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CREATING PANORAMA PHOTOGRAPHS 101
1. Digital cameras ideal for panoramic images
a. Many cameras have built in function to assist photographer
b. Stitching software included in some camera download software
c. Photomerge easy to use in Photoshop Elements
d. Photo enhancing software helps clean up photo overlap area
2. Basic Process
a. Take a series of photos with overlap of scene in each photo
b. Format can be horizontal, vertical, or combination
c. Download images to Photoshop Elements or other software and combine images
3. Tips and Techniques
a. Use tripod whenever possible, you to rotate around camera, not camera around you
b. Level tripod head and/or camera
c. Avoid moving objects in scene
d. Try to select scene with even luminosity
e. Set camera to Raw or Tiff format if available. If not, use highest quality jpeg
d. Overlap images by using camera stitch function or pick an object in each shot as an edge reference and include in next shot. Imagine taping several sheets of paper together by overlapping edges and taping or gluing together. Try to overlap about 20-30%.
e. If using a wide angle lens, use smallest aperture or set focus at infinity
f. Use Exposure Lock and same White Balance on all images, if available
g. Don’t use a polarizer filter
h. Avoid foreground objects in the image
i. Landscapes are ideal for panoramas and are easiest to shoot and merge
4. Photoshop Elements Photomerge Tool
a. Transfer images to computer and make copies for using in enhancing process
b. Open PS Elements and click on File and then Create Photomerge
c. Click on Browse and select images to be used in panorama
d. Click on OK and Elements will begin automated merging. If all images are used the merged image will appear. If one are more images are not used, they will appear in a box above. You can manually select them one by one and try to get a fit. There is a Navigator Tool in the window that will allow you to magnify combined image by sliding the small triangle.
e. Click on Advanced Blending and Preview to see if fit and overall effect is better, if not click on Exit Preview.
f. Click on Perspective setting to see a different view. It is trying to correct for the distortion created by the camera moving in a circular arc. It will reduce distortion and be a more accurate view, but you will lose more image in cropping.
g. When satisfied, click OK and merged image will appear and you can begin enhancing
5. Photoshop Elements Enhancing
a. Because of differences in exposures, luminosity, and distance to objects, the main enhancements are cleaning up the merge seams. The Clone Stamp is the primar tool and I found I got better results by setting the Opacity at less than 100%, the corrections are more subtle and make it easier to get a smooth transition. You can experiment with Mode settings.
b. The image will probably be quite large and you need to decide whether to send it out or buy special paper. You can buy a variety of sizes, including a roll that is 4 inches wide and 26 feet long. If you decide to print if yourself, you will need to resize it to fit your paper. Check your Elements manual for advise on how to resize and maintain quality.
Resources/Links
A search on Google provides a remarkable number of websites to visit, here are some:
www.panoguide.com
Extensive guide with How To tips, products, reviews, and links
www.photojpl.com/en
Galleries
www.photosolve.com
Photo accessories, source for camera hot shoe level
www.360texas.com/tips/nodalpts.htm
Very technical tips and hardware for 360 degree panoramas. Information on nodal points.
www.judyarndt.ca/
Brackets for Nikon 5700 and 990 for vertical camera mounting
For the technically inclined I will write an article called Panorama 102 to discuss vertical camera mounting and post on the Dig Cam SIG website.. This method is used to overcome some parallax and other optical issues inherent in horizontal mounting. It requires a bracket for your camera and some testing.