Panorama tip

[pontiac1940]

The point of this is, if you are taking pano shots of (say) a long building, move farther away from the subject and use a longer focal length. The result will be more natural shape with less perspective distortion.
Click image for larger version if it is hard to read. 

Clive
 

[kdcintx]

Very informative. Great application to the Chinook Arch. Thanks Clive!!

[Bailey]

Hi Clive,

The same principle applies to any scene, not just panoramas.

I have posted in another thread that if I have time and am able to, I take shots of a scene from different angles and focal lengths.

Another tip related to panoramas I can add is to use manual mode with the same exposure settings for each shot to be stitched together.  This will ensure the correct blending of the photos when stitched together.  If one of the priority or auto modes is used then you will most probably end up with different exposures for each shot thus making blending more difficult.

I usually set the exposure for the brightest part of the scene and then use it for all the shots to be stitched.  It's much easier to restore shadows than highlights in post processing.

[Bailey]

and in addition to my previous post, PSE has multiple stitching methods - Perspective, Cylindrical, Spherical.

For each method there is also a setting to correct geometric distortion.

If I am not happy with the initial stitching, trying one of the other stitching methods often outputs a better result.  In some cases it's a matter of trial and error to get the result I want.

Other stitching applications should have at least the above options/features.

Another tip:  take the photos to be stitched in portrait orientation instead of landscape.  Apart from resulting in a stitched image with far more pixels (enabling larger prints) it allows you to use a longer focal length for the same field of view as landscape orientation.

[pontiac1940]

Thank you kdcintx.

Bailey, "The same principle applies to any scene, not just panoramas." You missed the simple point of the post, which I thought was explained rather clearly: if you are taking pano shots of (say) a long building, move farther away from the subject and use a longer focal length (because distortion will be far less noticeable.) That's the only thing this post was about. There are many considerations when taking panos as you noted. 

There might be some distortion in all single-shot scenes (taken with a normal lens), but it is simply not noticeable to any extent and no one cares ... because the minimal perspective distortion in the photo imitates what we actually see.

Pano distortion of some subjects is magnified the closer the camera is to the primary subject because of simple physics, being the ratio of distances from camera to the middle and to the edges. From far away, the differences are minimal and therefore the middle and edge sizes are not a lot different and there is little distortion. (See below.) When the camera is close to the primary subject (mountain range or fence), then the ratio of distances is large and there is much distortion and it looks weird. 

Totally coincidently, I took this pano just one hour ago because, according to the weather gurus, this scene could be snow covered by Sunday morning ... and I thought I might wander over then and do a sequel. Whereas, there might be slight distortion of the line of trees it is not noticeable, i.e. the scene looks "normal" because of the varying height and shapes of the trees and for the reasons mentioned. 

Ten shots taken at 85 mm about 150 m from the trees. The park across the road. Our humble bungalow is second from the right behind the spruce trees. Snow, eh? 

[Bailey]

Hi Clive,

No I didn't miss the point at all.

Imo the subject of this thread could be misleading to newbies because it implies your tip applies only when taking panoramas.  I wanted to point out that it applies to any scene because in any scene you can have distortion to various extents for different focal lengths.

I was also under the impression that members can post their own tips on panoramas to help others, especially those new to making panoramas, in this thread. 

I didn't realise there are restrictions.

[Bailey]

Apr 27, 2019 3:11:34 GMT pontiac1940 said:

There might be some distortion in all single-shot scenes (taken with a normal lens), but it is simply not noticeable to any extent and no one cares ...

Well, we'll just have to disagree on this one.

The differences might be subtle or they could be obvious depending on the subject and how the photo was taken. For example, the nose in a portrait taken at significantly different focal lengths can be flatter in one photo when compared to the other.

To say no-one cares is simply not true because I certainly do care if the shape of the nose is less than flattering and especially if it is not accurate.

I'm sure there are professional photographers who also would care.

[Fauxtoto]

Apr 27, 2019 3:20:33 GMT Bailey said:

No I didn't miss the point at all.

With all due respect, Bailey, I think you did miss the point.

The title of this thread is perfectly clear and can reasonably be read as “A Panorama Tip”. The first paragraph, which starts by “The point of this is, […]” could not summarize the topic better and constitute a very good example of fine writing.

Of course, members can post their own tips on panoramas in this thread and, happily, there are no formal restrictions preventing anyone to do so. Because something is possible, it does not mean that it has to be done. Good manners, courtesy, conversation etiquette and common sense still apply, even if their definition can vary from one person to another.

You chose to add panorama tips in this thread instead of maybe starting another one. Not necessarily an obvious decision to make; no big deal; no rule, no offence; it is fine with me. You must realize, though, that maybe some people found it distracting. I did.

Please forgive me, but I refuse to compare a big distorted nose in a wide angle close-up portrait with an optical illusion created by a 200 km or more row of clouds. I rarely use emojis, but I hope you were able to crack a smile on this one.