You Can Do It VFX has just released a new tool that will make it much easier to search and download Streetview panoramas from google.
Why is so hard to get Google Streeview panoramas?
Over the last little while there have been a few tool that let you make use of the panorama that are used for Google’s Street Views.
These can be used as a vast resource well for IBL’s and reflection environments in your 3D work. Well, sort of. Although you definitely use a non-HDR image for lighting, there isn’t much data in a normal image to effectively use it.
Google Street View images are definitely a great choice for reflections, however.
YCDI VFX’s Panorama Extractor will let you download from 5 different zoom levels that go up to 13k resolution, and is available for both Mac OS and Windows for around $30.00