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Create your own Panorama

Some vistas are so beautifully expansive that a single shot with a wide-angle lens just won’t do it justice. Panoramas allow you to push the boundaries of the frame, leaving the photographer no longer restricted by how wide angle the lens is. This technique has become so popular that camera manufacturers like Sony and Fujifilm have fashioned new technology that enables you to take your own panorama simply by sweeping the camera in a semi-circle.

This month, DCE will show you that you don’t need a brand new model with this feature to create your own panoramic pictures. A sweeping seascape, an illuminated city at dusk, or even your own back garden – you can produce a panorama of anything. A common illusion is that this technique demands a host of specialist equipment, when in reality all that’s required is a digital camera and a tripod. Even a handheld compact would produce results.

The most important thing to get to grips with is creative control. As with any form of photography, the basics must be covered – composition, depth of field, the tonal range of the image – but with panoramas this is much more crucial. To create the characteristically wide appearance of a panorama, the photographer needs to take several pictures of the scene and if the white balance, focal length, and aperture are not fixed – stitching the images together later will be very tricky. This guide will break the panorama process down into simple steps; teach you how to master the all-important editing stages, and professional photographer and panorama guru, Jaspal Jandu, shares his top tips.

//What you’ll need:

Digital camera (with manual controls)

Tripod

Spirit level

//Skills you’ll learn:

Stitching a panorama

Cloning

Curves and levels

Setting Up Shot

Compose

Opt for a location that contains features in the foreground, as well as in the distance, to occupy the viewer’s eye and ultimately add interest. Avoid shooting directly into the sun as this can alter the lighting within the different sections of the scene. Remember that panoramic photos can be either horizontal or vertical, so select the orientation that suits the scene.

Tripod

It is recommended that you fix your camera to a tripod to keep shots level and minimise camera shake. If you’re working handheld, tuck your arms tightly into your body and keep feet firmly planted as you take your series of shots. A brick wall or fence could serve as support if all else fails.

White Balance

Turn the automatic setting off and manually set the white balance to compliment the lighting conditions. If you don’t, tones will change throughout the scene and create hard work later on. It is a good idea to speed up the process and fire your shots quicker when the weather is cloudy.

Focal length

Choosing the same focal length for each shot will ensure that there are no alterations in the different photographs that will make up your panorama. Bear in mind that a longer focal length will mean you have to capture more images, so choose a shorter focal length to limit processing work.

Aperture

Select a small aperture such as f16 or above so that the scene is in focus from front to back, which will simplify stitching the images together in the editing stage. Also, by setting your camera to process images as JPEGs instead of RAW files, the large file size won’t slow your computer.

Snap away

Have a practise run, panning your camera around to cover what will eventually be your panoramic photograph. This way, you can see whether the camera is level and that you’ve chosen the optimum settings. To ease the process of stitching your images afterwards, estimate a 20-30% overlap between each image.

TOP TIPS

Take a picture of your thumb pointing upwards to signify the start of your panorama and downwards once you’ve reached the end for efficient editing.

If you take each shot for your panorama in portrait, you will capture more vertical detail. In landscape orientation, you may need to take more pictures.

Movement within the scene can cause blurring and doubling up of people of cars. Be aware of this and take your pictures quickly if this is the case.

Editing your Panorama

Step 1: Photomerge

Photoshop helpfully provides an automatic stitching tool called Photomerge. To select this, click on File > Automate > Photomerge.

Step 2: Pick the pictures

A window will open to prompt you to select the photographs you want to merge. Click on Browse and source the images in sequence if possible.

Step 3: Merge together

Once selected, Photomerge will assemble the photos into a panorama straight away.  However, if this does not occur, then use the Select Image tool in the Photomerge dialog to adjust them one by one. Ticking the Perspective option will also lend a more realistic look to the finished piece.

Step 4: Cover the cracks

Give your panorama a professional finish by choosing the Healing Brush to cover up any noticeable joins. You can alter the brush size accordingly and press Alt + click on the area you wish to duplicate. Complete the process by cropping the edges and don’t forget to hit the Save button.

The long way round

A detailed, more gratifying way to stitch your images

Step 1: Loading

Launch Photoshop and open all the images you have taken for your pano picture. Either find them via browsing, or simply drag and drop all the images if they are lurking on the desktop.

Step 2: Blank canvas

Click on File>New to create a blank document that you will be able to drag your sequence of images on to. Make sure the measurements are big enough to hold the width and height of all your images.

Step 3: Drag and drop

Choose the Move tool from the toolbar and drag all of your pictures on to the blank document. Try to drag them in sequence order to avoid confusion, as each image will form a different layer.

Step 4: Get into position

Now click on the layer on the far left (layer 2 or equivalent). On the Layers palette, reduce the opacity to 60% and then use the Move tool to line the image up with the adjacent one. Go to View>Rulers, then drag out two rulers and position them either side of where layer 1 and layer 2 overlap.

Step 5: Erase the lines

Drag the Opacity back to 100%, then select the black-and-white icon at the bottom of the Layer Palette to add a layer mask. Hit D to set the default colours and choose the Brush tool from the toolbar and open the Brush palette.

Step 6 : Brush up

Select a medium brush and set the Hardness to 60%. Then use this brush to erase the photo underneath this current layer to soften the joining lines between images. Use the rulers as a guide to keep within the lines.

Step 7: Repeat

Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 to create the rest of your panorama. Ensure no major seams are on show and when you’re happy, click on File>Save and name the document ‘panorama_rough’.

Step 8: Cropping

Call up the Crop tool from the toolbar and click and drag from the top left of your image to the bottom right. If the panorama fills the space you have highlighted, hit Return to leave a neat rectangle shape.

Step 9: Colouring

If the colours of the different images don’t match up, select a layer that requires some attention and click Image>Adjustment>Brightness Contrast. Alter the sliders until the image resembles the remainder of the panorama. Don’t forget to save the final piece.

Pro Tips:

British born photographer Jaspal Jandu is recognised as a leading exponent of panoramic landscape photography with a special emphasis on natural phenomena and the environment.  His latest book, ‘Natural Wonders: A Panoramic Vision’ (RRP £25) is the result of a four-year long voyage to capture nature’s perilously fragile landmarks at their most beautiful and imposing.

Website: www.jaspaljandu.com

Tip 1:

Wide isn’t always wonderful

Given the ease of digital stitching, it’s tempting to include too much angle-of-view in panoramic sequences.  Human stereoscopic vision is limited to around 90-120 degrees, so try to aim for a sequence of three to five overlapping images in the first instance.

Tip 2

Shoot vertical

Forest canopies and cathedral interiors are just two scenes that lend themselves perfectly to vertical panoramas.  This orientation requires some forethought, however, as you don’t want to be crouched awkwardly underneath your camera by the end of sequence.

Tip 3

A panoramic narrative

Panoramas are normally ‘read’ from side-to-side rather than front-to-back, so create a strong narrative that compliments this facet.

Tip 4

Be mindful of lighting

The sweeping coverage of a panorama will often contain large variations in light intensity and/or polarisation.  Either bracket your sequence or shoot in low contrast light if you want to avoid blocked shadows or blown highlights in different areas of the final image.

Printing your panoramas

Be proud of your panorama and order a professional print out

Spectrum Photographic offer quality services ranging from photographic and giclee printing to museum quality mounting and framing. Even pro photographer Caroline Irby has ordered a print for her exhibition at the V&A museum this year, so DCE called upon their services to print one of our panoramas.

www.spectrumphoto.co.uk

Online orders can be placed anytime day or night

Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone: 01273 708222 Spectrum Photographic
Unit 10 Hove Business Centre
Fonthill Road, Hove,
East Sussex. BN3 6HA

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