Abstract
Abstract. In the field of wall painting conservation, photogrammetric surveys are an increasingly common documentation tool. The outputs from these surveys, including captured images, orthophotos, and three-dimensional models, are used by conservators to monitor and record condition phenomena and conservation treatments. To serve these conservation needs, the outputs should have visual fidelity, meaning they are a close representation of the subject based on their spatial resolution, overall focus, even lighting and color accuracy. However, wall paintings present unique technical challenges for photogrammetry considering their often large scale, irregular topography, range of surface attributes, and access issues. As a documentation technique more commonly applied to capture the geometry of buildings and objects, using photogrammetry to record both the topography and fine surface details of a wall painting requires thorough planning. This paper examines specific challenges in documenting wall paintings and how collaboration between conservators and heritage-recording specialists has improved practice and maximized the value of photogrammetric surveys for conservation.
Highlights
In the past decade, with the advent of powerful algorithms in computer vision delivered through user-friendly software, photogrammetry has become an increasingly utilized documentation technique in the conservation of wall paintings.1 By generating comprehensive sets of images, orthophotos, and three-dimensional models, photogrammetric survey data enables improvements to conservation activities such as condition recording and monitoring.For conservation purposes, the most important aspect of the photogrammetric survey data is the ‘visual fidelity’ or faithfulness to the original object (MacDonald et al, 2006)
Photogrammetry aims to capture the geometry of an object using a workflow that is often tailored for documenting buildings and structures
This paper explores the challenges encountered in the photogrammetric documentation of wall paintings, identified through the ongoing collaborative work between the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and Carleton University’s Immersive Media Studio (CIMS), and highlights how conservators and heritage-recording specialists are developing solutions to achieve optimal survey results to enhance condition recording and monitoring in conservation projects
Summary
With the advent of powerful algorithms in computer vision delivered through user-friendly software, photogrammetry has become an increasingly utilized documentation technique in the conservation of wall paintings. By generating comprehensive sets of images, orthophotos, and three-dimensional models, photogrammetric survey data enables improvements to conservation activities such as condition recording and monitoring. Visual fidelity refers to how accurately an image reproduces a wall painting in terms of its spatial resolution, overall focus, even lighting, and color accuracy. As these surveys are often undertaken by heritage-recording specialists for use by conservators, achieving satisfactory results requires close collaboration and mutual understanding between these two professions. This paper explores the challenges encountered in the photogrammetric documentation of wall paintings, identified through the ongoing collaborative work between the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and Carleton University’s Immersive Media Studio (CIMS), and highlights how conservators and heritage-recording specialists are developing solutions to achieve optimal survey results to enhance condition recording and monitoring in conservation projects
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