Collage (4)

Requirement

1 photograph

Purpose

To show how to create a panoramic image in post-production

Technical learning

• Editing applications, like Stitcher (RealViz) or Photoshop, enable photographers to create a panoramic shot by combining separately shot overlapping images

Exercise instructions

Find a scene that has panoramic qualities. Set up your camera on a tripod, for consistency of frame across the panorama. Shoot the scene in sections, ensuring that no gaps between one image and its adjacent one. Consider whether you need to adjust the exposure of some of the shots to make this uniform over the panorama.

Images and Review

Los Arqueros, Benahavis, Spain

2 images of a rain shower over the valley from the balcony of an apartment on the hill, stiched by Photomerge from Abobe Bridge in PS 3. 

End Result -Lost the edge of the circular pool (included for
foreground interest). Also it has become distorted in the stiching,
so looking unnatural Learning: include run-off at bottom of
frame as shot to compensate for adjustment in stitching process.

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Waterfront, Marbella, Spain

I decided to see how far I could rescue in Photoshop a poor early attempt (2010) at this project using a compact camera. Key problems, solutions and learnings were:

• Problem: shooting in JPEG limits post-production potential due to data content. Solution in PS: none. Learning for future: work in RAW wherever possible
• Problem: the highlights in the sky over the buildings were blown because the meter's averaging exposure of buildings in shade with the sky. Solution in PS: re-colour with a shade taken from the correctly exposed part of the sky. Learning for future:  wait until the light falls onto the buildings, else expose for the highlights.
• Problem: the buildings are in the shade. Solution in PS: lighten selectively. Learning for future: same as previous.

End result - much

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