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My first pano attempt

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Justme

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This is my first attempt at a panoramic. The ease with which the Canon PhotoStitch software worked is very encouraging. Easy as 1-2-3. However, the quality of the pano image isn't too good because the images were taken handheld. I did have to do some cropping. A tripod is highly recommended for my next attempt. I resized image to to 800x600.

This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for sharp pictures. I'm in decent shape but to go from some physical activity to being as still as possible is not that easy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/6089254

--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
 
Yeah PhotoStitch is very easy to set up, but part of this is because it automatically determines the focal length by using the EXIF data. This does however cause a problem if you used a wide or teleconverter lens. It renders the stitches extremely fast too, and that leads me to believe that it doesn't do too many calculations/optimizations, and this is evident in the stitching accuracy. You might want to try Panorama Factory. It has an automatic stitcher, but you have to manually enter the lens settings.

For the ultimate in stitching accuracy, control, and quality, I recommend PanoTools along with a front-end like PTAssembler or PTgui. Much more difficult to learn and longer to set up since it's all manual, but the results are often worth the effort.

Michael
Justme said:
This is my first attempt at a panoramic. The ease with which the
Canon PhotoStitch software worked is very encouraging. Easy as
1-2-3. However, the quality of the pano image isn't too good
because the images were taken handheld. I did have to do some
cropping. A tripod is highly recommended for my next attempt. I
resized image to to 800x600.

This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage
point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for
sharp pictures. I'm in decent shape but to go from some physical
activity to being as still as possible is not that easy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/6089254

--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/mooremwm
http://www.photosig.com/userphotos.php?id=7178
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I will explore those packages. For now, I want to try using only the G2's lens for panos. Are you saying that Canon's PhotoStitch is sufficient if no W/A or Tele-converter is used?

The pano I have up on pbase, does it look stitched together OK? I had to resize it (partly because the image(s) were taken handheld and I wasn't thrilled with the quality - couldn't hold the G2 steady and it's also easier to load for those with slower ISP connections).

For those who haven't used the Pan mode yet: Should definitely give the Panoramic Stitch mode a try. As stated, the PhotoStitch software does practically all the work. You select the photos and click Merge and it does the rest.
Mickey said:
For the ultimate in stitching accuracy, control, and quality, I
recommend PanoTools along with a front-end like PTAssembler or
PTgui. Much more difficult to learn and longer to set up since
it's all manual, but the results are often worth the effort.

Michael
Justme said:
This is my first attempt at a panoramic. The ease with which the
Canon PhotoStitch software worked is very encouraging. Easy as
1-2-3. However, the quality of the pano image isn't too good
because the images were taken handheld. I did have to do some
cropping. A tripod is highly recommended for my next attempt. I
resized image to to 800x600.

This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage
point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for
sharp pictures. I'm in decent shape but to go from some physical
activity to being as still as possible is not that easy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/6089254

--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/mooremwm
http://www.photosig.com/userphotos.php?id=7178
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
 
You have done a nice job. The panorama shots are a lot of fun.

Morris
Justme said:
This is my first attempt at a panoramic. The ease with which the
Canon PhotoStitch software worked is very encouraging. Easy as
1-2-3. However, the quality of the pano image isn't too good
because the images were taken handheld. I did have to do some
cropping. A tripod is highly recommended for my next attempt. I
resized image to to 800x600.

This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage
point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for
sharp pictures. I'm in decent shape but to go from some physical
activity to being as still as possible is not that easy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/6089254

--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
Click to expand...
 
Thanks. All credit goes to the PhotoStitch software. I have always been fond though, of panoramas. Often, I don't think a regular 34mm wide shot does certain scenery justice (unless you had a long zoom and can take in the same scene from farther away). Now that I see how pain free it is to do (not speaking quality wise but just taking your regular pan for pans sake), I plan to experiment more.
morris said:
Morris
Justme said:
This is my first attempt at a panoramic. The ease with which the
Canon PhotoStitch software worked is very encouraging. Easy as
1-2-3. However, the quality of the pano image isn't too good
because the images were taken handheld. I did have to do some
cropping. A tripod is highly recommended for my next attempt. I
resized image to to 800x600.

This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage
point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for
sharp pictures. I'm in decent shape but to go from some physical
activity to being as still as possible is not that easy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/6089254
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I suggest taking the pictures in the 'portrait' position , i.e. with the side of the camera facing down. This will allow you to avoid the 'long panorama picture' look, and maintain a better ratio of height and width. (in case you want to print in a lab)
Justme said:
Justme said:
Justme said:
This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage
point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for
sharp pictures.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
As you're discovering you almost have to use a tripod. The exposure on your shot is very good, but the size is too small to judge the stitching. The Canon software is very simple to use, but you will find that Panorama Factory is just as easy once you get used to it and offers great results.
 
Justme said:
Are you saying that Canon's PhotoStitch is sufficient if no
W/A or Tele-converter is used?
Click to expand...
1. This converter-problem is easy to get around if you shoot in RAW-mode because the lens-data isn't attached to a TIFF-file. Then you are asked to enter the focal length also in PhotoStich.

2. The biggest disadvantage (and also its biggest advantage) whith PhotoStich is the fast processing. You loose a lot of sharpness. Actually I can't see how you weren't able to hold the 7 mm lens steady in daylight - have you looked at the original images?
Justme said:
The pano I have up on pbase, does it look stitched together OK?
Click to expand...
Yes.

About Panorama Factory I must say I do the stiching faster manually in Photoshop using "Correct" and "Remap" from Panorama Tools plugin (on a 800 MHz/128 MB Pentium with full-size G2-images).

It's very easy to put two images over eachother in Photoshop (first with opacity, then zooming in for exakt match). The seams are made by using masks and if you want to do them in the same way Panorama Factory does it would only take some seconds...
 
I've only just started playing with stitch assist mode, but Canon's Photostitch software seems to do a decent job, and yes you can take pano's with just the built-in lens.

I use my G2 with standard lens set at widest zoom and shoot in portrait-orientation, to maximize the vertical dimension of the shot. It is possible to get a decent panorama handheld, though you do end up losing top and bottom portions of your resulting imaged due to inaccuracies in holding the camera level shot to shot - though this problem isn't as critical when you shoot in portrait orientation. Definitely a tripod will get you better results, though of course it will have to be level.

Here's a sample 360 panorama shot, handheld, using 16 portrait-oriented shots. Unfortunately you can see some of the seams, probably due to the polarizer and the changing angle of view shot to shot without readjusting the filter. But otherwise, Photostitch seemed to do a decent job, without any additional effort.
http://www.pbase.com/image/6165299

(warning, the "original" size image is big and anyhow doesn't seem to display correctly, but click on the "large" size link or smaller and that should display ok)

I also like the fact that Photostitch lets you save the panorama as a QTVR file, perhaps the other software programs out there let you do that too.
Justme said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I will explore those packages. For
now, I want to try using only the G2's lens for panos. Are you
saying that Canon's PhotoStitch is sufficient if no W/A or
Tele-converter is used?

The pano I have up on pbase, does it look stitched together OK? I
had to resize it (partly because the image(s) were taken handheld
and I wasn't thrilled with the quality - couldn't hold the G2
steady and it's also easier to load for those with slower ISP
connections).

For those who haven't used the Pan mode yet: Should definitely
give the Panoramic Stitch mode a try. As stated, the PhotoStitch
software does practically all the work. You select the photos and
click Merge and it does the rest.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the suggestions.
Anders Wånell said:
Justme said:
Are you saying that Canon's PhotoStitch is sufficient if no
W/A or Tele-converter is used?
Click to expand...
1. This converter-problem is easy to get around if you shoot in
RAW-mode because the lens-data isn't attached to a TIFF-file. Then
you are asked to enter the focal length also in PhotoStich.
2. The biggest disadvantage (and also its biggest advantage) whith
PhotoStich is the fast processing. You loose a lot of sharpness.
Actually I can't see how you weren't able to hold the 7 mm lens
steady in daylight - have you looked at the original images?
Click to expand...
A lot are not what I would call sharp. Most of the panos in that gallery were taken the same day or around the same time. I can normally hold a camera still by controlling the way I breathe. However, after a short burst of climbing it is hard to hold the camera steady for long. I find it harder to use the same breathing technique after some physical exertion. It could be the way I'm holding the camera and sometimes trying too hard to be steady has the opposite effect.
Anders Wånell said:
Anders Wånell said:
The pano I have up on pbase, does it look stitched together OK?
Click to expand...
Yes.

About Panorama Factory I must say I do the stiching faster manually
in Photoshop using "Correct" and "Remap" from Panorama Tools plugin
(on a 800 MHz/128 MB Pentium with full-size G2-images).

It's very easy to put two images over eachother in Photoshop (first
with opacity, then zooming in for exakt match). The seams are made
by using masks and if you want to do them in the same way Panorama
Factory does it would only take some seconds...
Click to expand...
 
That is some nice scenery. I read somewhere that it's not recommended to use a polarizer for panos. I can see the effect on the sky in your pano shot along with some glare but it's still very nice.
b.c. said:
Justme said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I will explore those packages. For
now, I want to try using only the G2's lens for panos. Are you
saying that Canon's PhotoStitch is sufficient if no W/A or
Tele-converter is used?

The pano I have up on pbase, does it look stitched together OK? I
had to resize it (partly because the image(s) were taken handheld
and I wasn't thrilled with the quality - couldn't hold the G2
steady and it's also easier to load for those with slower ISP
connections).

For those who haven't used the Pan mode yet: Should definitely
give the Panoramic Stitch mode a try. As stated, the PhotoStitch
software does practically all the work. You select the photos and
click Merge and it does the rest.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
 
Yes, a tripod will always make a difference, especially when the lighting isn't all that great. As for the stitching, I can say that PhotoStitch does a very good job if there is enough overlap detail. It can be fooled though (I've experimented). As a few have mentioned, PhotoStitch may not be the best panorama tool available but it gets the average stitch job done quickly and easily. I will look into the other software recommended here.
Mike11 said:
As you're discovering you almost have to use a tripod. The exposure
on your shot is very good, but the size is too small to judge the
stitching. The Canon software is very simple to use, but you will
find that Panorama Factory is just as easy once you get used to it
and offers great results.
Click to expand...
 
Well... I've been reading this post and I have to agree that it is worth learning how to use panatool. Canon Photostitch doesn't do the job perfectly. Like you said, hanheld pictures don't stitch properly. If you use a tripod than you may also try to use a panoramic head to rotate around the nodal point of your lens (explained on some web site).

I take most of my panoramic picture handheld and stitch them with panatools. I try to use the manual settings and take raw files. I stitch the Tiff files and get a final Photoshop file with layers, this way it is possible to correct color or light (needed when there is clouds in front of the sun)... etc The results are amazing!! I'm still learning... but I'm very happy I tried, no more frustration with photostitcxh an banding in the sky. Processing time is much longer in panatool. On my 900Mhz with 512 Ram it can take a few hours for large panoramic !! Yesterday I stitched 5 JPEG files in panoramic orientation and it took 5 minutes

I have a few examples at http://www.pbase.com/biojack/panoramic

three of them were impossible to stitch in Photostitch, the "Vancouver-fall" had a picture totally brighter (I believe there was a cloud while I took the three first pictures). The Marina pictures just wouldn't stitch because I took them handheld only building in the background would fit properly. One other problem with the Auto stitch function of Canon is that the camera will focus between each shots... you get panorama with different things in focus- out focus (Like half a tree in focus and the other half out of focus)

Well... my point is that if you have enough patience, learn how to use Panatool !! You won't regret it !!

JACK
http://www.pbase.com/biojack

PS and use portrait orientation if you can, it is easier to stitch that way and you get much more detail. Sometime I get 20 megapixel tiff files !! Haven't try printing them poster size... but even at 100% I can't tell it was many pictures stitched together, you can even take two-three rows of pictures if you want more resolution.
 
I'd say the main reason you can see the seams is that you used PhotoStitch. It's stitching capabitlities are very poor compared to some others like Panorama Factory, and esp. PanoTools. Also, did you shoot in Manual to lock the exposure?

The focus also seems a bit soft...did you lock MF to infinity? Perhaps an application of Unsharp Mask in Photoshop would help. While you're at it, maybe you should resize the image to at least half so that people could see a large version without having to scroll so much. It will also look sharper if you do this.

Thanks for sharing that beautiful shot! Damn, I so wanna go to BC! I think maybe I'll take my girlfriend in the spring since we both want to see the west coast (furthest West I've been is Windsor Ontario!).

Michael
b.c. said:
Justme said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I will explore those packages. For
now, I want to try using only the G2's lens for panos. Are you
saying that Canon's PhotoStitch is sufficient if no W/A or
Tele-converter is used?

The pano I have up on pbase, does it look stitched together OK? I
had to resize it (partly because the image(s) were taken handheld
and I wasn't thrilled with the quality - couldn't hold the G2
steady and it's also easier to load for those with slower ISP
connections).

For those who haven't used the Pan mode yet: Should definitely
give the Panoramic Stitch mode a try. As stated, the PhotoStitch
software does practically all the work. You select the photos and
click Merge and it does the rest.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/mooremwm
http://www.photosig.com/userphotos.php?id=7178
 
no, I'm pretty sure the reason for the visible seams is the polarizer. I have other pano examples using Photostitch where the seams are not visible. But in these shots the polarizer effect was very pronounced with the sky - I had left it on from taking single shots without thinking of the effect on the pano, and I made no adjustment of the polarizer angle from shot to shot. For each of the stitched images I just

I didn't do any processing of the images, as I just quickly put it together after getting home to get a sense of how it would look. Later, I'll try some sharpening and also resize for better viewing. Thanks for the suggestion/comments.
Windsor!! that ain't west! :-) you gotta make a trip!
Mickey said:
I'd say the main reason you can see the seams is that you used
PhotoStitch. It's stitching capabitlities are very poor compared
to some others like Panorama Factory, and esp. PanoTools. Also,
did you shoot in Manual to lock the exposure?

The focus also seems a bit soft...did you lock MF to infinity?
Perhaps an application of Unsharp Mask in Photoshop would help.
While you're at it, maybe you should resize the image to at least
half so that people could see a large version without having to
scroll so much. It will also look sharper if you do this.

Thanks for sharing that beautiful shot! Damn, I so wanna go to BC!
I think maybe I'll take my girlfriend in the spring since we both
want to see the west coast (furthest West I've been is Windsor
Ontario!).

Michael
Click to expand...
 
b.c. said:
no, I'm pretty sure the reason for the visible seams is the
polarizer. I have other pano examples using Photostitch where the
seams are not visible. But in these shots the polarizer effect was
very pronounced with the sky - I had left it on from taking single
shots without thinking of the effect on the pano, and I made no
adjustment of the polarizer angle from shot to shot. For each of
the stitched images I just
I didn't do any processing of the images, as I just quickly put it
together after getting home to get a sense of how it would look.
Later, I'll try some sharpening and also resize for better viewing.
Thanks for the suggestion/comments.
Click to expand...
b.c. said:
Windsor!! that ain't west! :-) you gotta make a trip!
Click to expand...
Windsor is more west than I've been (in Canada). I once drove up to London accidentally one snowy night (long story). I would love to visit both coasts including Banff/Jasper.
b.c. said:
Mickey said:
I'd say the main reason you can see the seams is that you used
PhotoStitch. It's stitching capabitlities are very poor compared
to some others like Panorama Factory, and esp. PanoTools. Also,
did you shoot in Manual to lock the exposure?

The focus also seems a bit soft...did you lock MF to infinity?
Perhaps an application of Unsharp Mask in Photoshop would help.
While you're at it, maybe you should resize the image to at least
half so that people could see a large version without having to
scroll so much. It will also look sharper if you do this.

Thanks for sharing that beautiful shot! Damn, I so wanna go to BC!
I think maybe I'll take my girlfriend in the spring since we both
want to see the west coast (furthest West I've been is Windsor
Ontario!).

Michael
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
 
Thanks for the useful information. Panoramas are fun, aren't they? I can understand about the slow speed as I use to have a Pentium I 166mhz with about 64mb RAM(?). Yours is a bit faster than that. I have since upgraded to a speedy computer and am so glad I did - especially for image editing.
Jack Chevalier said:
Well... I've been reading this post and I have to agree that it is
worth learning how to use panatool. Canon Photostitch doesn't do
the job perfectly. Like you said, hanheld pictures don't stitch
properly. If you use a tripod than you may also try to use a
panoramic head to rotate around the nodal point of your lens
(explained on some web site).

I take most of my panoramic picture handheld and stitch them with
panatools. I try to use the manual settings and take raw files. I
stitch the Tiff files and get a final Photoshop file with layers,
this way it is possible to correct color or light (needed when
there is clouds in front of the sun)... etc The results are
amazing!! I'm still learning... but I'm very happy I tried, no more
frustration with photostitcxh an banding in the sky. Processing
time is much longer in panatool. On my 900Mhz with 512 Ram it can
take a few hours for large panoramic !! Yesterday I stitched 5 JPEG
files in panoramic orientation and it took 5 minutes

I have a few examples at http://www.pbase.com/biojack/panoramic
three of them were impossible to stitch in Photostitch, the
"Vancouver-fall" had a picture totally brighter (I believe there
was a cloud while I took the three first pictures). The Marina
pictures just wouldn't stitch because I took them handheld only
building in the background would fit properly. One other problem
with the Auto stitch function of Canon is that the camera will
focus between each shots... you get panorama with different things
in focus- out focus (Like half a tree in focus and the other half
out of focus)

Well... my point is that if you have enough patience, learn how to
use Panatool !! You won't regret it !!

JACK
http://www.pbase.com/biojack

PS and use portrait orientation if you can, it is easier to stitch
that way and you get much more detail. Sometime I get 20 megapixel
tiff files !! Haven't try printing them poster size... but even at
100% I can't tell it was many pictures stitched together, you can
even take two-three rows of pictures if you want more resolution.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
 
Good pan. I have found it a very nice feature and use it many times. An example:
http://www.pbase.com/davona/sandy_house
Justme said:
This is my first attempt at a panoramic. The ease with which the
Canon PhotoStitch software worked is very encouraging. Easy as
1-2-3. However, the quality of the pano image isn't too good
because the images were taken handheld. I did have to do some
cropping. A tripod is highly recommended for my next attempt. I
resized image to to 800x600.

This is a hilly golf course and after climbing up to the vantage
point for this panoramic, it was hard to hold the camera still for
sharp pictures. I'm in decent shape but to go from some physical
activity to being as still as possible is not that easy.

http://www.pbase.com/image/6089254

--
http://www.pbase.com/golfpic/the_dome
Click to expand...
 
I believe you used photostitch??? There is two big missed stitched on the house, one in ~ the middle and one one the right and you can see a darker band in the sky. It would be a very good panoramic if it wasn't of this. I got so frustrated of using photostitch, you always get dark band in the sky using it !! Try Panatool (it is quite difficult to learn it... but you could get a perfect stitch easily with these pictures). I tried using panatool alone and now I'm using PTgui and it is much easier. I think you can stitch almost everything with these tools.

I love taking panoramic pictures... now I just need more time to stitch them.

JACK
 
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