Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. Web
  4. News

Watch this astounding trip around the world, made entirely from Google Maps

Add as a preferred source on Google

If funds are too tight or work is too busy for you to go on that world trip you’ve been promising yourself, then here’s a cheaper, altogether more convenient option.

Created by Matteo Archondis, “Hyperlapse Around The World” does what it says on the tin, and then some.

Recommended Videos

Most impressive is that the Italian created the two-and-a-half-minute video using only screenshots from Google Maps, Street View, and Earth.

Archondis made the hyperlapse partly to celebrate this week’s 12th anniversary of Maps, and also to “show the potential tools we have to discover the world around us, even if we can’t afford to travel to places far away from home,” he told PetaPixel.

It’s a superb piece of work that takes you smoothly from famous location to famous location, zooming from up high to up close, and circling iconic landmarks. The carefully considered sound effects are a big part of the piece, too, so be sure to follow Archondis’ advice and stick a pair of cans on before you begin your globetrotting session.

To create the video, Archondis spent two days capturing just over 3,300 screenshots. Post-processing took a full week, with the main challenge to effectively blend and stabilize the content to create as smooth a journey as possible for the viewer.

The university student said the project was a good chance to “experiment with Google Maps and the Street View system, for me one of the best inventions to let us discover and see places from our computer without needing to leave home.”

Archondis added that he drew some of his inspiration from the amazing work of hyperlapse artist Rob Whitworth, who travels the world to make breathtaking videos of places like Dubai.

As for Archondis’ piece, we’re sure you’ll agree that it’s a stunning bit of work. Check it out in the video above.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The FCC’s latest crackdown could put more than DJI drones at risk in the US
Robot, Person, Face

DJI may have found creative ways to keep some of its products flowing into the US, but those efforts are now drawing increased attention from regulators. According to The Verge, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has started cracking down on several companies it believes could be helping DJI continue selling products in the country. These businesses have been described by industry observers as "DJI front companies" because they market or import products that appear to be closely tied to the Chinese drone maker while operating under different brand names.

DJI's alleged back door may be closing

Read more
I bought Kodak’s viral keychain camera, and the bad photos are part of its charm
The Kodak Charmera is barely a camera, and I still keep using it
Machine, Wheel, Camera

I bought the Kodak Charmera partly because I wanted a portable digital camera, and partly because I wanted a pretty little collectible. The Charmera is sold as a blind box, so you do not know which version you are getting until the box is opened. There are multiple retro Kodak-style designs, plus a transparent secret edition that looks like the one everyone would want.

I had the shopkeeper pick my box for better luck, and it worked out. I got the yellow variant, which is inspired by Kodak's original 80s disposable camera. The transparent one is definitely the fun collector’s piece, but the yellow model feels like the proper Kodak version. It looks like a tiny toy camera that escaped from a souvenir shop, found a keyring, and now hangs around wherever you go.

Read more
This new $30 keychain camera is coming for Kodak Charmera with a flip screen for selfies
Yashica's new camera makes toy photography more fun
YASHICA Funtastic Keychain Camera in multiple variants

Tiny digital cameras are all the rage, and Yashica is now offering a very cute toy photography experience of its own. The company’s new Funtastic Keychain Camera is exactly what the name suggests, a miniature digital camera small enough to clip onto your keys, bag, or lanyard. The popular Kodak Charmera is the obvious comparison, which brings a tiny blind-box keychain camera that became a viral collectible.

Now, Yashica's version lands in the same novelty-camera lane, but adds one very useful trick, which is a 180-degree flip screen.

Read more