The best of Photosynth

Photosynth is a wonderful tool for showing off landscapes and great monuments, to be sure, but it can also be put to good use in more intimate environments -- and in some leftfield ways we'd never have thought of.

UK NSC Soyuz Module

The Russian Soyuz spacecraft entered service in 1966. This one is 99 per cent synthy. Na zdorovje!

Rocky statue, Philadelphia

Apparently some stuffed shirts over at City Hall objected to this statue, sculpted by A. Thomas Schomberg for the filming of Rocky III, being placed at the top of the famous steps in the City of Brotherly Love.

'The Moment' final version

More than 600 pictures make up this synth created by CNN, depicting President Obama's inauguration.

Martello tower, inside and out

Martello towers are small forts that were knocked up along the coast of Britain at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. We like this synth because of the way you can explore the fort as well as the outside. And because we like forts.

The Guardian

Photosynth initially launched with a selection of landmarks. Since being opened up to the public, users have come up with new and interesting ways of using the service. The less said about the ladies in bikinis the better... A much more useful application is the hi-resolution scanning of old newspapers, such as this 1988 Guardian front page reporting the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing. It's not particularly synthy, but it's a neat digital take on the old-school microfiche reader.

Halo 3, Last Resort

It's not just real landscapes that can be whooshy-swooshed: there are a number of maps from online blastfest Halo 3. This is the classic Last Resort, a remake of Halo 2's Zanzibar.

Mika and Herself

This neat visual effect shows a girl playing Go, the Chinese strategic board game, first sat on one side and then on the other. But hit P to bring up the tag cloud and it appears that Mika is playing against herself. Zoom out for the clearest effect, then swoop around the two Mikas, or even underneath.

Make you own -- it's a synth

Once you've installed Photosynth, you can create your own synths. You also need a Windows Live ID. If you have a Hotmail account you can use those details, or create a new account with a non-Hotmail email address. Once you've got your Windows Live ID, pick a user name at Photosynth and you're all set.

Synths can be embedded in your site -- as we've done here -- or shared by email. You can also add synths you like to your list of favourites.