Autostitch for iOS adds augmented reality to improve panoramas

Autostitch has been a long time favorite for combining multiple images into a smooth panorama. With a just-released update, the app adds augmented reality which superimposes visual data onto real world images. As the camera moves, the location of images already taken are layered over the real-time view to help you visualize the scene that will result.

The new feature is called StitchGuide, and it uses the iPhone gyroscope to register images and provide active tracking. Photos can be rearranged or deleted and replaced with new images.

So how does it work? Quite well. I liked seeing the framing of each photo as it is taken, which helped me make decisions about the next photo to be taken. When photos are combined, the final photo in all my tests appeared to be seamless and well registered. The app also provides a crop tool to remove the uneven edges that usually result from combining images, but the StitchGuide seems to minimize those issues so there is less cropping that needs to be done.

Autostitch was the app I always selected when I needed a wide view of a landscape, and the enhancements make it even more desirable.

The app is a free update to current owners, and a US$1.99 purchase if you are buying for the first time. The app is not universal, so it is native only for the iPhone and iPod touch. It requires iOS 4.0 or greater.