[Leica] Panorama in LR

[Robert Rose]

I have been using the new Lightroom tool, and I agree that it is nice.  I am a long time user of Hughin.  Some quick observations:

1.  Lightroom’s pano-tool primary advantage over Photoshop (or for that matter Hughin) is that it is in Lightroom, and you don’t have to exit to another program.  So, I am using it more.  Same as a plug-in versus a standalone program.  You can right click on the photo set, and edit in Photoshop.

2.  Lightroom will merge in the background, but if you don’t have an industrial strength machine things do slow down.  You can check on progress by watching the bars in the upper left, and kill a process by left-clicking the bars and selecting the slow poke.

3.  You can change the projection before you merge, but I have found the auto feature knows more than me.

4.  I have not tried it with multi-row panos yet, but I am not a fan of multi-rows.

5.  The BIG improvement over early pano makers is that you don’t have to make the set with auto exposure off.  This is great because you don’t have to fiddle with a digital graduate ND filter.  This is true for all the current programs; Photoshop, Panorama Maker, Hughin, etc.  Here is an example of a 180 pano taken with manual exposure on a high end Nikon, stitched recently with Lightroom, after applying a graduated neutral density filter:
http://robertrose.photos/galleries/hdr/bet-shean-seat-panorama.html <http://robertrose.photos/galleries/hdr/bet-shean-seat-panorama.html>

If you use one exposure (for the older programs) you will get a variation in light, as in the banner from the top of the Golan Heights (looking west toward Israel) at the top of this page:
http://www.rosehistory.info <http://www.rosehistory.info/>

6.  If you don’t have 20% overlap, all auto stitchers have issues.  If you have less or moving clouds try manual stitching (e.g., Hughin).  That lets you pick the stitch points.  The auto stitch engine in Lightroom will refuse to merge if you have some conflicting points.  One of the main disadvantages of Hughin, however, is that it has a typical open source interface; perfect for the geek who created it, but not so much for a user.  I use a panohead from Nodal Ninja.  I have calibrated which ring works with which lens, and just stick to that.  For example, my 14 stop ring (14 for a 360) works with a 35 Summicron in portrait mode.   For a great site with an overlap calculator look at http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/image-projections.htm <http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/image-projections.htm>

7.  A Leica works great for panoramas; and the fixed focal length lenses are perfect.  A zoom lens must be taped in order to prevent it changing; a slight change in focal length will stop a merge.  I orient my camera in portrait mode, with a 35mm lens set for hyperfocal infinity at f/8, auto ISO, auto speed.  I just slide the camera so that the focus ring is over the center of rotation in order to set the nodal point.  (BTW, nodal points are a big deal only if you have some near object)  I try to click off the exposures quickly to minimize cloud movement.  Some examples of Lightroom panos taken this way with a Leica are at:
http://robertrose.photos/galleries/hdr/chino-hills-south.html <http://robertrose.photos/galleries/hdr/chino-hills-south.html>
http://robertrose.photos/galleries/hdr/chino-hills-north.html <http://robertrose.photos/galleries/hdr/chino-hills-north.html>
 
8.  Last point.  If you want to do panoramas stick to 180 degrees or less.  The wider the FOV the more it becomes impossible to eliminate the weird curved lines, regardless of program.  Remember the Mercator World map on the venetian blind roller in grade school?

Robert Rose
robert.rose at mac.com <mailto:robert.rose at mac.com>
www.robertrose.photos <http://www.robertrose.photos/>

Message: 9
Date: Fri, 08 May 2015 17:13:40 -0700
From: Adam Bridge <abridge at mac.com>
To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
Subject: Re: [Leica] Panorama in LR
Message-ID: <53B5388B-0439-4B81-B7D4-D3057BA7BC1A at mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

I?ve been playing with both the new Lightroom and Photoshop versions. In general the LR panorama tool works very very well. But there are some cases where the Photoshop tool does a better job. I?m not certain I can yet define the cases because sometimes an image that looks like it should be gravy for LR doesn?t quite work whereas the Photoshop tool does the job right away. Maybe I know the PS tool better.

One thing I?m certain of: the LR tool wants more overlap than the PS tool does.

Adam

On May 7, 2015, at 11:05 AM, Tina Manley <tmanley at gmail.com> wrote:

PESO:

The newest version of LR makes it possible to stitch together panoramas
without going to PS.  Here is a panorama of 9 vertical shots stitched in LR:

http://www.pbase.com/image/159980295

It's very fast, too!

Tina

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