Skip to main content

Getty Images is hopping on the VR bandwagon, building up a huge repository of stock VR content

getty images vr stock photography steam is the killer app
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Virtual reality is bigger than ever — and, for evidence, look no further than Getty Images: the online image repository founded in 1995 to sell the rights to still pictures online.

During a recent interview with ADWeek, Getty Images CMO Susan Smith Ellis revealed that the company is getting into VR in a big way — and is creating a massive library of virtual reality scenes which can be licensed by publishers, advertisers, and artists. Called the Getty Images Virtual Reality Group, the division has already amassed more than 12,000 360-degree selections, while Getty notes that it now equips all of its official photographers with VR-ready cameras as standard.

“We are not surprised that Getty Images [is] embracing 360-degree photography,” Anthony Geffen, CEO of the award-winning Atlantic Productions, whose virtual reality arm Alchemy VR regularly works with the technology, tells Digital Trends. “We feel that it’s a good way for Getty to diversify their offering to reflect innovations in moving-image technology.”

Geffen says that his company has seen a “marked increase in demand for 360 footage” recently, which he believes is “due to the increased availability of 360 compatible technology and VR headsets to the mass market.”

The sentiment was echoed by Alex Mahon, CEO at The Foundry, the cutting-edge creative software company which regularly works in both movies and TV and has offices in Los Angeles, London and Silicon Valley. “We have seen a serious interest from clients and early-adopting professionals in 360 footage and stills,” Mahon tells Digital Trends. “I foresee that 360 degree-images will become the standard for a certain sector of the market over the next years; just as our de facto standard for consumers after being trained on Google Maps is now to assume we can access [Google] Street View-like images.”

With that kind of enthusiasm, it’s no wonder that Getty Images would be keen to fill the niche of providing companies with ready-made VR footage. That’s not stopping it from shooting bespoke 360-degree assignments for companies, either. While Getty won’t share all of its publisher partners, it has already created VR custom work for both Google Expeditions and the popular toy brand Mattel.

Sounds like it’s onto a good thing!

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

Read more
The best MacBook to buy in 2024
Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

Now that Apple has started outfitting its laptops with its M3 generation of chips, it's time to take another look at which is the best MacBook to buy in 2024. That’s not always easy, though, as buying the newest MacBook isn’t always the right decision. Apple has several tiers of performance, as well as various sizes, which can further complicate the matter.

What’s more, you can also still get M1 and M2 MacBooks, some from Apple’s own website and some from third-party retailers. But are they still worth your money? Our guide should help you decide.

Read more
9 best laptops of 2024: tested and reviewed
The MacBook Air on a white table.

To earn the crown as the best laptop in 2024, a device needs to have it all: gorgeous design, killer performance, a productive keyboard, long-lasting battery life, and much more.

Each of the laptops below has been vetted thoroughly by Digital Trends. Whether it's an affordable Chromebook or a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, they've all been subjected to real-world testing, as well as benchmark and battery tests, to collect enough data to objectively pit them against each other.

Read more