"Learn Something New"

Image #1      Grand Canyon Sunset ... This finished panorama is comprised of 3 horizontal images and measures 28 inches X 10 inches. I used a Nikon D3 camera which produces an image with a file that measures 14.187 inches in length by 9.44 inches in height. This panorama utilizes 3 horizontal images thus giving the vertical measurement of 9.44 inches. As when making any panoramic image from multiple images I make sure to overlap the individual images by 30% to insure a seamless blend when merged. Although 3 horizontal images were used, the final merged length is less than 42.5 inches (3 images x 14.187, the long measurement of the D3 file) because of the overlapping of the individual images. After the merge process was complete the file measured 31 inches X 9.44 inches. A file this size is so large and detailed that I can now enlarge it and crop it for a panorama print measurement of my choosing or clients request, in this case, 28 inches X 10 inches without loosing quality. KEY POINT #1, LEVEL THE HORIZON so that each sequential image is in perfect horizontal and vertical alignment from the first image of the sequence to the last image. If your camera is tilted causing the horizon to be sloping down or rising up, the tilted result will be greatly increased as the sequence of images move from left to right. There are many ways to accomplish a perfectly level horizon line. I made good use of the Virtual Horizon feature in my Nikon D3 camera. When this mode is activated the LCD screen displays a virtual horizon indicator similar to that found in aircraft instrumentation. I also use a very solid tripod and a ball head that has a bubble level. Again, there are many products on the market to help you achieve a perfectly level horizon, but I keep it simple and efficient with my Gitzo Ball Head with bubble level and the Nikon D3 Virtual Horizon feature. Nikon D3, ISO500, 1/160 at f5.6 set manually, Single Point Auto Focus and then I turned off the auto focus, Nikon 24-70mm Lens (at 70mm), WB 7690K, Picture Control VIVID, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with Gitzo Ball Head, Kirk "L" Bracket, Lexar 8G Flash Card. Keeping the horizon perfectly level when making a multiple image merged panorama can take some practice. Once my tripod was leveled using the bubble level on the Gitzo Ball Head I connected the camera with Kirk "L" Bracket to the ball head and activated the D3's Virtual Horizon display. I loosened the base plate of the ball head so it could freely pivot the camera horizontally. I watched the Virtual Horizon display while pivoting the ball head from left to right and made slight adjustments to the ball head joint until a perfectly level horizon line was achieved when pivoting the ball head from left to right while aimed at my subject. (NOTE: It was windy during the making of this picture so I used an ISO of 500 in order to achieve a shutter speed of 1/160 to ensure a sharp image without an movement.)

Image #4      Bryce Canyon Hoodoos ... This finished panorama is comprised of 3 horizontal images and measures 36in X 10in. By now you should have a good idea of the procedures that are helpful in making a photomerged panorama. Make sure you have a LEVEL HORIZON (bubble and, or Virtual Horizon), OVERLAP your images by 20-30%, MANUAL EXPOSURE, MANUAL WHITE BALANCE (Kelvin or other), then AUTO FOCUS and Turn Off the auto focus on the camera or lens (or Manual Focus), and take your sequence of images moving from left to right. Now, KEY POINT #5, make a BLANK FRAME after each sequence of pictures. By simply holding your hand over the front of the lens and taking a picture you will cause a blank frame in between each sequence of multiple pictures. I don't just shoot 3 sequential images, then pack up and leave. I tend to make several clusters of sequential images. The light might change or I might recompose the scene slightly. A blank frame between clusters is very helpful when editing the day's shoot. With so many multiples of similar looking images it is sometimes difficult to tell when one sequence starts and ends. These Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon all looked alike when I was viewing the thumbnails on the computer, but because I shot a BLANK FRAME at the end of each sequence of 3 images I was able to distinguish each cluster of 3 from one another. Nikon D3, ISO200, 1/200 at f14 set manually, Single Point Auto Focus then turn off the auto focus, Nikon 70-200mm VR Zoom Lens, WB 6670K, Picture Control VIVID, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with Gitzo Ball Head, Lexar 8G Flash Card.

Image #5       Sunset Hoodoo ... This finished panorama is comprised of only 2 horizontal images and measures 24in X 10in. The sun was setting fast and clouds were moving in as I approached this landscape in Bryce Canyon. I had no time to set up my tripod. I just ran to the edge of the canyon and made a 2 image sequence before the light vanished. My experience over the first 5 days of the trip paid off and I was able to move from left to right making only 2 sequential images that merged perfectly in Photoshop. As you can tell by the final measurement of the image the overlap of the two sequential images was slightly less than my normal 30%. I had intended on photographing this scene with 5 vertical images using all the Key Points and information explained in the previous images. Although the rapidly vanishing light made me bypass some of our Key Points, this panorama is still a much larger file and contains more detail and quality than if I had made only one single frame of the entire scene and blown it up and cropped it into a panorama format. The idea of using only 2 images is perhaps a good representation of a starting point for those of you who have never made a sequence of individual images into a photomerged panorama. As with learning something new, start small and manageable, then work your way up to something bigger. Nikon D3, ISO200, 1/60 at f13, Single Point Auto Focus on the sunlit Hoodoo, then I pressed the AF Lock Button on the back of the D3 to lock the focus and take the 2 sequential images, this time from right to left as the light was running out, Nikon 70-200mm VR Zoom Lens, WB 6670K, Picture Control VIVID, Lexar 8G Flash Card.

Image #6      Storm Cloud ... This finished panorama is comprised of 9 horizontal images and measures 75in X 10in. With so many individual images it will could be enlarged and cropped to 12 feet X 18 inches and hold excellent quality. This panorama marks the end of a long road trip that put 2,250 miles on my truck over 7 days. Approaching home I noticed this storm cloud building up during sunset. It looked like 10 separate rain showers were falling along its massive horizontal spread over the Colorado Landscape. Just for fun, and I'm glad I did it, I wanted to make a giant horizontal panorama and see how photomerge in Photoshop would handle it. Very well indeed. Nikon D3, ISO250, 1/200 at f5.6, Single Point Auto Focus then turn off the auto focus, Nikon 300mm Lens, WB 4550K, Picture Control VIVID, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with Gitzo Ball Head, Lexar 8G Flash Card.