GroupCalc is a calculator for photographers who photograph large groups of people; whether on tiered stands or in a large open area with the camera in an elevated position (eg school groups, sport teams, whole school photos)
GroupsCalc includes three calculators:
SMALL GROUPS CALCULATOR: Used when posing small groups of people arranged into two or three rows. This calculator will help you decide how many rows to use, and how many people need to be in each row to order to have a symmetrical group with alternating even and odd rows. Small groups are typically limited to less than 30 to 40 people, as above this size the group becomes too wide and more rows need to be added. For groups larger than this use the Big Groups Calculator.
BIG GROUPS CALCULATOR: Used when posing groups up to 400 on tiered stands. This calculator will help you decide how many rows to use, and how many people need to be in each row to order to have a symmetrical group with alternating even and odd rows. The Big Stands calculator gives you the option of two posing styles: SQUARE, which attempts to keep the side of the group straight, and PYRAMID which tapers the rows so that the back rows are shorter than the front rows.
KEYSTONE CALCULATOR: Used when you are posing a very large groups (hundreds or a thousand+) on a flat open area with the camera in an elevated position. For example a whole school photo with 900 children arranged in the shape of the digits "90", with the camera looking down from an upstairs window or elevated ladder. The calculator will tell you how high the camera needs to be, the distance from the camera to the group, and the size and shape the "90" needs to be to adjust for keystone distortion so the numbers look straight in the frame.
The following additional information is used to calculate the solution, and can be set by the user:
* How many people will fit per square metre (can also be specified in square feet or square yards)
* The lens focal length
* Camera tilt angle from horizontal.
* Size of the border around the group (between the edge of the group and the edge of the frame)
This is the FREE version of GroupCalc. Upgrade to GroupCalc Pro to receive the following additional features:
* Can set the default calculator to be displayed on startup (Big Stands Calc or Keystone Calc)
* Big Stands Calculator
- The maximum number of people that can be entered in the BIG STANDS calculator is increased to 400 (limit is 100 in FREE version)
* For Keystone Calculator
- Draw custom shapes in up to 4 colours. GroupCalc will calculate will calculate how many people need to be dressed in each colour to "draw" your shape.
- Import/Export custom shape definitions so that you can share custom shapes between devices and colleagues.
- You can choose between doing "Safe" and "Exact" calculation modes
- Edge heights are calculated for custom shapes and numbers
- Keystone calculator results can be shown to 2 decimal places (Free version shows 1 decimal place)
* Set default values for the following:
- Can set the default Big Stands posing style to be used (Square or Pyramid)
- The default shape to be drawn (Rectangle, Two Numbers, or Custom)
- The default focal length
- The default camera tile
- The default border size
- The default people per square metre
- The default results precision (one or two decimal places)