Panorama with MS ICE

[edrice]

I have only been attempting to do panorama's myself for a few weeks and have got nothing even close to what you have achieved. You have a good eye for a subject.

I'd just say download MS ICE and give it a shot. It's free and it's the easiest thing I've ever done. Can you drag multiple photos into a pane?

It's sheer witchcraft.

Ed

[sury]

Ed,
That is one of the more dramtic Panos I have seen. Fantastic. You are tempting me to go buy some Zeiss glass.
I am tempted to redo one of my A100 Panos from Lake Tahoe a year go after seeing your work.

With best regards,
Sury

It may be the recommended method to use manual for stitching most panos, but I have to say that MS ICE does an incredible job with A mode images. Here's an almost 180-degree 5-image pano from up in Wyoming (last August) using A mode on my A350 with the CZ16-80.

http://members.cox.net/teklanika/wyopanorama.jpg

Ed

[edrice]

Ed, that's a very beautiful sight and picture.

Thanks, Doc! But all I did was push the button 5 times (in A mode) while slowly spinning and later simulataneously dragged the shots into MS ICE and watched the magic happen. I didn't do any PP except for cropping the rough edges off. This was only a test (my second). It didn't take any expertise at all so I can't take credit for that. (I may have sharpened it a tad)

Ed

[Dr. Harout]

But still a beautiful picture. You cared to go there and see that. Some just probably pass by without noticing, but you did.
So it's not just pushing the button, but artistically pushing it (how's that?)

[edrice]

Ed,
That is one of the more dramtic Panos I have seen. Fantastic. You are tempting me to go buy some Zeiss glass.
I am tempted to redo one of my A100 Panos from Lake Tahoe a year go after seeing your work.

With best regards,
Sury

Thanks, Sury!

You should try those Lake Tahoe shots. That is one of my favorite places to go. You're lucky you live so much closer.

Ed

[edrice]

But still a beautiful picture. You cared to go there and see that. Some just probably pass by without noticing, but you did.
So it's not just pushing the button, but artistically pushing it (how's that?)

OK, you win, Doc! Thanks!

But it would take a great deal of determination to just go past that. It's way out of the way. I've been wanting to get up there for years.

Ed

[sury]

Ed,
I agree that MS ICE seems to do better with A mode shots. Here is the same stitch using
Photostitch (that came with Canon) and MSICE. You can see the bands in the former image.

with best regards,
Sury

A100, A mode, hand held using Photostitch software came with Canon

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/313 ... 5d1f_b.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This one with MS ICE.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/313 ... d20d_b.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dr. Harout]

The second one is definitely better. Just look at the stitching lines in the first shot.

[sury]

That was a challenging Pano. The light was changing fast and dramatically differing due to cloud coverage across a
vast expanse. I am convinced that MS ICE is probably better than Autostitch which has been hit or miss for me on
high res. images.

With best regards,
Sury

[alfake]

Isn't that accomplished by A mode where Camera is making sure the same amount of light is incident on the sensor? (...) could you please elaborare what you meant by manual exposure. Please understand I am trying to learn, that's why I am
asking so many questions.

Sury, with (I hope) Peter’s permission, let me try to answer your question.

Yes, you are right: in A mode “the same amount of light is incident on the sensor” (as long as one ignores the possible effect of the multi-segment metering mode, had it been used), but that’s not what you want when shooting different frames to compose a panorama. What you (normally) want in that case is to shoot all the frames at the same exposure (ie, with the same combination of aperture and shutter speed) so that the sensor receives less light when framing a dark section of the panorama than when framing a bright section. For example, suppose you are stitching two frames: the right one contains a very bright subject, the left one contains a very dark subject and the overlapping section contains a medium grey subject. If you use Aperture priority, the camera will select a short time (ie, a high shutter speed) for the right frame and a long time (ie, a slow shutter speed) for the left one (so that the sensor receives the same amount of light in both pictures), and, as a consequence, the overlapping medium grey subject will be very differently exposed in each of the pictures (it will be underexposed in the right picture and overexposed in the left picture) making it difficult to get a good stitch.

Of course, if the panorama is evenly illuminated, the A exposure mode will tend to give the same exposure for each frame (making it not necessary to shoot in M mode) and, in any case, a good stitching program will be able to cope successfully with slight exposure variations. Yours and Ed’s panoramas prove it. (But I am not sure, for example, that the three frames of my ‘Merry Christmas’ photo (http://www.photoclubalpha.com/forum/vie ... 536#p12287" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) could have been automatically stitched had I shot in A priority. Most probably the central picture would have been severely underexposed because of the three very strong floodlights included. Sorry for linking to a picture of mine. I hope it helps to clarify the above explanation.)

Alfonso

[sury]

Alfonso,
Thank you for that detailed explanation. Now that explains why M mode is suggested earlier. Now I see what you mean. What you described might explain why my
street christmas lights pano did not work out the way I thought it should. I will try M mode technique tonight if the weather permits.

Technically speaking my Tahoe Pano posted recently would have been better captured in M mode rather than in A mode since the light was not even and the clouds
were changing fast. A mode is applicable in certain lighting conditions more than the M mode. A lesson learned.


With best regards,
Sury

[bfitzgerald]

I gave the MS one a try, but I found Arcsoft's Panorama Maker 4 Pro, did a better job on more tricky ones. Still the MS one is pretty good, and free..

[sury]

Could you explain what made your pano tricky? Scene? Lighting? Location? I am curious.

With best regards,
Sury

[stevecim]

Hi All

I've been having a lot of fun using PTGui, has for taking the photos, I use A mode, take a reading on the part scene I want exposed best then lock the exposure with the AEL function.

Cheers, Stephen

[bfitzgerald]

I have a no. of shots for panoramics, that I have chanced it on. In other words I was lazy and didn't set up the tripod etc..

They are hard to align on some software solutions. Most of the time, the arcsoft one can nail it, not always. But I went through some serious testing various programs, and that one did IMO deliver tricky ones more consistently. Also you have a full 360 option too. I know arcsoft is known for cheapie software trial ware etc, but they have a pretty good program there.