Panarama of Portland Skyline

Mike Jordan · #1 11-05-2003, 11:44 PM

It's not really a digital manipulation, but it did take working with 5 images taken with my 10D. So I've posted this in here.

This was taken at sunrise up the Willamette River from Portland, OR. I took 5 shots and then stictched them together using the program Panarama Factory. I tried the same thing with Photo Stitch that comes on the Canon CD, but it didn't do as good a job with my poor exposure on each image. When I took the pictures, I didn't meter one area, set my camera on manual and then take the pictures. I left it on P, which means it focused and metered with each shot. The problem was that as I rotated my tripod head, the meter sensor might have been on the land or the water, resulting in a very different reading across the 5 images. Next time I'll know better.

Here is the final image:

Here is a link to my web site where you can see a bigger image:

http://www.sitnprettyphoto.com/display/portland-2w.jpg

Mike

moore hill graphics · #2 11-06-2003, 01:21 AM

You've stitched them beautifully, Mike. I love doing that kind of thing.
I don't usually worry about metering, as I find I can make that kind of alteration in PS7. I don't use photo-stitch programs, either. Just overlapping and blending in PS - works better with more detailed images I find - can't really trust the computer to know how I want to bring things out

Mike Jordan · #3 11-06-2003, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by moore hill graphics
You've stitched them beautifully, Mike. I love doing that kind of thing.
I don't usually worry about metering, as I find I can make that kind of alteration in PS7. I don't use photo-stitch programs, either. Just overlapping and blending in PS - works better with more detailed images I find - can't really trust the computer to know how I want to bring things out

Thanks Veronica. In the case of these images, the Panarama Factory did a whole lot better job than I could. The difference in exposure was pretty evident when the camera metered on the water and on the land. So when it was stitched together it the seams were pretty obvious. The first one I tried I spent a bunch of time in Photoshop trying to evening them out. I had figured it was a lesson learned and forget it with these images until I tried Panaroma Factory in it's demo mode. One run through and I was convinced that the time saved was well worth not being able to say I did it by hand.

The panorama that I've been trying to do, and is probably going to take some real serious effort on my part, is of a section of the Columbia River when it's filled with wind surfers and kite borders. I'm going to have to shoot real fast because of how much they are moving, not only towards and away from me, but also across in front of me. It's going to take a very steady and stable tripod and some fast shooting as I rotate it through it's arc. It's either that or I find a 1 degree wide angle lens for my 10D.

Mike

marilyn h · #4 11-06-2003, 06:24 AM

Your stitches are gorgeous! Thank you for these!

jsr88 · #5 11-06-2003, 07:14 AM

Mike this one turned out SUPER!!!

Nice discussion on Manual v Software...I've done both and depending on whether I'd PLANNED for the final result or not, I LIKE both!

Mike Jordan · #6 11-06-2003, 10:05 AM

The trick with stitching manually is to reduce the opacity of one of the image layers as you over lay it over the other. That way you can see when your placement is the best. Then you bring in the next layer and do the same thing. The first time I did it by hand I cropped all the images and got them nice and neat then tried to line them up. Until you try it a few times you don't realize just how much "fudge" room you need.

So now I save all cropping until after they are pieced together and then I'll crop out all the zagged edges. Unless the zagged edges adds to the over all look of the image, which I've seen with panorama's that others have done but not in mine yet.

Mike

Rich · #7 11-06-2003, 10:29 AM

Nice work Mike!

I have the same software and it really does a good job! I do agree with you that it is much easier to take the picture with the right exposure, it is a whole lot less work! My camera has AE lock so it is a piece of cake.

I have a few panos on my web site if you want to check 'em out.

Mike Jordan · #8 11-07-2003, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rich
Nice work Mike!

I have the same software and it really does a good job! I do agree with you that it is much easier to take the picture with the right exposure, it is a whole lot less work! My camera has AE lock so it is a piece of cake.

I have a few panos on my web site if you want to check 'em out.

Rich, you have some beautiful panoramas on your site. I love the earth tones (I'm a earth tone type of person) in the hills and grain shot and I'd love to get something like your shot of the falls. Those are all excellent choices for doing panoramas of.

And the rest of the work on your site isn't bad either.

Mike

Rich · #9 11-07-2003, 09:54 AM

Mile, Thanks for looking and the nice comment. I took a quick look at your web site. You do wonderful work with the dog portraits! Great shots of the wind surfers too! I will go back and take a closer look later.

**pampe** · #10 11-07-2003, 07:22 PM

nice work

I have a daughter there....feel like waving

Salute to our Partners