Manual Stitching of Multiple Images to Produce a Panorama

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Isaac Hodges
6 years ago
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1 Manual Stitching of Multiple Images to Produce a Panorama Covered in this PS CC tutorial: The purpose of this tutorial goes beyond manual stitching. The techniques used can be used to incorporate a cut and paste image into another image. There are many other uses of these techniques. Once we have completed the panorama stitching, I will also show some post processing of the stitched image. 1. Manual stitching together of images a technique also useful with compositions that use cut and paste 2. How to load multiple images into layers in a single PS CC image 3. Image resizing 4. Canvas resizing 5. Layer Masks 6. Crop with Content Aware 7. Stamp Up Merge and preserve all layers 8. Finish editing with NIK presets: Detail Extraction; Darken/Lighten Center; Pro-Contrast For a panorama, photograph images following instructions in Jerry Coons panorama tutorial at For Steps 1-4, see Figures Open PS CC, and then click on File > Scripts > Load Files into Stacks. A browse window, called Load Layers, will open. 2. Click Browse. A folder directory will open. 3. Navigate to the folder that contains your images, and then select the images you wish to stitch together. a. Note that, with this technique, the images do not have to be adjacent. However, major features need to line up at some point in the image. b. Note also that you can preprocess each image in Camera Raw and save them before performing this load step. 4. Click OK on the Load Layers window. 1

2 Figure 1. 2

3 Figure 2. 3

4 Figure 3. 4

5 Figure 4. 5

6 We need to increase the canvas size, so we can spread out our panoramic layers. To figure out our maximum canvas size, check the size of the images. (Image > Image Size) Make sure the figure 8 to the left of Width and Height, is checked and the two measurements are connected. Then set the height of the image to the desired panorama height. I chose 8 inches high, so I changed Height to 8. Width is changed accordingly. The calculated width is 12, and there are 4 layers, so the max canvas size is 48. However, that will be cropped back after the panorama is completed. 6

7 Next, increase the Canvas size (Image > Canvas Size). Uncheck Relative. Enter your chosen height, and then enter the calculated maximum width. Then click OK. The newly extended canvas will appear, with the stacked layers in the center (see Figure 8.) Figure 7. 7

8 Figure 8. Choose the layer that you want at the bottom. All other layers will overlap the previous layer and lay on top of the previous layer. In this stack, the bottom layer is on top of the stack. See Figure 9. With the Location tool selected and the chosen layer selected, place the mouse on the image and drag the layer to the leftmost position of the canvas. 8

9 Place the mouse on the moved layer on the Layers Palate and drag the layer, to move it, to the bottom of the layer stack. Figure 9. 9

10 On the Layers Palate, select the layer for the image that goes next to the previously moved image. Place the mouse on the central image again. Drag the image to the left and match the features as best possible, paying attention to the major lines of the subject. In Figure 10., the second image overlaps the first and lower level image by about 2/3, because I took the pictures incorrectly. I moved my camera only 1/3 of the way, instead of 2/3 of the way to the side, when I took the component images! To aid in alignment, change the selected layer opacity to about 50% on the top of the Layers Palate, and then fine tune alignment. It will not align everywhere, so don t worry about that. When you ve done the best you can, change the layer opacity back to 100%. Figure

11 On the Layers Palate, move the second image layer down, to make it the second from the bottom. Repeat these alignment steps for each image layer, until all have been repositioned and aligned. In most cases, a vertical edge will appear on the left of each image, where it overlaps the image to its left. We will handle that in the next, most important step. Figure

12 Blend the Images 1. Select the leftmost layer that shows a vertical edge. In this panorama, the image next to the leftmost image blended perfectly, so I started with the third image to the right. 2. Add a Layer Mask to the selected layer. (Click on the icon that looks like a black rectangle with an inner white circle, at the bottom of the Layer Palate.) a. Click the keyboard letter D to load the default black/white paint palate and ensure the mask is white. b. To change mask color, click CTL i to toggle mask color. 3. Select a soft paint brush. 4. Change the brush opacity to about 50%. 5. Change top paint palate color to black. To toggle top/bottom colors, click x on the keyboard. 6. Click on the layer mask, to ensure it is selected. 7. Back on the desired image, increase the magnification greatly, so you don t paint over or miss necessary detail. a. Paint the edge, carefully removing only what is needed to blend the images. b. You might have to change the opacity of the brush several times. c. If you make a mistake, toggle the top paint palate color to white, and paint over the mistake. Then toggle back to black (keyboard letter x to toggle) and continue painting to blend. 8. Repeat steps 1-7 until all vertical overlaps lines are removed and the image looks like a single image. 9. You can use this technique to blend in cut-and-paste images on a composite. Since the mask technique is non-destructive, you can correct any errors and as well as soften the edges. However, when doing close work and magnification, you might need a brush with a harder edge than the one used to blend panoramas. See Figure

13 Brush Tool Layer Mask Magnifier Paint Palate Layer Mask Button Figure 12. See Figure 13. for result of blending the second and third layer images together. See Figure 14. for the end result of all blending. 13

Figure 13. Stamp Up Stamp Up is the term that refers to the merging of all visible layers, with the merged layer placed on top of the layer selected before stamping up.

14 Figure 13. Stamp Up Stamp Up is the term that refers to the merging of all visible layers, with the merged layer placed on top of the layer selected before stamping up. It is a technique to use frequently when working with many layers. It preserves all visible layers while providing a merged layer on which to apply filters and other adjustments. 14

15 Before creating any image adjustments, we are going to select the topmost layer and then Stamp Up. To Stamp Up, hold the Alt key down, select the arrow for the Layer Palate dropdown menu (on the upper right of Layer Palate), and scroll down to Merge Visible Layers, without letting up on the mouse key or the Alt key. The shortcut key combination is Alt + Shift + Cntl + E. Layer Palate Dropdown Menu Figure

16 A new, merged layer is added on top of the other layers in the Layer Palate. I clicked on its name and renamed it merged. See Figure 15. Below. Figure

17 The next step is to crop the image. We need to crop the sides, to eliminate extraneous canvas and artifacts in the image. We also need to crop the bottom, to get rid of canvas exposed by the need to align the images correctly. To compensate for the bottom crop, I extended the top crop upwards. To fill in that would be blank upper space, I selected the crop option of Content Aware Fill. Crop Tool Figure

18 Figure

Add Finishing Editing Touches To add some depth and detail, I finished off the image with my standard use of NIK Color Efex Pro presets: Detail; Darken/Lighten Center; and Pro Contrast.

19 Add Finishing Editing Touches To add some depth and detail, I finished off the image with my standard use of NIK Color Efex Pro presets: Detail; Darken/Lighten Center; and Pro Contrast. Although we have cropped the image, Color Efex Pro displays the uncropped image. Ignore that issue. 1. See Image 18. For the path to Color Efex Pro. Color Efex Pro screen opens. 2. Select Detail Extractor on the left-hand menu. Make adjustments to sliders on right, as desired. Click OK. A new layer is added on the palate. Figure

20 3. Select Color Efex Pro a second time. Figure On the left-hand menu in Color Efex Pro screen, select Darken/Lighten Center. a. Place the center where you want it. In this case, I placed it at the farthest river center point. b. Adjust the Center Size, Border Luminosity, and Center Luminosity. 20

21 c. Click OK. A new layer is added on the Layer Palate. 5. Select Color Efex Pro a third time. See Figure 21. Figure

Figure 21. 6. Select Pro-Contrast on the left-hand menu of Color Efex Pro. 7.

22 Figure Select Pro-Contrast on the left-hand menu of Color Efex Pro. 7. On the right-hand menu, adjust the Dynamic Contrast, Correct Contrast, and Correct Color Cast sliders, as needed. 8. Click OK. A new layer is added to the Layer Palate. 22

23 Figure 22. Final Image. 23

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