Panoramas

Panorama Mode uses the app’s terrain (elevation) data to compute what should be visible from any point on the map. It shows the results in two ways: it tints the map to make invisible areas monochrome, and it shows a silhouette of the view.

As an example we’ll find the view from North Dome, Yosemite.

To start, select the point from where you want to compute the panorama and tap the button. Zoom in and choose the viewpoint as precisely as possible. It may take a few seconds to compute; a progress bar is shown.

Note that the app may attempt to compute a panorama even when it doesn’t have the most detailed terrain data available. For best results, make sure that you have downloaded detailed maps or imagery for the whole area of interest. Terrain data is downloaded with detailed maps and imagery.

Once the computation is done, the map is tinted; from North Dome you can’t see the bottom of Yosemite Valley so that is monochrome, but you can see Half Dome beyond so that is in color.

At the bottom of the screen the silhouette is shown. You can pan and zoom this to explore the view.

The silhouette window shows a cursor - a vertical line - which can be used to identify features in the view. The same cursor line and points are also shown on the map, so you can match up features on the map with the panorama. For example, in the screenshot above you can match the summit of Half Dome which is reported to be 1 mile 3395 feet away and to have an elevation of 8812 feet.

Panorama Mode can also be used in 3D.

Tap to expand the silhouette window to full-screen. On an iPhone, this works best in landscape orientation.

You can show labels, identifying summits and other features visible in the panorama. The features come from the app’s search data.

Tap to configure what labels are shown. You can choose to show no labels, all available labels, or to select specific feature types to display.

You can also choose whether labels include the feature’s distance from the viewpoint and elevation.

Also in the panorama options, you can change what is shown on the cursor line. You can also turn the bearing scale at the bottom of the silhouette view on and off.

Tap the compass button to make the app move the panorama to match the direction in which the device is facing. There are two modes: and . In Compass mode, the app rotates only on one axis; in Full Rotation mode is rotates around all three (try it). Use the usual touch gestures to zoom.

You can add photos to your panorama.

One way to do this is to show your photos on the map (Read More about Photos), select a photo, and then tap . The photo will be shown on the panorama; with luck, it will align with the silhouette.

Alternatively, you can add photos by tapping the button in the Panorama screen. Choose photos that are nearby, from your photo library, by copy-and-paste from another app, or by entering a web URL; this is the same as adding photos to waypoints, tracks and routes, described here.

In the quite likely event that your photo doesn’t align perfectly (or at all!) with the silhouette of the terrain, tap the button. When this is turned on you can move, zoom and rotate the photos separately from the silhouette; when it is off, the photos and silhouette move together.

In the Panorama Options, you can select how the silhouette is shown relative to photos. You can either draw the silhouette normally over the photos, or you can draw it in “high contrast” mode, which tries to make the silhouette prominent against the photo background; this is useful when aligning the photo with the silhouette. Or, you can show only the photos; use this if you just want to add labels to the photo.

To export a copy of a panorama, tap the button. This creates a JPEG image of the currently-visible panorama, including any photos, and presents a system share screen from which you can save it to your photo library, send it to another device using AirDrop, attach it to an email and so on.

The height settings in Options let you adjust the height above terrain level for the viewpoint and the viewed points that the computation uses. In principle, using a viewpoint height similar to your eye level and a viewed points height of zero will give the most accurate results, but in practice it is easier to avoid foreground obstructions if you use slightly larger values.

The Max Distance control allows you to truncate the panorama, so that for example mountain peaks a hundred miles away are not shown. Use this to get a more realistic panorama when atmospheric conditions are not completely perfect. Set it to infinity to see everything.

Note that these settings do not take effect immediately; they are applied when you next create a new panorama.