Composite Editor 2.0 offers new panorama features and improved interface

Published Feb 9, 2015 | Michael Archambault

Microsofts Research's Interactive Visual Media Group has announced the release of Image Composite Editor 2.0. The software's latest update, taking advantage of the company's Photosynth technology, can seamlessly stitch together 'gigapixel images', create panoramas from video, and automatically fill in missing areas of photographs.

Image Composite Editor 2.0 also includes new projection features, such as creating a 360-degree 'little world' panorama from your photographs. A complete redesign of the website and its interface allow ICE 2.0 to better communicate with its brother's software, Photosynth. Microsoft notes that these updates build on 'years of research' from the team in Redmond, Washington.

The software is available as a free download for Windows PCs in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. Support has yet to be announced for Mac OS X.

Via: Microsoft Research

Tags: microsoft, other-news

Comments

Total comments: 80

I'm having issues with straight lines. At least in closed environments, like a living room, with couch, tables and doors.

Does it work better in a more open environment, like landscape photography? Any good tips from people who have been using this for longer time?

0 upvotes

Even if i got other complex softwares for the same task, i still love it.
Their online viewer is very nice too.
Thanks about the news, i just updated it ;)

0 upvotes

Just as awesome and powerful as 1.4.4 was, but with new Auto-Complete capability (a very competent content aware auto-fill), and the new robust PSD output capability, this thing is great tool to add to your arsenal. Big thanks to the MSFT Research folks.

But why still the 8 bit engine, and output?

0 upvotes

You are welcome, happy to hear that ICE is working well for you.

There are lots of ways that we could do a better job taking 8bit source material and generating 16bit/HDR output.

But the engine is >8bit, given 16bit images ICE will produce a 16bit result, given 32bit (HDR) sources ICE will produce a 32bit result. Every feature (including Auto-Complete) supports this.

4 upvotes

Wow, thank you for that bit of information! I just confirmed that 16-bit source TIFFs in both the AdobeRGB and ProPhoto color spaces are indeed processed to generate 16-bit output in the respective color space.

My initial comment was based on my experience importing CR2 14-bit source files directly, which results in 8-bit output.

In any case, this is indeed a very powerful and serious photographic tool. You guys rock! This thing is a BEAST!

0 upvotes

I've been using MS ICE for what seems like ten years now. It has always been a good piece of software. The new interface will take some getting used to, but glad to see the added functionality.

Mostly, I'm really happy that they added the shell extension back in (it had somehow gotten left out of the last version or two). The shell extension lets you select your images, right-click and select "stitch images" so you don't have to hunt down the program and start it up separately.

0 upvotes

I've posted a pretty detailed assessment of ICE 2.0.2's output based on the 4K video footage of the Samsung Note4 at http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=20696207&postcount=7 .

In a word: absolutely excellent, far-far better than the output of the stock Camera app's dedicated sweep pano mode.

3 upvotes

This new version appears to do its intended work very well, but...

Why does the program, like so many new Windows programs, have to LOOK like a Tinkertoy app running on a Windows phone? There's not a hint of the visual richness and dimensionality that Windows 7 on a REAL COMPUTER so easily provides. All we get is a dreary, gray, flat rectangle. Who declared total lack of esthetics (AKA the Win 8 experience) to be a good thing? Even the Start Menu icon is dull.

Why am I not presented with a drag-and-drop interface until AFTER I load up at least one file from the Windows Explorer interface? What's the point of that?

Why do we have to look at advertisements and panos made by other people every time the program is started?

These things might seem trivial on one level, but they truly diminish the value of what ought to be a visual showcase and something that's fun to use. Despite the functional enhancements, I'm actually considering going back to version 1.4.4.

Comment edited 6 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

You can still drag-and-drop all at once. Just do it without clicking on the "New Panorama" button which brings up the file opener dialog.

1 upvote

Ah, thank you. It would have been nice for the developers to put the instructions in that space instead of what's actually there.

0 upvotes

+1 on the flat thing. I will never understand why flat and featureless Metro/Material design is now preferred over a richer 3D UI. So little for the eye to hang on to. Usually compounded by light grey 10-point text on an eye-watering expanse of shimmering white background (except DPR :) )

Comment edited 52 seconds after posting

1 upvote

Metro design style is great. Going back to Win7 after metro is like going back to 80's. Retro. ICE is a great tool with simple user interface.

0 upvotes

I think a hint as to why will be found in the price of ICE.

0 upvotes

The price is the same as it was in the previous versions that were not ugly and advertisement infested.

0 upvotes

"The price is the same as it was in the previous versions that were not ugly and advertisement infested."

Noone forces you to use it. There are plenty of other pano stitcher apps. Granted, much slower and/or commercial (non-free) ones, unlike the superfast an free ICE...

Comment edited 12 seconds after posting

1 upvote

"Noone forces you to use it. There are plenty of other pano stitcher apps."

Sounds like you haven't really read what I wrote.

1. I have happily used ICE for a long time, maybe even longer than you. Overall, it's a good product.

2. The latest version has nice enhancements but has become ugly (IMO) and advertisement infested, where the previous versions were not. I don't appreciate that.

3. Feedback on what people might feel Microsoft has done WRONG with this release should actually be welcomed by the developers, don't you think? Why shouldn't I provide that kind of feedback?

1 upvote

Sorry, I think we missed where you wrote the sentiments expressed in your #1 and #2 above (except the part about it being an ugly interface.. I can find that bit).

0 upvotes

I am new to ICE, but I really like it. Handles large numbers of images extremely well and the ability to click through the different projections without restarting the process is brilliant. And the price is fantastic.

0 upvotes

...just to complement the previous message: it is blaze fast. Faster than the previous version that was the fastest stitching program I had!

It makes, also, an amazing job stitching moving details as water waves or leaves under wind.

Kudos to Microsoft.

5 upvotes

It was some years ago I let PTGui to ICE. Except for once I always got from ICE better results every time I checked against PTGui and Photoshop stitching.

This new version looks (yet more) amazing!

Installed. Now I am looking for the opportunity to make some real panoramics...

0 upvotes

OMG the "strobo" feature is so cool. It takes a lot of work to do that without this software!

1 upvote

Hat's off to Microsoft for a nice free utility! Just what I needed - a bundled stitch program I still have from Canon is beneath contempt, and now I don't need Photoshop, which I was considering wasting $ on just to get decent panorama capability.
It's Lightroom + this freebie for me, saves $ for lenses, etc.

8 upvotes

Cool, hope it will update WPG (Windows Photo Gallery) too. It is one of the best free organizer around. WPG, Faststone together take care of most of need.

0 upvotes

Doesn't seem to work with RAW files (DNG)

1 upvote

This is not disadvantage, use tiff. Programs exchange tiff formats (e.g. between Lightroom and various plugins). You must first develop raw, then stitch panoramas.

Comment edited 26 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

Few do work with raw files. My understanding is the sort of editing required to make a pano requires bit mapped editing. (ie tiff of jpgs, mostly)

0 upvotes

Works fine with RAW files from Canon T4i.

0 upvotes

It works with Raw files coming from Sony a58, but the output is at low resolution. It doesn't work with DNG converted files. No problem with Tiff.

0 upvotes

Drag and drop support has changed, so now my work flow is messed up. Newly modal interface a distinct step back from previous UI design. Still no user point placement=still won't stitch some images handled easily by other tools.

Pros and cons, pros and cons.

0 upvotes

Oh, and I forgot: advertising.

0 upvotes

Great news! I waited long for an update, and it's really nice to see they actually come up with a new major version with new features.

0 upvotes

It still does not work with fisheye lenses (still or video)

A reply from Microsoft on the forum to confirm this
https://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/166ad8d5-5911-45ca-ac6a-c6526ff80241/limitations-in-pano-from-video?forum=ice

Comment edited 20 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I've been looking for panno software that will work from 4k video. This could be it... Anyone tried it with 100Mbps MP4s from GH4/LX100 yet?

0 upvotes

I've tested 4K video-based panos with 4k footage recorded by the Note4 (in other pano stitchers, driven by frames auto-grabbed at regular intervals). The non-controllable shutter speed made it completely useless - there was simply motion blur, no matter how slow I turned around.

That is, ICE will not be able to create a good-quality pano either if you don't shoot with at least 1/200-500s (that is, in strictly shutter priority mode) if you mean creating simple "turn around 360 degrees" pano videos.

1 upvote

I just tried it on Note 3 4K and have excellent result for the first time. I set iso to fixed 800 to stimulate shutter speed. You know the triangle.

0 upvotes

Ok, just done a quick test:
Won't open LX100 4k@100Mbps MP4
Won't open Sony Xperia Z3 4k@50Mbps XAVC-S

Soo boo. Just boo.

Comment edited 14 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

It's been reported as working with the 4K from the Samsung NX1, producing quite acceptable panos.

0 upvotes

"I just tried it on Note 3 4K and have excellent result for the first time. I set iso to fixed 800 to stimulate shutter speed. You know the triangle."

Thanks! Indeed I haven't tried manually upping the ISO to force the Note4 to use faster shutter speed. TOmorrow, when there's sufficient light outside, I'll repeat my tests.

0 upvotes

Wow, a huge update to already outstanding software.

2 upvotes

Saddest part is that this software was designed for Linux, then was suppose to come as Open Source in future (in the past) but Microsoft made a offer that owners couldn't refuse....

And today one of the most helpful software to photographers is in hands of a mega corporation.

2 upvotes

A mega corp who can afford to invest years of R&D and give it away to us for free. Evil!

26 upvotes

Yup, I'd too love a multiplatform release. However, I can live with having to start Parallels to stitch my panos because

1, I have only good experience with ICE (and I did very thoroughly compare it to the alternatives) for "simple", non-HDR, non-layered stitches. (For the latter, I prefer Hugin, despite the significantly lower speed.)

2, it's FREE, VERY fast (faster than any other major pano stitcher, incl. commercial ones) and uses little resources.

0 upvotes

Are you certain you have your facts straight? ICE is not a 'real' product but a research project that has been at Microsoft for years. Yes, they package it as ICE, but chunks are also integrated into other projects as well. Here's the photo group - like I said, they've been around forever and we take many of their projects for granted now. http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/technology.htm

2 upvotes

I'm the manager of the ICE project at Microsoft and I don't understand this comment. As @osu9400 points out, the technology behind ICE has a peer reviewed paper trail as long as your arm, all with Microsoft authors. The ICE code was lovingly crafted using the same keyboard I'm using to type this comment (in Microsoft building 99), or on keyboards within 10 paces of my office.

15 upvotes

Against this background of continuing and accelerating innovation, my question is therefore why Photosynth came from Microsoft, and whether it could have been open source instead. To answer that question, it's helpful to understand how exactly Photosynth was created. Here is Microsoft's description of what happened:

http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/could-microsofts-photosynth-have-been-free-software

Long time ago, before it was Microsofts code, ideas etc. It was demoed on Linux, the technology that Microsoft has build in the ICE.
At that time it hit to many magazines with frames and videos of it running on Linux computer, raising hopes on many that it would be released some day, until Microsoft got it and started to develop own products.

0 upvotes

ICE and the Photosynth referenced in this article are completely separate projects. ICE is a panorama maker that existed well before Photosynth. No code has ever come from Photosynth into ICE, although a lot of code did flow the other way. I stand by what I said - ICE code is MS tech - I should know I wrote it.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

So Microsoft took what was, essentially, a prototype (in 2006) and turned it into a piece of software that worked?

0 upvotes

Oh, what a terrible crime it is to invest billions of dollars into advancing the technological frontiers and not to publish a software version for a "competing" niche desktop platform.

Fri13, just curious, how many percentages of your net income you give away to charity? Companies, as do people, have a legitimate and moral right to decide of how they use their resources and investments.

I am a happy Linux (server) user since 1997 and in general pro-OSS, but I do not ask others to give out more than I do.

Big thanks for MSFT Research folks, I tried ICE and it really rocks!

1 upvote

Great news. Thanks for the update, DPR.
Been using MS ICE for years and thought MS had forgotten all about it.
Thanks Microsoft.

0 upvotes

AMAZING1 I used V1 for ages and just did the same 4xstitch but with AUTO COMPLETE/FILL. Truly stunning 54MP image.... great job MS....

0 upvotes

My take on it here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3795419

0 upvotes

Tried it with a few panorama sets, including a Brenizer - stitch lines visible. On the other hand, Hugins did it perfectly but altered the brightness. Too bad because the MS product has a really great UI.

0 upvotes

I found that playing with the stitch settings could achieve fewer lines then I ever could with Hugin, however, this might be a matter of case by case for certain pictures. It's great to have two super and free tools to throw at different challenging stitches.

1 upvote

Where did you find settings?

0 upvotes

On the Import > Structured Panorama

0 upvotes

I remember now it was called Photosynth.

0 upvotes

Like Fri13 above, you are confusing Photosynth with ICE. They are two different programs.

1 upvote

I remember some similar software from Microsoft many many years ago. I can't remember the name but do remember it being well ahead of it's time.

0 upvotes

Photosynth is a little different. ICE is a traditional, use your CPU to stitch photos in a panorama. Photosynth is much more complex. It takes photos from every plane and uses cloud processing to create a near immersive result.

0 upvotes

That thing spawned a 100 threads, chewed for a minute and produced a perfectly good panorama from a video. Amazing. Kudos, Microsoft.

3 upvotes

Wow! flippin' fantastic! Just created a 111mp portrait (Brenizer) that I couldn't complete in other software.

3 upvotes

Works great.
UI completely new, some old items missing.

Check out a couple of mine:
www.flickr.com/photos/nickphoto123/sets/72157650677698995

Comment edited 30 seconds after posting

1 upvote

Piece of garbage.

0 upvotes

http://bit.ly/1DVadjp

1 upvote

"Piece of garbage."

have you even tried it? i seriously doubt...

4 upvotes

Somebody needs a hug.

3 upvotes

No wait. He's about to post a link to the panno software he wrote...

5 upvotes

Thanks for that biting, insightful -- but above all -- detailed criticism.

3 upvotes

I can make a planet in Photoshop but can't seem to figure it out on this thing.

0 upvotes

"The stereographic projection has been used to map spherical panoramas. This results in effects known as a little planet (when the center of projection is the nadir) and a tube (when the center of projection is the zenith)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereographic_projection

0 upvotes

Pretty nice once I got used to the new interface.
for an example see my post in Retouching.

0 upvotes

love it. best pano stitcher for non-HDR input.

7 upvotes

Just tried it, and it had no problems with a pan that Autopano Pro struggled with and never got right (despite all the manual points I added). And it was quick to render the final version (13275x4303 from 17 images).

3 upvotes

The only soft product by Microsoft that ACTUALLY WORX GOOWD

2 upvotes

Yes, you're right. It doesn't at all run on this rarely used OS called... what was it? Doors? Blinds? Ah, yes, Windows :-)

1 upvote

Hmmm? ICE 2 runs fine on my 6 yr. old Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit PC.

2 upvotes

You didn't like the "Microsoft Bob" product?

2 upvotes

Don't look now, but Microsoft has their 1990s (pre DoJ) mojo back. They kicked Ballmer out the door and Nadella is rolling. Office365 is a business game changer, Xbox is becoming a home automation hub, their health products are starting to come into their own -- including the healthband that I am wearing now, SKype/Lync are replacing phone systems in the workplace, Surface is now a billion dollar business, and Hololens and Windows10 look very exicting for 2015.

0 upvotes

Hey, osu9400, do you work for Waggoner Edstrom, Microsoft's PR agency?

1 upvote

never heard of them, but that is funny. I'm the original Microsoft hater -- even ran OS/2 (yes OS/2) and Linux to prove my disdain. Thinking back, I even held on to Lotus SmartSuite and may Mac System 9 for way too long. Anyway, in my more mature years, I've realized that brand allegiance and/or hatred is stupid. I haven't swung completely to the dark side, but I do realize their new products are very well designed, useful and open. FYI: I'm a manager in corp IT where we love Office365 since it is replacing all kinds of old junk like servers in our datacenter, PBXs, etc

0 upvotes

Total comments: 80

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