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Google Earth A to Z: Android, Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filtering

June 13, 2012

Android
Google Earth was first released for Android in early 2010. Since then it’s gone through quite a few updates. It now supports KML files and even shows 3D buildings if your device is powerful enough! You can download it for free here on Google Play.
Antialiasing
Anti-aliasing is a technique used to smooth the edges of features in an image. In Google Earth, this is particularly noticeable on 3D models. For example, here is part of the Georgia Aquarium with Google Earth’s Antialiasing set to “medium” on the left and “off” on the right. You can clearly see how much it improves the appearance of the building, though turning it off will help things to run a bit more smoothly. You can turn it off in the main [Tools] –> [Options] menu.

antialiasing

Anisotropic Filtering
Anisotropic filtering is one of those cool features in Google Earth that most people don’t understand. In short, it helps keep things sharp when you’re viewing imagery from a low angle. Here is an image from the anisotropic filtering Wikipedia entry, comparing it turned off (on the left) and on (on the right):
anisotropic filtering

You can read this post to learn more about various settings available to you in Google Earth. Stay tuned as we work through the rest of the alphabet over the coming months.
(note: This series of posts was inspired by Android Central, who is running a similar series focused on Android. If you’re an Android fan, go check it out.)

About Mickey Mellen

Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.

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PLEASE NOTE: Google Earth Blog is no longer writing regular posts. As a result, we are not accepting new comments or questions about Google Earth. If you have a question, use the official Google Earth and Maps Forums or the Google Earth Community Forums.

Comments

  1. John says

    March 16, 2015 at 4:21 am

    Superb! now google earth can doing more difficult task.



PLEASE NOTE: Google Earth Blog is no longer writing regular posts. As a result, we are not accepting new comments or questions about Google Earth. If you have a question, use the official Google Earth and Maps Forums or the Google Earth Community Forums.

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