Eight Steps to Digital Panoramas
Photograph Stitching Software Combines Pictures Easily
Make high resolution photographic images with the digital camera you already have. It's easy. Stitch panoramas together with software programs like PT Assembler.
Stitch moderate resolution photos into a single, high-resolution work of art. Stitching software works with any digital camera output to make gigabite sized images quickly and easily.
Some cameras come with a version of stitching software, but aftermarket versions are generally better. They're easily available even as downloadable freeware or low-cost shareware.
Such programs come packaged, from free to about $39 and the professional quality versions can run to over $1000. Here's how to do the basics.
It's best to select between four and ten images at a time for stitching – they'll be less likely to hang in processing and will process more quickly than larger quantities can.
- Set your digital camera's zoom function to a moderate telephoto. While taking your series of images, do not alter that setting. Take several series of pictures, using your highest jpg resolution. Overlap images in your view finder (vertically, horizontally or both) by about 15-20 %. To keep everything clear and crisp, use a tripod or image stabilization settings on your camera.
- Now, go online and research stitcher software. Many serious hobbyists use PT Assembler. It has a full-featured 30-day free demo and the license is $39. Easy Pano is about $1000 if budget is no object. Search freeware/shareware sites, too.
- Download the program of choice, PT Assembler is recommended, and install it, using manufacturer directions. There's usually no configuration required.
- Download your jpg images from the camera to the computer hard drive using a card reader. Just pop the memory card out of the camera, plug it into the card reader, and import the images.
- Most programs step the user through loading images into the program. Follow directions. The easiest method is to use the automatic operation option. PT Assembler is the poster-child for ease of use. The user just has to keep an eye on the processing and stop if the software hangs for too long.
- Sometimes, a series of images won't properly line up and the process stalls because the program doesn't know how to match seams. Pictures with areas that lack detail, like cloudless skies can have this issue. When this happens -- which is not often -- choose another set of pictures and begin again.
- If all is well, and it usually is, the program crunches the pictures together and then presents a single, high-res image, ready to print. Save it to a file on your computer.
- Printing is the final step. No mystery here. You can print on very large paper with marvelous results, at, say 300 dpi (dots per inch) the highest resolution a professional print shop uses.
People are blown away by the detail and depth of these stitched-together images. Detail, color, tonal ranges – all excellent. The largest challenge is finding enough file storage. The files are many megabites, up to several gig.
Experiment. One can photograph a large group of people and ask one subject, or several, to switch places between shots, making it appear as if he has a doppleganger. The possibilities are endless. More information on how to use PT Assembler
