Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

What is your opinion of this process? I am not sure if this is correct, so if you KNOW the answer please respond as to what I may be doing wrong. (Or right) The final image came out ok, but as I said, I am not sure of this procedure. Here is what I did:
1) Picked the three Images (the three scenes I wanted to make up the Panorama)
2) Shot Raw
3) Made three bracketed Images of -1, 0, +1 of each of my three selections for the Panorama. (equals 9 photos total)
4) Photo Merged Exposure; each of the three bracketed Images and saved these as 3 Separate PSD.
5) Opened the three (3) PSD’s again in PSE 11 Expert Editor.
6) Photo Merged Panorama; the three PSD into the Panorama. (still all the raw files )
7) Took the Raw Panorama file to ACR and made adjustments.
8) Opened file in PSE Editor, adjusted Levels, brightness & contrast, did canvas settings, sharpened and lastly resized the Image to 20” x 5.221 at 240 dpi. (These numbers were automatically set by PSE 11 when I set the width to 20”.
I did not do this as to creat a quality photo! The photo is only the outcome of the exercise, and the work flow I used as outlined above. So I am not caring about the photo as a presentation for critique in itself, just that it is the outcome of what I did. Is there something that I am missing? Should I have done something different, or is this a good procedure or not? I am only curious as the way this should be done, of if it even should be done period! If you can, or know, of this procedure, I would like to hear what you think of the process I used for this exercise. It is only an exercise!
I will be away for a few days so I will not be able to thank you in a timely fashion, so please except my thank you in advance to all who may be of assistance to me. I THANK YOU ALL! And I am most grateful for any feedback. Thanks again, Boone.
Ps: I will reply in a few days.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I don't think you really need to bracket and merge exposures. If you feel it's necessary then go ahead and keep doing it. Typically I take the overlapping images that I need to cover the scene and that's it. One thing you might try doing is shoot in the vertical (portrait) orientation so you don't wind up with such a skinny image.

PSD isn't considered a raw file format but it is a loss-less file format that can be edited in ACR. Keep up the good work.

Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

Thank you for the reply. I was going to shoot a verticle, but I was just thinking about the process. I take it the steps I used were alright? Thanks again! Boone

Terra Australis Loc: Australia

You are doing pretty much all of it OK. I combine the HDRs in Photomatix Pro prior to combining the images with PTGui Pro.

The only thing I would do differently is to hold the camera vertically so the end result is not so skinny. Your example would have benefited by a lot more foreground at the bottom. Also try multi row panos. If you are using a fast camera you can easily do 3 shot HDRs in multi row hand held.

Oliver.

Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

Thanks for the feedback. I will try your suggestions on a more serious future shoot. Thanks Much! Boone.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

i think i have an example of that under hdr panorama.i only tried it once. i think mine came out ok. i don't run into too many scenes that i want to give the hdr treatment to. as for raw, i don't feel the need to shoot in it much.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

One thing about shooting panoramas - shoot manual - everything - nothing automatic.

I set my focus on infinity, F8 and find the average shutter speed for the scope of the image I'm making.

Sorry - I missed the download button. Will post again if there is interest.

Baltimore Harbor from Federal Hill

UtahBob Loc: Southern NJ

The workflow looks good since you are fusing exposures. If you decided to tone map then I would try to stay in 32bit until after you have stitched the pano. At that point you can make 32bit lighting, etc. adjustments to the final pano and then tone map it and then follow with 16 bit lighting, etc. adjustments. This method will required you to have a stitcher that will stitch 32bit such as PTGui. The alternative is to stitch the separate exposures into individual panoramas and then merge those into a 32bit pano and tone map that. Photomatix will align and merge pretty large panorama inputs.

You have a good grasp of what's happening so I think as you go along you'll figure out little tweaks to make it better. I use PS and Photomatix and PTGUi and don't have specific PE experience so I can't comment there.

I'm not sure if doing a +-1ev bracket is worth it. You might want to go to +-2 or beyond but again you were concerned about workflow. The bracket range is really pano specific but I guess what I'm saying is that if you're going to bracket +-1ev you probably can get that adjustment range in the final pano without going hdr.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Looks good to me. You didn't say what software you used for step 4. The only thing I would have done differently is steps 7&8 would have been done in Lightroom. Difference is in available software not process. ;)

CTTonymm Loc: Connecticut

The term "multi-row" is new to me. Can you explain what that is?

Thanks

davidcaley Loc: Utah

This proved to be an interesting and valuable discussion for myself. At least I would comment it helps to use presets when combining bracketed exposures in panorama series. I particularly appreciate the absence of RAW in .psd files that are like .tif files. I struggle with which path to take first, HDR or stitching.
I go from LR to Merge HDR Pro in PS, select 32bit (remove ghosts, I hand hold in Live View) and "save" going back to LR Develop (PSCC & LR5)

UtahBob Loc: Southern NJ

It's just multiple rows in a panorama where the lens direction is changed vertically up or down to shoot another row. Look at:

http://www.ptgui.com/

This is a 3 row pano with 2 columns.

As previously noted, vertically orienting the camera provides a greater field of view in that orientation and can avoid sometimes shooting another row. Single row is most efficient. Multiple row becomes more difficult as you have movement between rows for instance because of clouds and shading. If you have a robotic head, if there is cloud movement, you normally want to shoot each column and then move to the next column. If manual, shooting rows is easier and more precise in my opinion. Generally you use multi-row where you are shooting with something other than a wide angle lens and want to capture more resolution in the final pano. If you think general photography will consume your time, panos will consume all of it and don't get me started on hdr panos ... :D

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

By bracketing and merging you improved your dynamic range so I agree with what you did. Single shots probably would have turned out with a blown out sun. Otherwise your process was proper and you ended up with an output the way you wanted it. As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

5 or more shots vertical across the field of view would have provided, as someone else said, a taller panorama but it was your first attempt so you're forgiven! Personally I like your end result.

Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

Thanks for the reply! I will get LR soon, as I tried the free trial and fell in love with it! I used PSE 11 for everything in my exercise. Thanks, Boone :roll:

CTTonymm Loc: Connecticut

Ok, Marcomarks .... sadly, now I have something else to learn and try. Sigh ....