Google has a new service ready that uses Google Earth technology. It's called Google Earth Studio and it's a web animation tool for Google Earth images. The well-known Google tool that allows us to visit the earth has a huge database of aerial and satellite 3D images. It ranges from large-scale geological features to buildings. With Google Earth Studio we can take advantage of all these images to create fixed content and animations .
Although Google Earth Studio uses the image base of the well-known Google Earth, its function is very different. What Earth Studio allows us to do is create images and videos with geospatial information . That is, we can, for example, create an animation that goes from one point of the planet to another. Or create a zoom to a specific point on the globe and even 3D images that we can export to Adobe After Effects.
According to Google, Earth Studio has been developed for news, research, education, or non-profit uses . At least those are the uses that can be given without paying. Content created in Google Earth Studio can be used for any purpose, such as research, education, and even film, as long as it is properly attributed.
How to use Google Earth Studio?
At the moment the new Google tool has restricted access . You can already try it, but first you will have to give Google access. It is possible to request it from here, although the request may be rejected.
To access we will need a Google account and the Chrome browser. The operation of this service is based on the Native Client, an exclusive technology for Chrome and used by Google's 3D rendering engine . Hence, it can only be used, at the moment, with your browser.
As explained by Google, their intention has been to create a simple animation tool. Google Earth Studio uses keyframes , as do many other animation tools. So to create the animation we will only have to move the world and define these frames.
We will also have quick start projects . The tool has up to five different templates to, for example, create an orbit or fly from one point to another.
Google Earth Studio even allows you to use custom attributes, such as the position of the sun and the camera's field of view . And once the project is finished, we can export it to Adobe After Effects to add titles or anything else we can think of.