

- #Nikon coolpix panorama maker software software#
- #Nikon coolpix panorama maker software professional#
It’s also important to even out your metering, meaning scan the entire scene making note of the aperture and shutter speeds your camera is suggesting, then pick one pair of settings in the middle, or slightly darker to make sure any sky details is preserved. Had I set the camera to manual, this would not happen. Copyright Peter West CareyĬan you see the difference in exposure in the skyline? The computer was able to adjust well enough to the foreground canyon, but failed to even out the sky all the way. Otherwise you’ll end up with an image like this. If you are using a DSLR or other camera that doesn’t have the nifty Panorama Mode, you’ll want to set your metering mode to manual. Here’s another lesson I learned the hard way.

The foreground detail lines up right, but not the distant horizon. This distortion was too much to over come in the computer afterwards and the result was the choppy image you see here. But what happened instead is the distant horizon became naturally distorted as I used a 16mm lens.

I attempted to point my DSLR down too far in order to catch more of the canyon. This is best shown in my own example below, taken at Bryce Canyon, Utah, back in 2005. Further, they will be more distorted and curved because of the angle their light enters the camera. What this means is as you pan the camera left to right, the distant objects will fan out and may not have ample overlap. For a single picture, this isn’t a problem, but for a panorama it creates a fan effect which is not so easily fixed in the computer. But if you point that camera down, say 45 degrees you now have distant objects, like mountains in the background, coming in at a much sharper angle than foreground objects. When held level, all parts of the scene in front of it come in and hit the sensor and roughly the same angle. Think of it this way your lens is a curved peice of glass. But if it’s a monster 40 image shot, it becomes more and more important to keep things on the level. If you’re shooting four or five images there isn’t much your need to worry about. Keeping your camera level becomes more important as you combine more images.
#Nikon coolpix panorama maker software software#
Increasing the amount of overlap helps reduce “flaring” that happens when the software is forced to use all of the image frame, including the corners which may show distortion depending on your lens selection. Experiment with your particular camera to find the sweet spot of overlap. No one wants to see pictures of the Grand Canyon with a bar of white down the middle because of the failure to overlap properly. Just one slip with not enough overlap can ruin an attempt at the grandest of wide angle shots. Overlapping is one of the important areas in creating a panoramic image. The image below was created while using the Panorama Mode (Stitch Mode on some cameras) and taking over 25 images with an older Canon SD630 point and shoot.īoulderRiver – Stitched from 26 images – Copyright Peter West Carey 2.

This helps create even lighting through all the pictures, making stitching in the computer a lot easier (although a number of modern programs will also level exposure fairly well). It also adjusts the camera to NOT change exposure settings in between shots as it normally would. This is done to help you line up you images and overlap them(we’ll talk about the importance of overlap in a minute). First, it will use the display on the camera to show your last picture taken and then a live view of the next picture. Most point and shoot cameras beyond the most basic model come with a little used mode for creating panoramic images. If Your Camera Has A Panorama Mode, Use It. I’ve made a number of mistakes over the years in learning about panoramas and it’s my hope that these guidelines will help shorten your learning curve and give you a head start in creating stunning panoramic images. There are still some general guidelines to follow to help you increase your odds of producing great photos because remember, you can’t fix everything in a computer after the fact.
#Nikon coolpix panorama maker software professional#
Panoramic photos were the realm of the professional with the time and funds to create gorgeous super wide angle shots.īut now, in the digital age, it’s not only simple to create panoramic images on your home computer, it’s become increasingly easier thanks to advances in software. Back in the days of film cameras, creating a panoramic photograph meant either buying a particular, expensive camera or hours in the darkroom stitching images together by overlapping exposures onto the finished photo paper.
