Catalina Beta 3 has new 6K Mojave Dynamic Desktop

[joshjet]

Surprise... in Catalina Beta 3 the Mojave Dynamic Desktop has been updated to a new version that is 6K (square). Clocks in at 288MB roughly double the size of the old one.

This is one major benefit of Apple choosing to use computer rendering rather than photography for this particular Dynamic Desktop. When they need a new, higher res version they can just render it to spec.

-josh

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

A 4K photo would be scaled down photo anyway. That's low res (something like 16MP) compared to the raw photo (probably 50MP) that was shot of Catalina Island.

 

[saudor]

is the dynamic desktop for catalina still only two images?

 

[joshjet]

The Catalina Dynamic Desktop is two images created using Photogrammetry. Catalina DD is NOT created using a standard photo. You can layer the two images on top of each other and see there are polygonal variations in the hills that can only result from photogrammetry. It would otherwise be effectively impossible to shoot two nearly identical shots from the air.

My bet is you will not see more than 2 images for the Catalina DD because the process to create it is so expensive. In order to make it believable, the tide level has to vary in each image. Not possible/practical/affordable to do when getting a single photo requires an air fleet.

My best guess at this point is that Apple used the same techniques for the new Apple Maps 3D models as they did for the Catalina DD. If you want to see just how good this technique is, open up Apple Maps on an iOS 13 device and zoom into Catalina. The detail is amazing, and you won't find this level of detail on any other island or location in Apple Maps.

It is amazing to me that anyone thinks either the Catalina or the Mojave DD are photos. Any basic inspection reveals they are not pictures. All you need to do is notice that the noise profile is consistent across all periods of the day, which is simply not possible with a camera. But if that's not enough, in the Mojave one the sun is rising in the north and setting in the south... last time I checked the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. At least the Catalina one got the suns location right.

-josh

 

[d5aqoëp]

The Catalina Dynamic Desktop is two images created using Photogrammetry. Catalina DD is NOT created using a standard photo. You can layer the two images on top of each other and see there are polygonal variations in the hills that can only result from photogrammetry. It would otherwise be effectively impossible to shoot two nearly identical shots from the air.

My bet is you will not see more than 2 images for the Catalina DD because the process to create it is so expensive. In order to make it believable, the tide level has to vary in each image. Not possible/practical/affordable to do when getting a single photo requires an air fleet.

My best guess at this point is that Apple used the same techniques for the new Apple Maps 3D models as they did for the Catalina DD. If you want to see just how good this technique is, open up Apple Maps on an iOS 13 device and zoom into Catalina. The detail is amazing, and you won't find this level of detail on any other island or location in Apple Maps.

It is amazing to me that anyone thinks either the Catalina or the Mojave DD are photos. Any basic inspection reveals they are not pictures. All you need to do is notice that the noise profile is consistent across all periods of the day, which is simply not possible with a camera. But if that's not enough, in the Mojave one the sun is rising in the north and setting in the south... last time I checked the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. At least the Catalina one got the suns location right.

-josh

Thanks to you, now I hate this digitally composed Catalina wallpaper.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

It is amazing to me that anyone thinks either the Catalina or the Mojave DD are photos. Any basic inspection reveals they are not pictures. All you need to do is notice that the noise profile is consistent across all periods of the day, which is simply not possible with a camera. But if that's not enough, in the Mojave one the sun is rising in the north and setting in the south... last time I checked the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. At least the Catalina one got the suns location right.

-josh

You shouldn't be amazed. Santa Catalina images are photos, Mojave's dunes are CG. Roughly the same photographers and in-house editing team created the wallpapers for the last 5 versions of macOS. I have known some of them personally, the photographers themselves can't claim credit because it is against their NDA which is standard in many corporations. There's multiple exposures, editing, comping background plates, filters and some CG (stars and clouds) involved to give them that magical quality.

 

[TimothyR734]

Can anyone post the the new Catalina Heir here thank you

 

[TheSkywalker77]

is the dynamic desktop for catalina still only two images?

It's not a dynamic wallpaper in Catalina. The wallpaper is just has the Automatic option, so it automatically switches between the two pictures based on your light or dark mode preferences, so I think this was intended behaviour and not a bug.