A lazy man's guide to stitching images

[mudder]

G'day all,

Dunno if this is going to be helpful to anyone or not but it seems to help me, so what the heck...

I've been playing with stitching some images and I've had some problems when I've used the 12-24 due to what I assume to be distortion in the image (pin-cushion?), particularly at the wide end...

So, rather than use Photoshop automate (or other stitching apps) is:
1) Create a new image with a big enough canvass to hold both images
2) Paste both images into that new blank canvass
3) Lower the opacity of each layer so I can see when they lined up while I drag one over the other
4) Reset the opacity
5) create a mask for each layer
6) Use a soft feathered eraser on each of the joins in the masks, erase the very edge of each layer where they overlap.

This way I could determine where the join/stitch is, how it's feathered, I can go around rocks and things, having only one image totally showing a foreground subject, with the blending edge not going through anything of interest the viewer might look at. You can make the "blending edge" where-ever you want and follow what ever you want.

Seems a really easy way to stitch and even using the 12-24 @12mm, stitching's really easy and seemless... I might go back to some old pano's and re-do them this way instead of using the automate function.

For those that like stitching, try it, see what you think...

Examples, these I posted in another thread:

2 images using x12_24@12mm in landscape(!) orientation. The two images couldn't blend using automate as the differences between them on their edges was too great, they were very different and I had no hope trying to match them up...:



5(!) images using the 12-24@24mm in portrait orientation:

[ajax]

Andrew,

great technic.

[ABG]

Thanks for sharing Andrew. I've never had a crack at a pano and now you've really left me with no excuses (no pano head perhaps ).

It's guys like you who help make the learning curve in digital photography less daunting for newbies like me.

[mudder]

Thanks for sharing Andrew. I've never had a crack at a pano and now you've really left me with no excuses (no pano head perhaps ).

It's guys like you who help make the learning curve in digital photography less daunting for newbies like me.

G'day,

I've bought a King-pano head and haven't used it yet Should be good though when I do some non-sunset/sunrise landscape stuff with it when there's a detailed foreground subject to grab the viewers eye, within a really deep DOF with mountains or something in the distance. I believe the pano heads are good for minimising parallax error due to pivoting the camera on the nodal point of the lens (rather than he screw attachment on the base of the body), so the stitching's easier and more accurate. At least I hope to confirm when I get off my arse and actually use the pano head

Oh, and I've learnt so much from knowledgeable, friendly, and sharing guys and gals on this forum, I still consider myself a bit of a newbie when it comes to composition or any creative aspect but if I can return anything to this forum then it's worth doing

Cheers.