Google is continuing its push to make more VR content available with the new Cardboard Camera app which makes taking VR photos a breeze.
"Cardboard Camera turns the smartphone in your pocket into a virtual reality (VR) camera," the app's software engineer, Carlos Hernandez said in a blog post.
Taking a VR photo with the app will be a familiar experience as it's the same as taking a panoramic photo. The difference however is that it requires users to spin around in a circle.
"VR photos are three-dimensional panoramas, with slightly different views for each eye, so near things look near and far things look far," Hernandez explained.
Per VR Focus, the Cardboard Camera app takes 3D images to add to the VR effect. It also lets users record audio with the photo "to help add to the atmosphere."
Missing from the app though is the ability to share VR photos but the omission won't stay for long.
"We're working on a great sharing feature, and it's going to come out pretty soon," Mike Podwal, Google product manager told VentureBeat.
As it stands, the only way to share VR photos is by handing over the smartphone with a Google Cardboard kit to someone else.
The app isn't perfect though. As VB pointed out, there's no directional audio and the images taken aren't perfect spheres. Still, the app is free and it "puts imagery data together almost immediately."
Currently, the Cardboard Camera app only supports the Cardboard headset. However, Google does plan to support other VR platforms, according to Wired.
It wouldn't be the first time the tech giant stepped up its support for the barebones VR headset. Back in June, Franchise Herald reported the integration of 360-degree content on the official YouTube app for Android.
The Google Cardboard Camera app is now available in 17 languages via the Play Store.
