Photosynth is an online app developed by Microsoft that lets you create your own 360-degree panoramas by stitching together a collection of photos taken from different angles.
The results can be very impressive and it sounds like the perfect partner for the burgeoning VR headset market, but Microsoft has decided it’s time to put Photosynth out to pasture. The mobile apps were retired last summer, and the website will be killed off on 6 February 2017.
Until now there was no way to get your completed Photosynth panoramas (or ‘Synths’) off the site and onto your PC, but with this week's announcement, Microsoft has released a new Photosynth Offline Viewer so you don’t lose your work when the web app shuts down.
Download your 3D panoramas
To save your Synths, download and install the Offline Viewer, then visit the Photosynth website and log into your account. Select ‘My Photosynths’ and click the ‘Export’ button at the bottom.
You’ll only be able to download your own Synths, so if you’re particularly fond of one created by someone else you’ll need to contact them via their account.
If you like the sound of Photosynth but didn’t get a chance to experiment with it, Google Photo Sphere is a great alternative, and is available for both Apple and Android devices.
