Comments on: 8 Guidelines To Taking Panoramic Photos With Any Camera http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:58:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ericball http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-253399 ericball Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:44:20 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-253399 Your hints and tips roughly parallel mine https://sites.google.com/site/ericballpanorama/home/hints-and-tips 1. Overlap each picture by a significant amount. The simplest way is to note a feature at the edge of each frame and place it in the middle of the next frame. More overlap means more chances to find good control points. Without sufficient overlap, it may be impossible to create the final image. So don't skimp - take lots of pictures. (There's nothing worse than coming home after a trip and discovering your photos don't overlap so there's no way to make a panorama.) 2. Take good pictures! Pictures which are out of focus, blurry or shaky will be just as bad in the final output. Plus, it makes it much harder to place control points! 3. Rotate the camera, not yourself. Although you can make a panorama from pictures taken as you rotate in place, nearby objects won't line up properly. There is an ideal point for rotation, at the centre of the camera's iris, but the closer the axis of rotation to this, the better. Heck, even just coming close makes things easier. Put the camera on some kind of pivot point, even your son's head! 4. Shoot on the level with the horizon through the middle of the frame. If you need a taller frame either turn the camera sideways or shoot additional overlapping rows. But it's much easier to have a good panorama if the pictures are level to start with. (Note: this can be corrected if the photos contain vertical lines, but it's tougher without.) 5. There is value in keeping as many camera settings as possible the same between shots, i.e. same exposure, white balance, focus, zoom (although the photos should be taken typically at the widest angle) and having the photos saved in RAW format. However, Hugin can "fix" most exposure differences between photos (given enough overlap), so getting the shot is more important than exposure. And if you are manually setting your exposure anyway, the next step is to take the same shot at multiple exposures then blend those into a single high dynamic resolution image. I use Hugin and do a lot of manual effort to get the best results from what I have. Your hints and tips roughly parallel mine https://sites.google.com/site/ericballpanorama/home/hints-and-tips
1. Overlap each picture by a significant amount. The simplest way is to note a feature at the edge of each frame and place it in the middle of the next frame. More overlap means more chances to find good control points. Without sufficient overlap, it may be impossible to create the final image. So don’t skimp – take lots of pictures. (There’s nothing worse than coming home after a trip and discovering your photos don’t overlap so there’s no way to make a panorama.)
2. Take good pictures! Pictures which are out of focus, blurry or shaky will be just as bad in the final output. Plus, it makes it much harder to place control points!
3. Rotate the camera, not yourself. Although you can make a panorama from pictures taken as you rotate in place, nearby objects won’t line up properly. There is an ideal point for rotation, at the centre of the camera’s iris, but the closer the axis of rotation to this, the better. Heck, even just coming close makes things easier. Put the camera on some kind of pivot point, even your son’s head!
4. Shoot on the level with the horizon through the middle of the frame. If you need a taller frame either turn the camera sideways or shoot additional overlapping rows. But it’s much easier to have a good panorama if the pictures are level to start with. (Note: this can be corrected if the photos contain vertical lines, but it’s tougher without.)
5. There is value in keeping as many camera settings as possible the same between shots, i.e. same exposure, white balance, focus, zoom (although the photos should be taken typically at the widest angle) and having the photos saved in RAW format. However, Hugin can “fix” most exposure differences between photos (given enough overlap), so getting the shot is more important than exposure. And if you are manually setting your exposure anyway, the next step is to take the same shot at multiple exposures then blend those into a single high dynamic resolution image.

I use Hugin and do a lot of manual effort to get the best results from what I have.

]]> By: Itai http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-200834 Itai Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:39:27 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-200834 All sorts actually, Autostitch is great because there is nothing to do.... Except that when it goes wrong, there is nothing you can do. Still, I usually try it first. When that does not work I use Autopano Giga ( http://www.neopanoramic.com/review/autopano_giga ). All sorts actually, Autostitch is great because there is nothing to do…. Except that when it goes wrong, there is nothing you can do. Still, I usually try it first.

When that does not work I use Autopano Giga ( http://www.neopanoramic.com/review/autopano_giga ).

]]> By: Maria Albers http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-162778 Maria Albers Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:32:29 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-162778 Which software do you use to stitch the pictures? Which software do you use to stitch the pictures?

]]> By: beatleshelp1 http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-150686 beatleshelp1 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:44:17 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-150686 If people are looking for stiching software I use microsoft ICE (Image Composite Editor). http://goo.gl/Wrp9 If people are looking for stiching software I use microsoft ICE (Image Composite Editor). http://goo.gl/Wrp9

]]> By: DAVID LAVERY http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-129979 DAVID LAVERY Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:45:08 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-129979 My thoughts on this stitching is i dont think it lives up to the quality of the original prints captured via a dedicated panoramic camera. I dont really see it as an art when compared one single capture., however i do think things will improve and i have seen some really nice images. here. I work as a full time photographer " social ) but have a background with film including large format. I do miss the excitement of seeing your images come through the wash where as now i dread to see how many images i shot at an event. My thoughts on this stitching is i dont think it lives up to the quality of the original prints captured via a dedicated panoramic camera.
I dont really see it as an art when compared one single capture., however i do think things will improve and i have seen some really nice images. here.

I work as a full time photographer ” social ) but have a background with film including large format. I do miss the excitement of seeing your images come through the wash where as now i dread to see how many images i shot at an event.

]]> By: Patty Reiser http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-120660 Patty Reiser Tue, 13 Jul 2010 06:28:25 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-120660 One piece of advice I did not see mentioned here is when you begin your panorama, you should start to the left (because we generally read from left to right.) Also, as you begin the panorama series of photographs, take a photo with your left hand in the frame to signal the beginning of the panorama. And then after you take the last photo, snap another photo of your right hand. When you are reviewing your photos after uploading, this will remind you that you have a series of panoramas to stitch together. One piece of advice I did not see mentioned here is when you begin your panorama, you should start to the left (because we generally read from left to right.) Also, as you begin the panorama series of photographs, take a photo with your left hand in the frame to signal the beginning of the panorama. And then after you take the last photo, snap another photo of your right hand. When you are reviewing your photos after uploading, this will remind you that you have a series of panoramas to stitch together.

]]> By: jay http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-77113 jay Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:38:49 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-77113 I have a olympus e410. it has a panorama mode but does nto stitch it together. I also have an olympus shoot camera which does it automatically. can anyone give me advice on how to take panoramic shots I have a olympus e410. it has a panorama mode but does nto stitch it together. I also have an olympus shoot camera which does it automatically. can anyone give me advice on how to take panoramic shots

]]> By: Conor Boyd http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-61764 Conor Boyd Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:40:39 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-61764 Great to see the continued interest in this thread. Here are a couple of Hugin efforts from me to add to the thread: http://gallery.ildica.com/v/Porters2009/PortersPanorama.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1 And http://gallery.ildica.com/v/2008/UKTrip2008/UKIreland2008/Scrabo.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1 (Second one has a bit of Topaz Adjust applied too...) Great to see the continued interest in this thread.
Here are a couple of Hugin efforts from me to add to the thread:
http://gallery.ildica.com/v/Porters2009/PortersPanorama.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1
And
http://gallery.ildica.com/v/2008/UKTrip2008/UKIreland2008/Scrabo.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1
(Second one has a bit of Topaz Adjust applied too…)

]]> By: Richtpt http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-61762 Richtpt Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:33:11 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-61762 Mike, as for advice here's what I have. 98% of mine are hand held, not using a tripod. Tripods are great but with today's software you don't HAVE to use one. The biggest reason I've found to use a tripod is to make sure all photos are lined up - meaning saying in the 1st photo the horizon is 2/3 down the photo, using a tripod will make sure the horizon is 2/3 down in all the photos. There have been many times I start hand held on the left and by the time I get to the right I've moved up or down and now when I crop I get a very narrow area. I've also found if I turn the camera sideways I can get more height in each photo meaning more height in the overall panorama with one row - but you can do multiple rows too. Basically, I try to brace myself, turn the camera sideways, look through the viewfinder (I've got a Sony H50, not a DSLR but still find it better to use the viewfinder for keeping the camera steady) and move from left to right to line things up. Then I go back to the left and take the first photo. I move 2/3 to the right overlapping by at least 20% and take the next photo. I repeat until I'm done with the last photo on the right. Then I use Hugin to build the panorama. Most of the time it does a great job. Now and then Photoshop does a better job. I've also used Autostitch, but I like Hugin better - and it's free (for Windows, not sure about Mac programs). I agree with what you said - practice as much as possible. Some might turn out bad, some might turn out great. The more you practice the more often they will turn out fantastic. :) Good luck and post some of yours so we can see them! Mike, as for advice here’s what I have. 98% of mine are hand held, not using a tripod. Tripods are great but with today’s software you don’t HAVE to use one. The biggest reason I’ve found to use a tripod is to make sure all photos are lined up – meaning saying in the 1st photo the horizon is 2/3 down the photo, using a tripod will make sure the horizon is 2/3 down in all the photos. There have been many times I start hand held on the left and by the time I get to the right I’ve moved up or down and now when I crop I get a very narrow area.

I’ve also found if I turn the camera sideways I can get more height in each photo meaning more height in the overall panorama with one row – but you can do multiple rows too.

Basically, I try to brace myself, turn the camera sideways, look through the viewfinder (I’ve got a Sony H50, not a DSLR but still find it better to use the viewfinder for keeping the camera steady) and move from left to right to line things up. Then I go back to the left and take the first photo. I move 2/3 to the right overlapping by at least 20% and take the next photo. I repeat until I’m done with the last photo on the right.

Then I use Hugin to build the panorama. Most of the time it does a great job. Now and then Photoshop does a better job. I’ve also used Autostitch, but I like Hugin better – and it’s free (for Windows, not sure about Mac programs).

I agree with what you said – practice as much as possible. Some might turn out bad, some might turn out great. The more you practice the more often they will turn out fantastic. :)

Good luck and post some of yours so we can see them!

]]> By: Mike http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera/comment-page-2#comment-61642 Mike Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:49:43 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/?p=5894#comment-61642 wow, those are some great photos. I also like to do panoramics and I think you forgot one piece of advice: practice as much as possible. You never know when that stellar shot is going to present itself. Are there any followups to this? perhaps a few hints on making a seamless stitch would be nice. wow, those are some great photos. I also like to do panoramics and I think you forgot one piece of advice: practice as much as possible. You never know when that stellar shot is going to present itself.
Are there any followups to this? perhaps a few hints on making a seamless stitch would be nice.

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