Mercinova's Google Earth Tutorial

Tutorial how to use Google Earth
 

 

This page is the tutorial to using Google Earth software for exploring the Earth surface, other tutorial for exploring the sky can be found if you click on the menu below:

Exploring the sky (click here to open other page)

	Exploring the Earth

This tutorial is divided in three pages, each page explaining one of three menu panels that available in the Google Earth screen, this page is explaining how to use Navigation Control Panel, other Menu Panel tutorial can be accessed by clicking in the links below:

Navigation Control Panel Tutorial

The Navigation Control Panel located on the upper right side of screen, contain three on-screen control panels with different functionality. Follow the explanation below:

The "Eye" Wheel Control Panel

On the top side of control panel you will see the big circular button with the eye symbol on the center, this control panel has two functions, to make the map  rotating and to tilting the map or changing the perspective view of the map.

Rotating the map

Clockwise direction Click and hold the mouse pointer on the right side of circular wheel, when you rotating this wheel on clockwise direction the map will also rotating in clockwise direction. The other way is by clicking the left arrow on the button:

Counterclockwise direction Click and hold the mouse pointer on the left side of circular wheel, when you rotating this wheel on counterclockwise direction the map will also rotating in counterclockwise direction. The other way is by clicking the right arrow on the button:

The North direction You can making the North direction of the map back to the top by double clicking the "N" symbol on the wheel.

Rotating with mouse Click-hold the middle mouse button (or the scroll wheel) and dragging the mouse pointer to the left to make the map rotating in clockwise direction or to the right to make the map rotating in counterclockwise direction. The bull-eye will be appears as the center point of the rotation.

Tilting the map

You can changing the view of the map to perspective three dimensional horizontal view, this feature only can be seen well if you activated the "3D Buildings: Photorealistic and Gray" options and the "Terrain" option on the "Primary Database" tree on the "Layers" menu panel. Click on the up arrow on the button to see horizontal view Click on the down arrow on the button to see vertical view

Tilting with mouse Click-hold the middle mouse button (or push-hold the scroll wheel) and dragging the mouse pointer downward to make the map tilting horizontally or dragging the mouse pointer upward to make the map tilting vertically. The bull-eye will be appears as the point of your tilting target location.

The "Hand" Control Panel

On the middle side of control panel you will see the smaller circular button with the hand symbol on the center, this control panel has the function to make the map moving left, right, up and down, look at the examples below:

Moving the map

Click on the left arrow on the button to move the map left Click on the right arrow on the button to move the map right Click on the up arrow on the button to move the map up Click on the down arrow on the button to move the map down

Moving with mouse Click-hold the left mouse button and dragging the mouse pointer on the screen to make it moving.

The Slider Control Panel

On the bottom side of control panel you will see the slider with plus and minus symbols, this control panel has the function to zooming in and zooming out the map view, look at the examples below:

Zooming the map

Zoom In Click on the plus symbol or click and hold the mouse pointer on the slider button and dragging it up. Zoom Out Click on the minus symbol or click and hold the mouse pointer on the slider button and dragging it down.

Zooming with mouse Click-hold the middle mouse button and moving it backward to zooming in the map or moving it forward to zooming out the map. Note: If you zooming-in the map using both methods above until touching the ground of the map, the view will be tilting horizontally. After that if you zooming-out again the map will be back in to vertical view.       Other method for zooming with mouse Scroll forward the mouse wheel to zooming in the map or scroll backward the mouse wheel to zooming out the map. This method doesn't make the map tilting after touching the ground, the view is always vertical.   Note: If the map view already in horizontal position, when you scrolling forward the mouse wheel, the map will moving forward just like you walking or flying in that location. Also for backward scrolling of the mouse wheel will make the map moving backward.