Panoramic/Stitching Tutorial?

[RauschPhotography]

Hey guys, does anyone have a great link for panoramic images/stitching? One of my goals for the year, photography-wise, is to shoot and work with a really great panoramic, so I'd like to get all the information down! Also, if anyone has suggestions for stitching software (for Mac) it'd be more than appreciated! Thanks

 

[Hardrock]

I use cs3 and it seems to work great. Ive stitched all sorts of things from oak trees to skylines and as long as you didnt change the focus or exposure it does a great job. Im sure there are other programs that are better and cheaper but it works great for me.

edit: It is also very easy to use and all you have to do is crop when its finished. And then of course the usual adjustments that you may like to make.

 

[ann]

I haven't tried stitiching in CS3, but i did test CS and CS2 along with a lot of other software and found that Panorama Plus from Serif did a terrific job on a series that failed on all others. THis software is liscensed by Autopano which is outstanding but Serif is 49 dollars and the customer service is terrific.

The software does all the work, if you have overlapped correctly and of course not changed the fstop. If you do need to adjust the exposure during the process, use the shutter speed so you don't change the DOF by mistake.

THese are best done using a tripod and a mid-range lens. OVer lap images 25-30%,

I have done them hand held and unless you intend to make huge prints it should be fine. If you get real serious then you need to consider a tripod head that will correct for paralex issue; check out NODAL.

They have a website with lots of samples including 360 degree stuff.

 

[Garbz]

Photoshop CS3 was the best out there, except for all the others.

Don't get me wrong it works, but it doesn't work well a lot of the time, screws up the alignment regularly, doesn't blend properly even more regularly and quite frankly was sub par to every program on the market that is actually dedicated to generating panoramas. I won't comment on CS4 I haven't tried it.

Here's a tutorial:
1. Download the trail of Autopano Pro 2.
2. Point it to the folder containing one or more of your shots that may line up.
3. Push the green button and watch it magically find all the pictures that are part of the panorama and align them for you.
4. On the list of panoramas that shows up on the right, either go in and start playing with them, or hit render.

I have never used a program that was so good, easy to use, and above all fast. The CUDA acceleration made a huge difference over previous versions, and when I simply pointed it at the folder of the Columbian ice fields I took at the start of the year, it successfully found every one of the 9 panoramas I took out of the folder of 400 images, including the 170mpx one.

 

[ann]

autopano is amazing, go to their website and see the demo of it stitching together 57 images (going in both directions).

I only do these on occassion and found the price at bit much but at the same site at the bottom of the home page that indicate who also has their liscense so i figured to give it a try especially for the price and have never regretted that decision.

Like Garbz i found the others had blending problems especially with sky tones and sometimes it didn't like line something up as it should. I used a very tricky set of images with all software and found autopano and of course panaroma plus could deal very quickly and correctly with no issue. Haven't tried it with CS4 and probably won't until i am bored one morning.

 

[Hardrock]

CS3 is the only pano tool Ive used and has seemed to work fine for me BUT it sounds like Autopano is the way to go escpecially if you don't have CS3. I am definitely going to try out Auotpano. Thanks Garbz and Ann!!

 

[J.Kendall]

I like the Canon Photostitch. I think Autopano is a little nicer, but I'm familiar with the Canon program

 

[Chris Stegner]

I love PTGui - Photo stitching software 360 degree Panorama image software - PTGui

I have just started using AutoPano Pro, and think it may be my new choice, as it has beaten out PTGui on a few difficult shots - AutoPano Pro - Panorama stitching software - Panoramic photo software - image stitching

If you really get into it and enjoy it and have some xtra cash around I would highly suggest a panohead for your tripod. I use to think that shooting these by hand was fine, and it is in many, many cases. But once I decided to go out and get a panohead I decided that's the only way I'd shoot from then on. If for no other reason it help a TON in post. If you can tell the software all the variables (lens, degrees of rotation) it makes for very quick stitching.

Heres the head I use: Manfrotto : Panoramic Photography

 

[burstintoflame81]

I use CS4, but I know canon SLRs come with their photostitch software. The only tip I have is to shoot vertical shots ( portrait ) you will have to take more photos, but when they are attached you ultimately have to crop down because you will get some curved distortion on the top and bottom. So if you shoot vertical you get a bigger picture overall. When I first started doing them, my instinct was to shoot horizontally as you typically do on landscapes.

 

[Silverpenguin]

I don't know if it's of any use but I wrote this and this about some panos I made. There may be some useful information in there?!

Autopano pro is the best software out there though IMO.

 

[Andrew Boyd]

There are some limits to the PS solution. I've written a piece of this exact subject, Creating Great Panorama Photographs, over at my blog, The Discerning Photographer. Check it out!

Andrew
The Discerning Photographer