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Using Photoshop’s photomerge function, multiple photographs can be stitched together, creating a seamless panoramic. As of Photoshop CS4, the vertical banding problem has been resolved.
The Photographs
If a panoramic is too wide for my lens, I turn the camera on an axis, and shoot multiple shots. The easiest and most reliable way is to use a tripod. If you have a steady hand, you can do that too.
Make sure to overlap your photos 15%-40% when shooting. Also, be as quick as possible about it, any moving objects will create conflicts between images, which can result in strange effects, such as the headless businessman, as seen here.
Keep the same camera settings with each shot. By keeping my shutter release half pressed between each shot, I can lock the aperture, exposure, focus, and other settings.
Post-Processing
I use Camera Raw for post-processing my RAW photos. Whichever program you use, make sure to adjust your photos uniformly. Too much contrast between photos will lead to less than seamless results.
Photomerge (CS4)
Photoshop CS3 required a little more manual work. CS4+ pretty much automates everything.
1. Open all files to merge in Photoshop.
2. Go to File/Automate/Photomerge.
3. Click ‘Add Open Files’
4. For layout, I use ‘Auto.’ I also select ‘Blend Images Together.’ If you have heavy vignetting in your photos, you may want to check ‘Vignette Removal.’
5. Click ‘OK.’ Depending on how many photos you are merging, how large the files are, and how tough your computer is, it may take a few minutes to process.
Once Complete you’ll have an unsaved file named ‘Untitled_Panorama1’ or something like that. Chances are your image will not be perfectly rectangular. You’ll have to crop it to the size you want.
You may also notice little cracks where the images meet. This is because your untitled panorama has layers for each photo that was merged. To get rid of these cracks, simply save the image as a jpeg or flatten the image so there are no layers.
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