Applications and Challenges of Virtual Reality Technology in the

Storage and Editing of Photographic Works

Yichen Yan

College of Media, Shandong University of Arts, Jinan, China

Keywords: Virtual Reality Technology, Photography Storage, Photography Editing, Virtual Presentation Platforms.

Abstract: With the rapid development of virtual reality (VR) technology, its application in the field of photography is

gradually showing unique advantages and opportunities. This paper discusses the application of virtual reality

technology in photographic recording, editing and display and the challenges it brings. In terms of recording,

VR technology overcomes the spatial limitations and security problems of traditional recording methods

through virtual space and cloud storage; in terms of editing, VR provides a three-dimensional virtual

environment for photographers, which enhances the intuition and creative inspiration of editing; in terms of

display, the virtual display platform enhances the interaction between the audience and the works through

immersive experience. Although the application of VR technology in the field of photography is promising,

it still needs to overcome challenges such as technical complexity, data management and privacy protection.

By analyzing the current state of technological development, this paper discusses the future development

direction of VR technology in the field of photography and proposes new ideas for the integration of

photography and technology.

1 INTRODUCTION

In keeping pace with the development of the new era,

everything around us has long been quietly changed.

The development of the fast-paced era has also

accelerated the pace of people's lives to a certain

extent. Especially in terms of the impact of the image,

people have to make people notice the change. As a

student of photography, the way photographic images

are displayed and stored has changed to some extent.

How to quickly store and process photos taken in the

moment has become a problem for most

photographers. In the age of streaming media, where

photos are displayed at a rate of nearly one second

each, it is also worth discussing how to retain the

interest of those who are interested.In the era of rapid

development of science and technology, Virtual

Reality (VR) technology has begun to penetrate

towards a variety of fields, among which the impact

in the photography profession is particularly thought-

provoking the article, the author Wei puts forward

some new ideas that can provide new thoughts and

opportunities for the development of education. The

proposed idea of photography simulation laboratory

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8323-2973

effectively provides multi-faceted solution ideas for

photography technology in education, for example, it

can diversify the scenes available to students and the

use of photography equipment (Wei 2024). There is a

great possibility that some weather problems can be

solved on location shoots, and photographers don't

have to worry about sudden bad weather anymore.

For some people who don't have much pocket money

but love photography, it is also a good choice if they

can utilize virtual photography equipment for

shooting.In addition to the aspect of shooting usage,

how to exhibit photography is also an important issue.

Virtual display is a worthy choice of display platform.

The construction of virtual models is a tedious step in

the VR scene, and this problem may affect the

diversity of virtual display platforms. The emergence

of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Unmanned

Air Vehicle Digital Photogrammetry (UAVDP)

proposes a more concise way for it (Xuan Peng, 2023).

Therefore, virtual display platforms might have this

enhancement in visualization options afterwards. In

the article, the author, Li describes that in the 1920s

and 1930s, photography was published as a

supplement after layout. This change has led to the

Yan, Y.

Applications and Challenges of Virtual Reality Technology in the Storage and Editing of Photographic Works.

DOI: 10.5220/0013680000004670

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Data Science and Engineering (ICDSE 2025), pages 137-141

ISBN: 978-989-758-765-8

137

realization that readers' reading habits may have

changed dramatically since then, and that virtual

reality technology could be the “leader” in leading the

way for new ways of exhibiting photography (Li,

2011). In this study, the paper will discuss the

combination of exhibiting and storing photographic

works with Virtual Reality (VR). The article is

divided into five parts: difficulties encountered in the

storage of photographic works, the current

development of virtual research platforms, the role of

virtual reality technology in simulation laboratories,

changes in the editing of photographic works and the

advantages of virtual reality technology in the storage

of photographic works.

2 DIFFICULTIES

ENCOUNTERED IN THE

STORAGE OF

PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKS

Usually, the process of shooting is accompanied by a

kind of “storage” behavior. For example, most DSLR

cameras, micro cameras, or other electronic devices

use SD cards or various types of memory cards for

storage. Traditional film cameras use film to develop

and then turn it into a sheet of photo paper for storage.

In addition, the new generation of young people,

Polaroid is also very popular, this camera storage

method is the use of special special photo paper direct

imaging, has the characteristics of the original can not

be copied.

There are still many technical and administrative

challenges in the storage of photographic works.

Based on the information in the text, common

dilemmas include the following.

2.1 Insufficient storage space

When shooting photos and videos, most

photographers choose to shoot high-resolution image

files (e.g., RAW format). These formats are

uncompressed, unprocessed image data captured by

the sensors of a digital camera or scanner. Due to the

intrinsic nature of the format, they are stored in

conditions that require a high level of storage space.

And with the upgrading of shooting equipment, a

single image may reach hundreds of megabytes or

even larger, placing high demands on the storage

system.

2.2 Data loss and corruption

After the shooting is completed, most of the image

transfer will be in the memory card, hard disk,

computer and other devices to migrate. During the

process, it is very likely that the hard disk will be

damaged, the format will be damaged, or the aging of

the storage media will cause the file to be lost or

unreadable. If only one copy of the image data is

migrated or stored, the impact will be irreparable.

However, after a long period of development, the

emergence of cloud storage effectively solves part of

the problem. It is a kind of modern storage field

extended by cloud computing technology, it consists

of three parts: a cloud storage platform centered on

data storage, a cloud platform centered on data

computation, and a cloud computing platform that

takes both data and computation into account. (Li,

2015). This system can carry out information transfer

and information analysis anytime and anywhere, even

if the information users need to deal with is huge or

complex, they can still rely on the cloud storage

system to carry out the last step of electronic

information processing. However, it still faces

challenges of security and privacy protection.

2.3 Complexity of data management

As the number of photographic works increases, it

becomes an increasing challenge to effectively

manage and retrieve large numbers of digital images,

especially in cross-platform, multi-device storage

environments. According to the authors in the article,

most of the database systems in common use

nowadays are used to process textual and numerical

data, i.e., they can only process formatted data.

Images, however, are non-formatted data, and the

difficulty of processing such data increases

dramatically (Han, 2009). Most of the approaches that

have emerged so far lack an effective categorization

and tagging system. This loophole may lead to file

storage disorganization, with a high risk of affecting

the efficiency of later use and retrieval.

For now, it seems that there are viable solutions to

most of these difficulties, which will be described in

the second half of the article.

3 THE CURRENT

DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL

RESEARCH PLATFORM

The current virtual research platform is one of the

more extensive applications of VR technology in the

field of scientific research, which allows users to

conduct experiments, data analysis and academic

communication in a virtual environment. From the

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initial simple data visualization to today's research

platforms that provide a complete virtual

experimental environment, virtual reality technology

has been widely used in scientific research. For

example, virtual reality has been applied to research

in the fields of medicine, physics, and education to

help scientists simulate complex experimental

conditions and research scenarios (Wei,2023). With

the development of platforms, individual major

technology platforms have emerged internationally.

For example, the IBM Virtual Lab and Holodeck

platforms allow researchers to manipulate data and

validate results in a virtual world, further enhancing

research efficiency. The IBM platforms are beginning

to use cost-effective AI models to provide unique

storage solutions for different people and to protect

data and identity security. In the Holodeck platform,

well-known companies such as Canon, Toyota, and

Konicek have used this feature for office work,

bringing people from all over the world together in

the same virtual space without having to leave the

office, breaking the distance barrier. Most academic

institutions and research companies have developed

virtual research platforms which allow researchers to

conduct experiments without the constraints of

physical space.

4 THE ROLE OF VIRTUAL

REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN

THE SIMULATION

LABORATORY

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has significant

application value in simulation laboratories.

Simulation laboratories aim to simulate various

experimental operations in the real world through

virtual environments (Peng,2023), especially in some

high-risk or expensive experiments, virtual

laboratories provide a safe and low-cost experimental

platform. In simulation labs, VR technology can

create highly realistic experimental environments,

allowing researchers to perform experimental

operations, data analysis, and result derivation in a

virtual environment. For example, VR simulation can

be applied to medical surgery training, chemical

experiment simulation, and engineering design.

These are just a few of the more widely used uses for

which simulation labs have evolved to date.

At the same time, regarding cost-effectiveness,

compared with traditional laboratories, VR

laboratories reduce the need for equipment, for

example, students do not need to buy expensive

photographic equipment in order to take a

photography class, and at the same time, students can

experience as they wish the rare photographic

equipment that they may not be able to use in real life,

which greatly reduces the cost.

And this way must also avoid the risks of the

traditional way, especially in the use of high-power

electrical appliances, reducing the possibility of fire,

as well as casualties, providing a relatively safe

experimental platform

5 CHANGES IN THE EDITING

OF PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKS

With the progress of digital technology, the editing of

photographic works has also experienced profound

changes. From the traditional darkroom processing to

digital post-processing, the means of editing

photographic works has been greatly expanded.

Prior to digitization, the editing of photography

was at a stage where traditional editing methods were

used. Relying on darkroom technology, corrections,

exposure and color adjustments were made through

chemicals and manual operations. With the

popularization of digital cameras and the

development of computer technology, the emergence

of image processing software, such as Photoshop, has

brought the editing of photographic works into the

stage of using digital editing tools, making the work

more efficient and refined (Li, 2011). Today, AI

technology also makes automated retouching

possible. Through special training, so that the

computer can see the pictures like a person know can

perceive them, so as to carry out the extraction of

features, and finally instant beauty pictures and so on.

(Wei, 2023).

In the future, image editing technology is

developing towards intelligence, and intelligent

retouching and automated processing based on

machine learning will greatly improve editing

efficiency. Through virtual reality technology,

photographers are able to edit images in a three-

dimensional virtual space to get more intuitive

feedback and creative inspiration. Perhaps with the

support of technological developments, it is possible

to better help the photographer to accomplish

secondary compositions in order to reach the goal and

create new compositions. (Wei, 2023)

Applications and Challenges of Virtual Reality Technology in the Storage and Editing of Photographic Works

139

Figure 1: the Cathedral of St. Petka which was taken by VR

camera. (Cubric,2018)

As illustrated in figure 1，this is a photo taken

with a 360 degree panoramic vr camera. When one

clicks in to view it, one can imagine actually entering

the Cathedral of St. Petka. People can click on

specific buttons on the picture to view every part of

the church. It's even possible to zoom in on details, as

if people were suddenly approaching a wall on a tour

trying to see the details.

6 ADVANTAGES OF VIRTUAL

REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN

THE STORAGE OF

PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKS

Table 1: virtual reality technology in the storage of photographic works

As shown in table 1，VR technology can provide an

invisible and infinitely expandable virtual space for

storing photographic works. Compared with physical

storage devices, virtual storage not only avoids the

limitation of storage space, but also enables efficient

management of works through data visualization.

Through VR technology, the audience can view the

photographic works in virtual space in three-

dimensional form, which enhances the interactivity

and immersion of the works on display. This is a kind

of feeling that is hard to achieve in ordinary

exhibitions, which is usually realized only with the

support of lighting, music, and exhibit placement.

According to the author's account in the article, digital

technology has been applied in different fields after

continuous development. He gives an example of a

photography exhibition in an art gallery, where

people will prefer works that show the texture, grain,

gloss and luster of the characters and scenes. Most

people will prefer works that stimulate their senses

and can better empathize with the author of the

photograph (Li, 2022).

Meanwhile, combined with cloud storage and VR

technology, photographic works can be safely stored

in the cloud and viewed and managed on any device

through virtual reality technology, breaking through

the limitations of physical devices(Lian, 2022).And

there is no need to occupy the real space, and no need

to consider the preservation conditions of the exhibits,

such as the requirement of humidity, whether the

mounting materials will be broken (Paul David Kyle

Sergeant,2006) etc.

7 CONCLUSIONS

This paper mainly carries out the work of information

collection and analysis, summarizes several

difficulties in the current storage of photographic

images, and also lists the solutions to some of the

Storage Advantages 1.Avoid the limitation of physical storage space

2. Data visualization for efficient management

Exhibition format 1.3D form to view photography

2. Enhanced interactivity and immersion

Compared to traditional exhibitions 1.No need for additional support such as lighting, music,

exhibit placement, etc.

2.Breaking through the physical space limitations,

providing a more free display mode

Combined with cloud storage 1.Works are securely stored in the cloud

2.View and manage on any device via VR technology

Realization of space savings 1. No need to occupy real space

2. No need to consider exhibit preservation conditions

(e.g., humidity, mounting materials, etc.)

application scenario 1.Efficient management and display of photographic

works

2.Virtual exhibition, remote access, multi-device sharing

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difficulties. With the continuous development of

virtual reality technology, its application in the

storage, editing and display of photographic works is

promising. Although it still faces some technical and

management challenges, with the continuous

improvement of platform and hardware, virtual

reality will play a greater role in artistic creation,

academic research and data storage management in

the future.

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