Extend an image at sides to allow panoramic format?

jerry12953

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Jeremy Moore
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I'm sure I've read that you can do this. I want to extend an image on both sides to allow a panoramic format crop of the main subject matter which is central.

I've a fairly bland area at left and right which I imagine could be used. I don't think it can be done in Lightroom but I also have Photoshop CS2 and Elements v11.

Any suggestions?
 
That is a feature in the latest version of photoshop.
It only works on a few subjects by stretching out featureless areas.
I have yet to find a suitable subject for it... I suspect they are fairly rare.
 
Yep, content aware scale is pretty cool but is only in recent editions of PS.

The other option, if you're not pushing it too far, is to select the regions which are fairly featureless and just use free transform to pull the edges out. Just make sure you've a blank layer below in the aspect ratio of your intended final crop.
 
I have Photoshop CC and wasn't aware of the content aware scale, thanks - I will look into that as it's something I find I do often.

I've just used the free transform method by selecting areas void of detail and just pulling them out - it works quite well. For example:







 
I've printed 1, 3 & 4 to around 30" wide and I can't tell - seeing as I'm the only one, with exception of you now reading this (yes, you), who know and is therefore looking for something, and I can't tell, I reckon there's no issue :)
 
1. Fairy Pools: I’ve pulled both sides a bit, only starting beyond where the mountain profile leaves the top of the frame on each side.

2. Black Point Lighthouse has been mostly pulled from left of the tip of the distant Puffin Island to create more space on the left i.e. just the sea.

3. Land’s End has been pulled a tiny bit to the left of the sun and about half the width into the visible cliffs on the right – but not actually including the cliff faces/main features.

4. Svartifoss I’ve actually pulled the most in terms of affected area, but the resulting distortion in terms of amount each area has been stretched may actually be the least as I’ve grabbed both sides from immediately left of and immediately right of the actual falls.

As a set of general rules I only pull featureless areas - areas devoid of any feature who’s proportions need to be maintained, such as the mountains at the Fairy Pools, the lighthouse and Puffin Island at Black Point, the Longships, the arch and cliff faces at Land’s End and the actual waterfall at Svartifoss.

As far as I go about it, the more I can pull, the better and the less actual effect it will have overall – i.e. if I want to create an extra 200 pixels on the left I will try and grab as big a section as I can on that side but always avoiding main features, i.e. a section of 3500 pixels pulled to 3700 is a lot better than pulling an area of 1000 pixels out to 1200 pixels wide. I works for some scenes and doesn’t for others.
 
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