Earth View is a “collection of the most striking landscapes found in Google Earth” that came about from people taking screenshots of the virtual globe for desktop backdrops. Google today added over 1,000 new high-resolution Earth View wallpapers.
Earth View has the power to elevate our minds from our tiny screens to outer space — the landscapes that materialize when you open a new tab or unlock your phone punctuate your day with a global looking glass. My hope then is this funny, little project — along with Google Earth as a whole — moves us to care more deeply about this strange but kaleidoscopically beautiful planet.
Google leverages Earth View wallpapers for Ambient Mode on idle Chromecast-connected screens and Android TVs, Smart Display Photo Frame, and in the Wallpapers app on Android. An update today introduces over 1,000 new images from places like the United States, Greenland, Venezuela, Australia, Antarctica, and Saudi Arabia for a total of 2,500 backgrounds.
The upgraded imagery features more locations around the globe and is optimized for today’s high-resolution screens — featuring brighter colors, sharper images, and resolutions up to 4K.
Besides those devices, Earth View is accessible from the online Gallery that now features a color map to visualize and find every available location. This new imagery is also available in the Earth View Chrome Extension.
Behind the scenes, Google worked with Ubilabs on tools to sift through 36 million square miles of satellite imagery, while “maintaining fine camera control to get just the right shot.”
To prepare the final image, we optimize the color profile for the particular landscape, and export the final image in ultra-high resolution.
Author: Abner Li.
Source: 9TO5Google
