If you ever get bored of Google Earth’s 3D imagery, then a fun thing to try is changing the ‘terrain exaggeration’. It is a setting found in Tools->Options->3D View->Terrain (PC) or Google Earth->Preferences->3D View->Terrain (Mac). This setting stretches or compresses the terrain vertically, and it also applies to Google Earth’s 3D imagery. It can give a whole new look to familiar sights.
Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa. No terrain exaggeration.
Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa. Terrain exaggeration: 3.
Cape Town, South Africa. No terrain exaggeration.
Cape Town, South Africa. Terrain exaggeration: 0.3.
New York, United States. No terrain exaggeration.
New York, United States. Terrain exaggeration: 3.
Remember to set the terrain exaggeration back to 1 once you are done.
About Timothy Whitehead
Timothy has been using Google Earth since 2004 when it was still called Keyhole before it was renamed Google Earth in 2005 and has been a huge fan ever since. He is a programmer working for Red Wing Aerobatx and lives in Cape Town, South Africa.