Creation Tools

Fortepan US' built-in tools emphasize deep interpretation through beautiful web-forward designs and user experience.

FotoAlbum for (re)organizing photos

A FotoAlbum is a collection of Fortepan photos organized by a customizable theme. Users can seamlessly create customized albums of photos based on a chosen theme.

To create an album, go to the Fortepan US Timeline, find an image you want to organize into a FotoAlbum, and click on the first of four pop-up icons: "Add to FotoAlbum."

Here is an example of FotoAlbums organized around “saggy couches” (image below), “standing in corn" and “faves.” You can add and delete photos as you want.

You can also  share and embed any FotoAlbum into another website. Building a FotoAlbum is always the first step in creating a FotoStory.

FotoStory for Interpretation and digital exhibits

Through recent NHPRC funding our team has developed an open source digital exhibit “FotoStory” tool. Users add photos to a choice of image and text “content blocks” that can be rearranged and edited to tell a compelling story. Fotostories cascade vertically in a mobile-friendly parallax scroll. Here is what Edit mode looks like:

Follow these simple steps to create a FotoStory. Changes can be made even after a FotoStory is published or embedded into another website.

A finished FotoStory can be viewed here.

FotoSphere for precise photo matching

Currently under development, users can precisely photomatch historical photos against a modern-day 360 degree photosphere. Our team generates 360 images by finding the near exact location of the original photograph, and have even developed expertise capturing precise geolocations via drone (as shown here).

A user uses the controls in the upper righthand corner (opacity, azimuth, inclination, and distance) to precisely position an historical photo against the 360º image. You can share any FotoSphere with a link, or embed a FotoSphere into another website.

FotoSphere Tour for telling stories about place and time

Supported by an NEH DHAG grant, we are building the capability to interlink FotoSpheres and create a virtual walking tour–like an open source Google historical street view.

We are enabling users to display superimposed geolocated historical photos onto a modern-day 360° streetscape, and easily link the FotoSpheres together according to a logical theme, like a street block or a particular decade.

We are building comprehensive FotoSphere Tour prototypes for the City of Ottumwa (above) and the University of Northern Iowa (below).