Creating a panoramic photo is worthwhile, because detailed photos of landscapes inspire the viewer. A wide angle lens is the first choice for photographers. However, such special equipment is not always at hand. When photographing with a camera or smartphone, these extensions are hardly applicable. The solution is quite simple: the recording of individual images of the motif, which are then composed on the computer with a software into a large photo.
Panoramas properly photograph
We will show you how to create a panorama with digital camera or smartphone pictures and what you have to observe when taking pictures.
Create single images to panorama
A point is very important when taking photographs for panoramas: Disable the autofocus in the camera. Handle with hand. This ensures that all images have the same focus. This helps in the composition of the individual images in the panorama software
Panorama software: Alternatives to Microsoft ICE
If you have a tripod, you should use it. The camera is thus safe and can be rotated more precisely. A remote release helps to prevent the camera tripod and camera wiggle during shooting. For correct orientation in panorama shots, additional attachments with angle selection help. They are installed between the tripod and the camera. They have mechanisms for correct rotation.
Tips and Tricks
If there is no tripod on the tour, you may have to try to shoot the individual images on the same horizontal plane as possible. Do not rotate the body, try moving the camera around its own axis. This prevents parallax errors, which later lead to distortions during assembly. Modern software can compensate for such errors to a limited extent during processing, but in the case of recordings with houses, the errors are caused by bent lines. Re-aligning these in an image processing takes a lot of time and effort.
Owners of a small camera or smartphone should activate the panoramic mode. Many cameras and apps support the attachment of the individual images. To this end, they partially blend in the previously shot photo. This prevents vertical pans, and the individual images fit together later. However, the panoramic mode also ensures that the exposure of the images is uniform.
Tip: Rotate the camera into portrait mode, making horizontal recordings more easy. This gives you more vertical information on the individual recordings. This has a positive effect on the format and the result of the panorama.
Are moving objects in the picture like cars or cyclists - shoot against the driving direction. This prevents the vehicles from being present in all individual recordings. This also applies to waves or fast moving clouds. In the merged image, the objects can only be viewed once. In addition, you can prevent problems with the recognition of the images by the software.
The individual recordings are quickly combined with free programs like Microsoft ICE 2.0 (Download). Install the appropriate version (32 or 64 bits). Download the images and follow the instructions in ICE. The program automatically takes all further steps for composing and matching the images. With the basic settings, the results are impressive.
However, it is important to choose the appropriate projection for the final result. Modern software usually has the possibility to try out results interactively. In the case of motifs with transverse format, the planar and the cylindrical projection are suitable. Planar mode is also referred to as a linear projection. It is particularly suitable for recording with buildings. The straight lines for the building edges, roads and paths are not distorted. Missing areas in the sky or foreground are a disadvantage with this method.
After cropping, the format of the composite panorama changes. It is usually very wide. The recording of several rows horizontally one above the other helps at this point. For landscapes, the cylinder projection is a good choice. Programs such as Microsoft ICE try to pull the outer edges to the edges.
The distortions do not occur so much in the sky, land or forest. Caution in the case of motifs with power lines or rails - the projection in the cylinder mode ensures distorted lines. Photographs of very high motifs such as towers or church windows are produced in portrait format. After the composition of such images, the objects converge very sharply upwards. This is due to the different angle and the increasing distance from camera to subject.
Many panoramic solutions have the Mercator projection. This results in better results, and the photos appear more natural. Use this mode and do not try to adjust the images later in an image processing. There is a risk that areas will be unnaturally distorted.
Lesetipp
The automatic functions of many panorama programs are sufficient for most cases. Users with higher requirements can find the possibility to work with spatial alignment of the individual images and adjustment of control points in the Gratisprogramm Hugin. Franzis Panorama Project 2 works in a similar way. The purchase program has a powerful automatic system that saves the user a lot of work. The manual adjustment of the panoramas is possible and allows the processing of possible problem areas. In this step, the transitions between individual recordings can be changed. Also the processing of videos knows the Franzis product.
Even more extensive is the toolset at Autopano from Kolor. This includes the detection of multiple panoramas from a recording session and the management in projects. There are many possibilities in the program when you combine and adjust the panoramas. The program offers changing of the image orientation in the room, finetuning at the control points and the use of masks. Autopano also reads RAW photos and can process exposures for HDR panoramas. A 64-bit version takes account of the higher resolutions and the associated data volumes for modern cameras. This makes sure that the PC does not get out of the way of the great panoramas.
Irrespective of the choice of the projection, certain areas are usually missing at the edges and corners of the composite images. Some programs have functions that eliminate these errors automatically. In Microsoft ICE, in the Crop step, there is the Autocomplete switch to remove these problems. The results convince and help to create perfect images. The Panaroma tools of Adobe Photoshop Elements or CyberLink PhotoDirector have similar options.
Small errors can also be repaired with the tools for content-based filling. They are available in Photoshop since version 12. Paint Shop Pro X7 has a suitable tool with Magic Fill. After setting up landscapes, an odd horizon is often created. Subsequent adjustments are possible with the processing tools such as moving or deforming in image processing. Here, help lines help, where the areas in the picture are aligned with the tools. Subsequent balancing of the horizon and trimming of the image are then usually necessary. This works in programs like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro.
When recording with buildings, the effect of the falling lines often occurs. Especially when you photograph high buildings in vertical mode. Vertical lines at the corners of the house tend to reach a point, which creates an unnatural appearance. Image processing like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro help to remove these optical errors (distort perspective).
As a free alternative you load the tool ShiftN. The small program is easy to use and shines with its fast automatic function. Of course, there are also tools for manual editing of the images.
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