DeepZoomPix FAQ

April 15, 2009


What is DeepZoomPix?

DeepZoomPix (DZP) is a web site that enables users to explore and share photos in a new and interactive way. DZP has three design goals for end-users:

  1. Make possible a “tactile” way of exploring and interacting with photographic images on the web.
  2. Enable a seamless experience for navigating large numbers of images regardless of Internet connection quality.
  3. Empower users to dynamically zoom in on photos without having to navigate to higher resolution versions.

What are the key user experience features of DeepZoomPix?

Seamless navigation:
DZP enables the seamless exploration of albums of photographs. Users can navigate the photographs using mouse or keyboard and zoom into them to see them at their highest resolution. Users never wait to reload a page – the entire experience is fluid.

Layout options:
Arrange images in different ways including by in a calendar style view by date.

Dynamic filtering:
Tagged images can be filtered interactively with live updates to the displayed set of images and you can add your own tags to images.

Interactive slideshow:
Users can zoom into and pan around images while they are playing a slideshow. Slide timings are customizable and navigation can be controlled using the keyboard.

Import photos from the web:
DZP can access images stored in other services on the web. If you are a Facebook user, the DeepZoomPix Facebook application enables you import your public Facebook galleries into DZP. If you are a Flickr user, DZP can use the Flickr API to import your Flickr photos. Finally, if your photo service provides RSS feeds containing JPEGs, DZP can use those too.

Shareable mini-viewer:
Embed your slideshow in your blog or website, or send to a friend using the DZP mini-viewer.


What are the key architecture components of DeepZoomPix?

There are four main architectural components:

Image Ingestion:
Import images from the user’s local file system, Facebook, Flickr API or RSS feed. This takes place on the server.

Tile Processing:
Imported images are sliced into tiles for use by the Silverlight Deep Zoom technology.

Image Storage and Retrieval:
Tiles are stored as blobs using the Windows Azure Services Platform, specifically Windows Azure Storage.

Client Viewer:
Silverlight application for managing and viewing images.


Which technologies does DeepZoomPix use?

DeepZoomPix is a technology demonstration designed to show three technologies: use of Microsoft Silverlight to create a rich interactive UX for exploring images, the Silverlight Deep Zoom technology and Windows Azure Services Platform.


Why did you build DeepZoomPix?

The purpose of DZP is three-fold:

  1. Provide an end-user friendly demo around a scenario that everyone can understand.
  2. Show designers the capabilities of Silverlight for creating rich user experiences (UX).
  3. Show developers how they can use various Microsoft client and platform technologies to easily create compelling and scalable systems.

What do you expect people to do with DeepZoomPix?

For end-users, we just want them to have fun and explore the richness of the interaction experience. For designers, we want to them to see the capabilities of Silverlight for creating rich user experiences. For developers, we want them to see the overall value of our latest platform investments.


Can a designer or developer build DeepZoomPix?

Yes. DeepZoomPix is inspired by Jellyfish Deep Zoom, a Silverlight 2 framework released under the Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL) that is available for download on CodePlex. Designers and developers who are interested in how DeepZoomPix works, should download Jellyfish Deep Zoom and also watch the MIX09 session Deep Zoom++: Build Dynamic Deep Zoom Applications with Open Source.


Is DZP a new product or service offering?

No. DZP is a technology demonstration. It is designed to showcase key Microsoft technologies that enable the rich exploration of high-resolution photographs. Currently, there are no plans to offer DZP as a product or a service.


What does technology demonstration mean?

Pretty much what it says: we put together a site with a useful and interesting scenario to demonstrate some key Microsoft technologies. It is not an alpha, beta, preview release, release candidate (RC) or community technology preview (CTP). There is no commitment or intent to turn DZP into a product or a service. The site has a limited lifespan and will be taken down by December 31st, 2009.


Are my photos safe?

While the DZP site is live, your photos are stored as Deep Zoom collections in the Azure cloud. We rely on Azure services to safeguard the integrity of the image repository. We do nothing explicit to back them up or protect them in any way.


Who can see my photos?

All the images on DZP should be considered publically viewable. As such, you should never upload anything you wish to remain private.


I object to an image on DZP. Where do I report it?

Any objectionable images can be reported to us by clicking on the Feedback link at the bottom of each page, or by sending email to dzpfb@microsoft.com. Please copy and paste the URL of the page containing the offending image into your email.


Can I get my photos back after I upload them to DZP?

No. Once you upload your photos to DZP, they are sliced up and stored as Deep Zoom collections. We do not enable you to download your original image or the Deep Zoom collection. Therefore, you should never upload your only copy of an image to DZP.


How is DeepZoomPix different from PhotoZoom?

You can think of PhotoZoom as an initial incarnation of DeepZoomPix. DZP adds a greatly enhanced user experience, storage of the photos in the cloud and more flexible import options.


How is DeepZoomPix different from Deep Zoom Composer?

Deep Zoom Composer is a client side tool for preparing images for use with the Deep Zoom feature in Silverlight 2. Deep Zoom Composer must be installed on the user’s computer and creates a single Deep Zoom collection (album) at a time.

DeepZoomPix is a web-based service and requires nothing other than a web browser with the Silverlight plug-in to be installed on a user’s machine. It enables end-users to create Deep Zoom experiences with the same ease of use as a typical photo-sharing site.