How scientists make gigapixel pic

Scientists used AI to make 44.8 gigapixel copy of historic Rembrandt painting

• MIX  — 
 
• 21 HOURS AGO

Each year, hundreds of thousands of art aficionados travel to Amsterdam to take a peek at Rembrandt‘s The Night Watch. But now you can get intimately familiar with this historic painting — without even having to step foot in the Rijksmuseum.

A team of data scientists has made a 44.8 gigapixel digital copy of The Night Watch. The researchers created the ultra-detailed photograph of Rembrandt‘s painting from a total of 528 exposures — or 24 rows of 22 pictures each. They then used the help of neural networks to digitally stitch together the images.

TNW online events

Our Couch Conferences bring together industry experts to discuss what’s next

REGISTER NOW

The result is 44,804,687,500 pixels — that’s 44 billion pixels if you’re getting puzzled by all these digits — of glory in one single image.

The Rijksmuseum, which funded the effort, says the photograph will make it easier for scientists to study the painting and track its ageing. It’ll also give art lovers yet another way of viewing the painting without having to travel all the way to Amsterdam.

The 44.8-gigapixel digitalization of Rembrandt‘s legendary artwork is part of a larger effort to restore the painting — a process that was temporarily hampered by the coronavirus lockdown.

The Rijksmuseum has devoted a significant amount of time and resources to studying and re-working The Night Watch. Back in 2006, the museum collaborated with British visual artist Peter Greenaway to create an installation that superimposed digital imagery and lighting onto Rembrandt‘s artwork to bring the painting to life

See Rembrandt's The Night Watch in 'hyper resolution' as 44.8-gigapixel photo

Zoom in to see the most minute details of the masterpiece.

Leslie Katz 

May 13, 2020 3:12 p.m. PT

Click to see the super-high-resolution version. 

The Rijksmuseum

A museum in the Netherlands has published the largest, most detailed photograph ever of Rembrandt's famed 1642 painting The Night Watch, making it possible for anyone to zoom in on the masterpiece in exquisite detail. 

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which is closed until June 1 due to the coronavirus crisis, shared the photo online Tuesday. It's 44.8 gigapixels (44,804,687,500 pixels) and made up of 528 exposures divided into 24 rows of 22 pictures stitched together with the help of neural networks. 

Zoom in and you can see individual brushstrokes and specks of pigment. 

Screenshot by Leslie Katz/CNET

Frans Banninck Cocq, mayor and leader of Amsterdam's civic guard, commissioned the artist around 1640 to paint the city's militia and police. Cocq appears as the central figure in Rembrandt's oil on canvas, which measures 3.79 meters by 4.53 meters (about 12 feet by 15 feet) and weighs 337 kilograms (743 pounds). 

The painting is full of dramatic light and shadow, motion and mystery. Zoom in on Rijksmuseum's newly available "hyper resolution" photo and you can see individual brushstrokes on Cocq's elaborate white collar and flecks of pigment on his outstretched hand and the helmets and weapons of the civil guardsmen surrounding him. 

The photo will not only serve as a fascinating resource for art lovers, but a snapshot in time that helps experts track how the painting ages and determine the best course of action to prevent further degradation. 

The imaging team used a macro X-ray fluorescence scanner to scan the painting inch by inch. The tool uses X-rays to analyze chemical elements in the paint, such as calcium, iron, potassium and cobalt.

"The photograph is a crucial source of information for the researchers, and online visitors can use it to admire Rembrandt's masterpiece in minute detail," museum director Taco Dibbits said in a statement. 

When arts meets technology

• Secrets of da Vinci painting uncovered by new algorithm
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, Google introduce Puerto Rican art to all
• Google app lets you see all of Vermeer's paintings for free via AR