Image: martin_stuard/Shutterstock
Armed with thousands of screenshots and an eye for adventure, graphic designer Matteo Archondis has created a wonderful hyperlapse of Earth through Google Maps.
Now 12 years old, Google Maps has been improving and improving to such a degree, that very little of the Earth’s surface still remains a mystery.
From Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro to the canals of Venice, we can check out the scenery of most major landmarks from the comfort of our own homes.
With a realisation that world tours now take just a few minutes, graphic designer Matteo Archondis began work on a superb hyperlapse of what Google Maps had to offer.
Taking in over 3,300 screenshots that bring us through France, Italy, England, Brazil, the US and more, the two-and-a-half minute video is truly remarkable.
Using Google Maps’ 3D takes on cities, Archondis even lists the full suite of equipment used throughout the project.
Archondis noted the difficulty in smoothing out thousands of screenshots to make it feel like a natural progression, most notably during the street movements in London and San Francisco.
“This part was tough,” he said in PetaPixel. “Especially finding tracking points in clips that are really moving fast and have no reference points.”
“The idea was … to show the potential tools we have to discover the world around us, even if we can’t afford to travel to places far away from home,” he said.
“Also, I always wanted to create something new and experiment with Google Maps and the street view system, [which is] for me, one of the best inventions to let us discover and see places from our computer without needing to leave home.”
