[Leica] Panorama in LR

[robert.rose at mac.com (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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