Hi Malcolm,
No, while one might’ve expected PS7 to provide the Photomerge utility of Photoshop Elements, which preceded PS7, that is not the case. However, if you have a copy of Photoshop Elements you can use the files that provide the Photomerge function and copy them to the Photoshop installation where they are then used by Photoshop just fine. For help on this, please refer to information which I provide at <
http://jazzdiver.com/photoshop>.
Note, it is of course possible to manually stitch photos together in Photoshop, but Photomerge is a nice tool to expedite the process.
Regards,
Daryl
Thanks Daryl.
I thought they had hidden it away somewhere under an obscure name, a daft omission. Yes the PSE Photomerge is a good one, better i think, than the Olympus Camedia 4.
Kind Regards from NZ
Malcolm
Note, it is of course possible to manually stitch photos together in Photoshop, but Photomerge is a nice tool to expedite the process.
I beg to differ.
The image distortion on the periphery of most lenses makes lining up imagery from one shot to the the next almost impossible. The stitching programs account for this distortion and warps each shot so imagery lines up.
Canon makes a good one too. Called Photostich. Comes free with their digital cameras.
John,
I don’t disagree at all. My comment should’ve said "within limits" and of course also relative to one’s need for a high degree of accuracy.
Regards,
Daryl
I recommend a package like PTAssembler or PTGUI on top of PanoTools. This is the most versatile swissknife of the panorama makers, IMHO. Countless advantages over auto software like Photostitch and Photomerge, such as output to layered PSD files, with masks etc.
Mathias
I have to agree with John Slate.
I set up a tripod, leveled it with a bubble level, and took measured, overlapping shots of a lo-o-ong house. I spent HOURS trying to manually stitch them togetherand I KNOW what the heck I’m doing when it comes to Photoshop…the distortions were to great to get a good match, let alone worrying about matching H, S and B levels across frames. I could’ve done itwith a fair amount of successbut it wasn’t important, as it was just me, experimenting to see how difficult it might be.
I don’t know how auto-stitching software works, but it’s definitely worth the investment if you’re going to do more than a couple of these.
If there was ever a question that needed to be in the FAQs in Giant Red All Caps, it would be this stitching question. No one seems ever able to do a search for this, and it must get asked an average of once a day…
I wish they would include that in the next upgrade. Or even make that Elements plugin or whatever is is available to Photoshop users.
I tried once doing it manully..I did something similar to what Phos did, and I was going along fine until I tried to add the next to the last photo I had shot. There was just a tad bit of difference in the ligtht where I was shooting into, and just that teeny bit of light difference threw the whole thing off.
I tired everything I could think of to compensate, but it just didn’t work out.
Hey guys, next after manually stitching in Photoshop, the second most frustrating way of doing panoramas is with auto software such as the one in Elements.
But hey, whatever works for you..
Tina, a difference in luminance or color can usually be fixed with either a Levels or a Hue / Sat adjustment layer.
PTAssembler, which I use, also has an auto fix for this if you wish. I do it later in Photoshop.
Mathias
Just to share this with anyone interested, the following link is to a panorama that I manually stitched from 7 or 8 images using PS5.5 or PS6…I don’t recall which, back around 1999 or 2000. As I said, manual stitching can be done but one shouldn’t expect a high degree of accuracy. For non-professional use, this image was satisfactory to me for use on my website to illustrate the area of Honduras where I was visiting, but it still leaves considerable room for improvement. As I recall, I actually had to clone some clouds to help blend some of the image margins more realistically, but I still didn’t get the colors smoothed out very well. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever seen ripples in the water meet to form a distinct angle! Ha! Oh well, at least the image serves the intended purpose. As I recall, this image was on the order of perhaps a 215-degree pan, taken hand-held while standing on the top deck of the dive boat I was on.
<
http://jazzdiver.com/uwpics/akr/frame0000.htm>
Regards,
Daryl
Daryl,
It is a nice try, but is still visible your work on it.
Anyway – it is really nice try…
Congarts!
Regards,
Artin Mikaelyan
—
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (
http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.516 / Virus Database: 313 – Release Date: 01.9.2003
Busted image, Daryl.
To add a little more about the house images I tried to stitch manually:
Where I was having HUGE problems was with trying to align clapboard siding patterns, compound rooflines, rain gutters, etc. The distorted perspective is almost to be expected, and it wasn’t really too bad, for as close as I could get it. Had it just been landscape, patching over bad edge matches probably would’ve been easy, and perspective anomalies aren’t as noticable.
Apart from using a tripod and allowing some overlap, the images to be stitched should be taken with the camera/lens rotating on its optical axis. For this you need an adapter. Usually tripod heads revolve around the tripod axis, so if the camera is moving with the head, inevitably there will be some distortion.
Software can be successful in correcting this distortion, but the better your starting point the better your results.
Just my 2c.
I am new to Photoshop and I am trying to combine just 2 images into a panorama and I need help. It should be relatively simple but I just need help getting started.
Tina
It is possible to move the plug in from Photoshop Elements to Photoshop.As long you own both it would seem to be ok. Ive see it some where as how to do it,but dont remember where.Will look.
Ok Here goes
Took and copied photomerge from Elements 1.0. under automate. then opened photoshop,plug ins,photoshop only, automate, and pasted ,now its in photoshop under automate.
Phosphor,
What do you mean by "busted image"….did the URL not work for you or do you mean that you can tell where the image stitching occurred (which is definitely true)?
Daryl
When I click on your link I see the dolphin BG, and the frame, as well as the text links at the bottom, but the actual panorama is missing, showing only a "broken image" icon. When I click and hold for "View Image" I get the following alert on a blank white page:
"The image
http://jazzdiver.com/uwpics/akr/barbaret_pan.jpg cannot be displayed, because it contains errors."
[pardon the OT question here]
Daryl,
did you get my email? [not that you had to answer it, just making sure you got it!]
grasshopper
Phosphor,
Thanks for the info. I’m not sure what the problem is, as I can view it without problems here at work in both Netscape 4.7 and IE6, whether viewing the web page or directly viewing the JPEG itself.
Grass Hopper,
No, nothing has shown up in my inbox yet, but I assume you did notice and remove the "remove*" in my e-mail address? If not, please try again. You may also copy your message to an alternate address of ambress AT sbcglobal DOT net, written in correct e-mail syntax.
Regards,
Daryl
Daryl,
okay, thanks! I will resend later today (heading in for work right now)
gh
Got them and replied, GH…hope something I said is found useful. 😀
Daryl
Daryl,
Your url worked fine for me and the panorama shot must be from somewhere in the Caribbean judging by the incredible color of the water.
I don’t have any experience with panos (yet), but what Phos said about house detail shingles, gutters etc. makes sense.
Great Photo Daryl,
Patty
p.s. My curiosity was urging me to ask what you and grasshopper were "confabbing" about—but I decided to show the "mature" side of my personality and not ask…. (heh heh)
🙂
Hi Patty,
Thanks for the compliment. The photo was taken in the Bay Islands of Honduras, as we took a day boat along the west side of Roatan and proceeded on up to Barbaret to dive in a location more pristine than those which are dove more frequently.
I agree that what Phosphor said about the house would indeed be a big challenge for stitching together a panorama. The more lines that are evident in an image, it would range from difficult to near impossible to avoid distortion or "broken" lines.
GH just had a question about home networking…nothing secretive, darn it! 😉
Daryl
Daryl,
In defense of the "creases" in the water of your stitches, stitching moving water seamlessly is almost impossible, even with dedicated stitching software (which I use). You could probably "Photoshop" out those water discontinuities with a bit of effort.
In order to take stitchable image sequences of rapidly moving subjects like car races or water or whatever you need to borrow a page from the Matrix movie’s special effects and use multiple cameras simultaneously triggered.
I agree that what Phosphor said about the house would indeed be a big challenge for stitching together a panorama. The more lines that are evident in an image, it would range from difficult to near impossible to avoid distortion or "broken" lines.
That is where dedicated stitching software shines. It can make the necessary perspective "warps" to make all of the lines join up in a house. Dedicated stitching software also lets you choose the perspective of the stitch: for example, cylindrical, spherical, or rectilinear. The latter choice is preferable for architectural or real estate subjects because all straight lines are preserved as straight lines. A curved roof line could be perceived as a structural flaw. Oddly, many stitching programs cannot do rectilinear stitching. The two that I use for that, Enroute’s QuickStitch and Enroute’s PowerStitch, have both been discontinued.
— Burton —
Hi Burton,
Thanks for sharing your comments. True enough, I could’ve blended the water to possibly eliminate the "creases", but I wasn’t too terribly concerned. In my case, the idea for a panorama was done on a whim, just to play around and see how accurately I could assemble the images later. I’m glad I was able to get what I did from a handheld series of photos. I don’t recall for certain, but I think I avoided some of the more typical distortion by shooting with a more "normal" lens as opposed to wide angle. I can definitely appreciate the challenge one would face in doing panoramic stitching of photos for some of the purposes discussed here, as well as for the dedicated software to facilitate the task.
Regards,
Daryl
"larry brubeck" wrote in message
Ok Here goes
Took and copied photomerge from Elements 1.0. under automate. then opened
photoshop,plug ins,photoshop only, automate, and pasted ,now its in photoshop under automate.
I am sure that it is possible to use Elements 2.0, which i do have a copy of, but when I try to use photomerge it reports that a file is missing. I have searched hi and low to find out what other file I need to copy across but acn’t find it, can anyone here help please.
T.I.A.
