If you have been following my work over the years you know I am a fan of panorama photos. It is such a different point of view from a straight image. Here are a couple ideas to help you create stronger panoramas.
After sunset
When making landscape images I recommend waiting until 12-15 minutes after the sun has dipped below the horizon. When you wait until after the sun goes down your shadows become soft, the color intensifies and the scene becomes Nummy. Nummy is a technical term I have either coined myself or appropriated from hearing it somewhere else.
Light entry point
The light entry point is key to getting the highest quality in your panorama stitch. Most people rotate the camera around the sensor. If you rotate instead around where the light comes through and crosses before heading to the sensor you remove parallax error which makes it easier for your stitching software to create clean seams. Here’s a link to an article on how to set up and know if you are pivoting around the light entry point.
The stitch
This is the menu that helps you choose the method which Photoshop employs. Usually, especially if you have used the light entry point on your lens as the rotation point Auto will work well. Add in the Remove Vignette tic box and you are good to go.
Content Aware fill
Photoshop has a great tool to help you fill the edges of your image if you don’t wish to crop. Select the areas that need a fill. Go to the Edit Menu > Content Aware Fill. In the dialog box see the result. You can help choose which pixels Photoshop is using if the selection isn’t turning out the way you wish. Once you accept the fill it is loaded onto its own layer. Be aware if you are filling a large area there may be some visible replication of elements you will want to clean up using the Stamp Tool.
Result
Here’s the final image after the Photoshop stitch, Content Aware Fill and a bit of color correction. MMMM, nummy!
Here are some more links to creating panorama photos:
- Capturing and processing Grand Canyon
- Using panoramas to get the most from a kit lens
- How to stitch panoramas in Lightroom by Levi Sim
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob