A series of overlapping photos that span the entire scene can automatically be stitched together to produce one big, beautiful, contiguous image with no trace of seams. But there a few tips to keep in mind. Here they are:

First, make sure that the images overlap each other by about 25% or so. The software does its magic by matching up image elements in the scene, so lots of overlap will tend to produce better results. I’ve noticed I tend to use maybe a little bit more than is necessary. But I’m very happy with the results I’ve been able to achieve.

Second, a tripod will help you align the images properly. Without the tripod, you may have too much vertical offset between images. This will ultimately reduce the size of the final image since non-overlapping areas will get cropped away near the end of this process.  But I have been able to get great results handheld.

Third, using a consistent exposure will make it easier for the software to smoothly blend the component images into a single image. This will be easier if your scene has an even tone. With larger tonal shifts, this will get trickier to control. Photoshop will perform a tonal blend as well as image element alignment between neighboring images. And you don’t want depth-of-field differences among the photos. If you feed Photoshop higher-quality images, it will be happier.

Once you have 3-5 overlapping images, fire up Photoshop and select File – Automate – Photomerge. You can then import the images to be blended. Next choose one of the blending algorithms Photoshop will use to make your panorama. I’m usually amazed at how well ‘auto’ works, but you can also choose ‘perspective’, ‘cyclindrical’, ‘spherical’, etc….. Experiment until you find one that you like best. Your image will be generated quickly and each component photo will now be on a separate layer. At this point, I usually flatten the image, crop away the unwanted areas around the perimeter, and then start playing with levels, curves, saturation, sharpening, etc…..  (If you have CS5, the “content-aware fill” will produce amazing results).

Here’s an example using some photos I took 9-19-10. This first image shows the four component images all placed next to each other. You can tell that each image overlaps its neighbor by at least 25%. The sky was darker in the left image but the tone in the areas of overlap in neighboring photos was pretty consistent.

The second images shows these same four photos overlappped “manually”. That is, I merely dragged each photo into place based on my perception of lining up image elements. You can now see clearly the amount of overlap between neighboring images. You can also now get a sense of what the final panorama will look like.

And now…. the moment you’ve been waiting for. Here is the result of using Photoshop’s Photomerge command:

With a little planning and keeping a couple simple tips in mind, big, beautiful panoramic images are possible. Don’t forget to try capturing a number of images in portrait mode too to get more sky and/or foreground in your panorama. Hope this helps you get the images you want. Happy shooting.

Home:

Children’s Rooms—Watch your kids beam with delight when they enter their special room for the first time, and every time after that. Enchant your daughter with a wall of horses grazing in a meadow, or inspire your sporty son with a wall of his favorite baseball players in action. Kids’ rooms can be transformed into a tropical jungle or an underwater paradise, all with the use of vibrant and durable wall murals.

Scenery—Looking to add some urban edge to your abode? Perhaps a black and white image of your favorite city skyline will offer that punch you’ve been looking for. Interested in bringing serenity into your home? A sweeping Tuscan vista could be the perfect fit. Wall murals can turn plain hallways into lush forests, mountain ranges, or soothing tropical beaches. Scenic wall murals don’t just add beauty to a room; they’re also wonderful conversation pieces.

Personal Photographs—You’ve always thought that stunning sunset photo you took on vacation would look amazing as a mural. Make it happen! Turn your digital images into art and your walls into representations of the people and places you love. For example, a mundane laundry room would be much more pleasant space when its walls showcase a larger-than-life tribute to, say, the family pet or last summer’s trip to the lake.

Art/Design—Abstract designs and artistic images are just as good at conveying mood and atmosphere as photographs. Incorporate your favorite colors and motifs into your home with an artistic mural suited to your personality. Decorate your bedroom with a whimsical mural of parrots in flight. Impress guests with a cubist painting filling up a space in your entryway. And why not make your breakfast nook ceiling look like a calming summer sky? The sky really is the limit when it comes to wall designs, so let your imagination run wild.

Business:

Promotional—Do you want to get the word out about your company’s tech expertise? Are you proud of your company’s history or your new logo? The walls of your business can easily be transformed into a captivating, promotional medium that will show your customers or clients exactly what you do best. You can convey a message and visually delight visitors at the same time.

Ambiance—How do you want people to feel when they visit your business? If you’re a dentist and want to instill a sense of calm, you could turn a wall in the lobby into a serene, bubbling brook. If you own a restaurant, you might add atmosphere with a wall showing a scene from your cuisine’s heritage. When you’re hosting customers, you’re in the marketing business. Give people a reason to drop in—with bright, beautifully printed wall graphics that people will remember.

Don’t want to cover an entire wall? You can still add small, contour-cut accent pieces to spruce up what’s there now. Beautiful fall leaves, whimsical snowflakes, or bold, flowing abstract designs are just a few of the possibilities. Because they’re so versatile, wall murals and contour-cut wall graphics provide an effective and visually exciting solution to any interior design challenges you might have. Think of them as a unique way to add character and atmosphere to any room. From serious and subtle to playful and bold, wall murals are the new secret weapon in interior design.

Vibrant Color

Imagine all of the colors that could appear in a photograph or painting of the ocean: cyan, aquamarine, cerulean, cobalt – each a special shade of blue with its own value in the composition. In a photo or fine art reproduction, each shade should appear as distinctly and vibrantly as in the original piece of art. Even if you work with sepia, duotone, or black and white images, a reproduction’s colors should match the original’s to a tee. At Lone Eagle Digital Imaging, we customize our own ICC profiles, ensuring the most accurate, best-looking color you can find.

High Quality Finishes

Set the mood of your art and choose a finish that complements the work. Photographers’ options start with a variety of photo papers. Matte, semi-gloss, luster, and glossy finishes each bring specific textures and looks to the mix, but why stop with photo paper? Putting your photographs on canvas or unique fine art paper could be the perfect way to display your work.

Traditional artists can also choose to step out of the box. If watercolor papers or canvas aren’t your cup of tea, perhaps your work reproduced on a fabric or a translucent window film would show off your work in a unique way.

And no matter what your chosen method is for creating your art, a wall mural with textures like plaster, canvas, leather, suede, or spun silk can turn your artistic vision into a room-transforming masterpiece. The options are mind-boggling and with the right printmaker, your work will look that much better on any medium.

For Giclée printing, we use the Epson 9900 10-color inkjet printer with Epson’s HDR archival inkset, meaning that your prints are created with the state-of-the-art technology and will last for decades.

Support

In no other realm does the adage “what you see is what you get” ring more true than the art world. Make sure you see exactly what you want to see by using a printer who uses cutting edge tools, maintains a standard of excellence, and is passionate about making your art look exactly the way you imagine. Before you commit to having your art printed, make sure it’s the best version of your work. At Lone Eagle we will scan, retouch, and proof your work to make sure that what gets printed is a flawless representation of your design. We will also archive your digital files for free, so your prints will be available “on demand” in the future whenever you want them.