pano-stitching

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Xjacktar

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David
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I've been going mad with pano-stitching since first discovering it a few weeks ago, and how easy it is. At the moment, this is doing a good job of staving off a desire for a D800E and the new Nik 18-35mm AF-S. My D700 is getting all the action; the D7000 (my BIF & zoo camera) not so much.

I have given PTGui (demo) a try, but find that it seems to include a lot of blur on the overlaps (and the demo version wall-to-wall watermarks are really annoying). Maybe PTGui would be better with a more careful, manual input. PSE9 on the other hand, does fine, especially since I've discovered that stitching NEF files will only appear really dark if that is what your ACR camera defaults are!

Given that there are limitations to what is suitable for pano-stitching, ie: not much movement going on; I can't see any downside. If there are any experienced pano-stitchers out there, do you think I will grow out of PSE9 for any reason ?
 
I've promised myself to do more pano's this year I have used PSE9 which works as well as anything else getting it right in camera is more important ie, shoot in manual, portrait and manual focusing you can't go wrong!
 
Yeah, that's pretty much the way I do it Nigel. For the wider shots, I find I'm having trouble with the narrowing effect in the middle; then having to do a clumsy job of cloning some sky or ground. I might try a couple of vertically stacked landscape format shots in the middle next time out.
 
There's a PhD software called autopano out there. Give that a whirl.
 
Xjacktar said:
Yeah, that's pretty much the way I do it Nigel. For the wider shots, I find I'm having trouble with the narrowing effect in the middle; then having to do a clumsy job of cloning some sky or ground. I might try a couple of vertically stacked landscape format shots in the middle next time out.
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That sounds like your tripod isn't fully level, so when you rotate the head it follows a strange path.. Your options then include cropping a rectangular centre out of it, or cloning in or content aware filling the gaps.

I used to have this problem, till I bought a Manfrotto 038 leveller, it sits beneath my tripod head so that as I rotate the head (on a Novoflex panorama) the camera pans around perfectly horizontally, not in a U shape.
 
You may wish to try this, it's free.

I always use a pano-head, (Nodal-Ninja) but I don't worry too much about the level as I mainly do 360 panos. I usually use PTGUI although no expert by any means.

Try http://www.panoguide.com/ panos are what they live for and there are some amazing PTGUI experts there.
 
markmullen said:
That sounds like your tripod isn't fully level, ...
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Err ... tripod ? Seriously guys, some good advice here; but a tripod is a big step up in carried gear. So far I'm doing OK hand held. My shots aren't badly out of line, just that the side shots seem to be simply taller. I'm sure there is a perfectly good physics reason for that (or maybe it's just me).

I'm very impressed with PSE9 as well Jan, though I think I might do a bit of lurking at John's recommendation: http://www.panoguide.com/ See what I can pick up.
 
Xjacktar said:
Err ... tripod ? Seriously guys, some good advice here; but a tripod is a big step up in carried gear. So far I'm doing OK hand held. My shots aren't badly out of line, just that the side shots seem to be simply taller. I'm sure there is a perfectly good physics reason for that (or maybe it's just me).
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Yes, tripod, essential for accurate stitched panoramas, otherwise you get the effect you're describing where you get an uneven shape to the final stitch.

I shoot all my shots off a tripod, and go up hills, down cliff edges, all sorts. It isn't a big deal to carry, especially if you get a set of carbon fibre legs.
 
One tip I found for Panoramas is to shoot in portrait orientation rather than landscape, even if your final image will be in landscape. It gives you far more leeway for cropping afterwards.
 
For PTgui to work properly you do have to put some of the points in manually for a better stitch...it is by no means just automatically done perfectly...it just takes a bit of practice and patience to get the final outcome that you require....obviously life becomes easier with the correct gear (tripod, pano head) but that all costs money!
 
Xjacktar said:
...just that the side shots seem to be simply taller. I'm sure there is a perfectly good physics reason for that...
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Yeah, you don't turn your lens around its "nodal point". And it's not kept level...


A tripod is a must, as well is a panorama head/clamp and a nodal slide for offsetting camera over the rotating point... but what is a couple of kilos more or less? :D
 
Jan K. said:
Yeah, you don't turn your lens around its "nodal point". And it's not kept level...


A tripod is a must, as well is a panorama head/clamp and a nodal slide for offsetting camera over the rotating point... but what is a couple of kilos more or less? :D
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Absolutely agree with what you have said Jan!...Not forgetting the couple of ££ extra as well! :lol:
 
Tripod, no tripod, pano head, no pano head as long as your happy with the outcome that’s all that matters. Out of curiosity after you have made a panorama, how many of you use the Zoomify option in PS, so that you can move around the image.
 
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Jan K. said:
Yeah, you don't turn your lens around its "nodal point". And it's not kept level...
:D
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I appreciate the nodal point point (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif ), but I don't think it's going to make much difference to my subjects, which are almost always distant. Likewise the tripod. My panos are usually made up of between 2 and 5 shots, usually in portrait format. I usually do a pretty good job of keeping them level, having done a dry swing or two to check all in line.

I still believe the extension of the outer frames at the outer upper and lower corners, in the initial stitch, is nothing to do with tripod use.
 
Xjacktar said:
I still believe the extension of the outer frames at the outer upper and lower corners, in the initial stitch, is nothing to do with tripod use.
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Hard to say without pics, but it probably still is... in the sense, that you can't turn your camera around its nodal point - without a tripod! :D

But I kinda have a feeling you'll be fighting tripod use "forever"! :lol:
 
Jan K. said:
Hard to say without pics, but it probably still is... in the sense, that you can't turn your camera around its nodal point - without a tripod! :D

But I kinda have a feeling you'll be fighting tripod use "forever"! :lol:
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I have used a tripod, and will do again no doubt. Anyway, this is what I mean:

5_Shot_Pano_icrop.jpg


I don't usually see much pixel blur without a tripod at shortish focal lengths. If I was using a high res camera, then it would be different.
 
Using a panoramic head solves all these problems.

Here's a panoramic set created with a Mafrotto 303 Panoramic head.

PLXxEEU.jpg


I've not even needed to use photomerge or any "special" software. I simply loaded them into photoshop and put them next to each other... overlapping them slightly (as you should overlap each shot slightly when shooting).

H6Sra5w.jpg


Perfectly lined up.

Now obviously, as the wall is very close to the camera, it has become a series of straight edges... this is because lenses are rectilinear... we don't want edges to be curved normally, so lenses render straight lines as straight... Remember, this is not using any software... this is just placing the images next to one another. To get this level of accuracy, you simply MUST rotate the camera/lens system around the lens node.

If the above image was a landscape, the straight edge problem would not occur (unless there were straight edged near the camera). You'd literally just place them next to one another, overlapping where necessary. For most landscapes, you wouldn't even need "software" if you used a proper panoramic head.

If there are straight edges close to the camera like above, then you have to use software.. Photshop's Photomerge works perfectly if you create your images correctly, and using cylindrical mapping will ease the rectilinear edges into a smooth curve... you won't even lose much when you crop the gaps out (compare the first image, to the last.... the only difference is smooth curves of the wall near the camera).

Y3fSxyP.jpg


After cropping though, you don't lose much and the results are perfect.

hlntMwS.jpg



If you are serious about panoramics, then invest in a proper panoramic head that allows you to rotate the system around the lens node. They take quite a bit of initial setting up for each lens, but they come with a scale on the sliders, and once you note down the settings for each lens, you're good to go.
 
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Pookeyhead, that, I must admit, is pretty damn convincing.

Still though, I doubt I will ever get so involved as that. For closer stuff I would buy more megapixels and a decent wide-angle. For my landscape panos, where everything is pretty far from the camera, I will carry on hand held, trying to stay level (ish).

Thanks for the effort though, and to Jan K.
 
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