Digital Processing Issues and Fixes: Stitching of Happenstance Adjacent Pictures to a Wonderful Panorama!

[Asher Kelman]

Often folk look aghast at me taking several pictures of the scene, rotating my camera to point further to the right with each new shot!

“It’s for the panorama!” I explain.

After all, why not just use this wide angle lens?

“I have to buy it, first and then carry it!” Is my answer.

The lens you have with you can easily be used to generate very wide, detail rich scenes! Often better quality than with your wide angle lens!

The key points are

• There are few very close objects that would “move” as his camera moves to frame new scenes in the distance.
• There are significant areas of overlap with unique details.
• The entire scene is engaging as a whole.

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Here, Jérôme has generously allowed me to repurpose his pictures of a “sea landscape” where he took individual pictures in a great location with no plan to stitch them.

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However, by virtue of his relatively fixed shooting position to the scenes and overlap they are perfect candidates for repurposing to attempt an impressive panorama of the scene.

Immediately I was taken with the shots! I wish I had been there!

So I asked Jérôme to allowed to experiment with these impressive pictures as this was definitely an exceptional scene to celebrate, admire and return to often!

So he sent me 4 images!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

The approach is really simple. One can use a number of common image editing programs. Programs like Photoshop have this built in.

They can automatically swing around, scale and angle each image to correct the odd and slightly different taking angles in hand held shots!

In Photoshop one can use Photoshop and the “Automate” Menu to pull the images from the desktop and stitch them.

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Notice that we have more foreground image on the left side, some sky missing on the right and a bright artifact in the upper right skyline.

Here we crop away the unreserved left foreground, even out and fill in the missing sky on the right!

I’d say that’s pretty damn good! Thank you Photoshop!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

But can we do better?

There are other programs dedicated to stitching. Most are derivatives of panotools.

I use Autopano Giga by Kolor.com in France now owned by GoPro!

One can just as well use PTGUI!

With dedicated software one can refine the positions, links, quality of links and even the choicevof one or several viewpoints.

In this case, I tried several options and got the best result by assuming that Jérôme shifted his position between shots.

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Here the result appears more pristine and accurate. We could be creative and add more beach on the right, but once again a simple crop delivers a fabulous recreation of the view that I imagine must have captivated Jérôme in an instant!

Thanks Jerome for sharing!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

I invite anyone else with adjacent overlapping shots of a great scene to send me the RAW images to try my hand at delivering back a panorama!
Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

I am very impressed by the end results. I would not have thought they would be so good!

But the water moved between individual captures. How comes it is not a problem?

 

[Asher Kelman]

I am very impressed by the end results. I would not have thought they would be so good!

Thanks again Jérôme for allowing me to try this out! From the magnetic impact of the view you shared, I guessed you didn’t move a whole lot in taking your pictures!

But the water moved between individual captures. How comes it is not a problem?

Of the different pictures, the best matches will be found the waters reasonably match.

The software is able to interdigitate one form with another.

With Photoshop CC 2020, one sees the individually chosen contributory “patches” stacked up at the end of its procedure.

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

From the magnetic impact of the view you shared, I guessed you didn’t move a whole lot in taking your pictures!

I probably did not move a lot between the few pictures I sent you, yes.

 

[Asher Kelman]

What is amazing is that have been with experience photographers who say, “Wow, look at that incredible view! Too bad I didn’t bring my super wide angle and just this 50mm!”

As long as there is nothing close, the software can make so many axis changes its mind-blowing!

Asher