Creating Virtual Art Galleries to improve dissemination and accessibility

New techniques for disseminating cultural heritage through digital media are one of the most interesting research lines so they can provide great benefits to society. The results can be available to the general public, with independence of their social and functional level, through online virtual tours. This work is focused on exposing two methodologies for the creation of virtual galleries, based on gigapixel photography and photogrammetry, which can help to improve the dissemination of artworks and make them accessible to everyone, regardless of their socio-cultural and functional status through online virtual tours. Both above mentioned methodologies will be applied to the musealization of many pictorial artworks of the Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, one of the most important art galleries in Spain. Additionally, the musealization process of some volumetric pieces such as the capitals of the Monastery of San Cugat in Spain by means SfM photogrammetry will be shown. A proper and unique methodology to acquire gigapixel images will be explained, as well as some useful procedures on surveying volumetric artwork pieces.