15 replies to this topic

[Wizzard]

My current favourite photographic obsession is Panoramas.
Logically, this is followed by manipulation of the results.

Here is my first 360 degree Polar Planet panorama.

I'm fairly chuffed with this for a number of reasons :
1. I use PSP7.14, which is fairly old (circa 2001).
2. This type of image was restricted to users of Adobe's Photoshop (notably from 2005 onwards).
3. I've proved that humble .8BF filters can do the job (if one is prepared to experiment a bit).
4. Cannot think of 4, or 5, etc.


Details: taken at the junction of three roads. I'm standing on the traffic circle.
For the curious, the sky is white because the images were taken on a recent overcast day.

 P2B5.jpg   147.6KB   14 downloads

Anyone else into this type of imaging ??

[Diva]

I understand about half the camera-related jargon you just gave us, but the pic is pretty damn cool!

... There's something white people like: cameras. Expensive ones!

[Wizzard]

Thanks Diva.

Cameras and computers. They go hand-in-hand.

The composite, before manipulation, is comprised of 55 individual images.

BTW .... these images were taken with a humble Kodak Z650 (6MP superzoom), albeit in aperture priority mode.

 kodak z650-5.jpg   81.81KB   1 downloads

[Wizzard]

I call this "The house on the hill".

 30CC-NPB20.jpg   181.17KB   8 downloads

[Wizzard]

Some subjects are more suited than others for this type of manipulation.

This was imaged on a "sports field" (with outbuildings) from a very rural part of the country.

 FRC-PB25.jpg   136.09KB   3 downloads

[AntiThesis]

Love 'em. This is definitely one of the things I keep meaning to do - it's kinda one of those things that everyone playing with cameras has to do; like the clones of yourself shot.

[Wizzard]

Biggest hassle is processing time.
A triple layered panorama can take over 4 hours to render.

[Medea]

Those are amazing, Wizzard! Really cool!

[Wizzard]

Thanks.






My question remains .... has anyone else tried creating these ?

[Sean]

Not tried, also on the "meaning to" list.
Very awesome Wizzard

[Diva]

You should do one of these next: http://io9.com/how-t...sible-485869438

[Wizzard]

This country is just too dangerous to try the type you linked to.
This type of image would require my Canon, and this item is something I don't want taken by criminals.
Experienced a robbery at knifepoint by a traffic light in Rustenberg during Jan 2012, and had a fine camera stolen, not to mention the assault on my MIL who was also in the vehicle.



I did however try my first night-time 360deg pano (2 days ago), and duly converted that into a polar panorama.

Tell you this much, there is a steep learning curve associated with both day and night time panoramic imaging.
Consider that many of my panos have 360 hor FOV and up to 90 deg vertical FOV.
There are some "tricks of the trade" that one doesn't read about on the net, yet have to implement to overcome specific problems.
Dealing with the sun when it's not overhead, but where it will interfere on an image with a wide vetical FOV is a typical problem.

Great fun though.

[Wizzard]

And ... another one.

This is a polar rendition of the Air Force Memorial in Pretoria.
Taken soon after sunrise on an overcast day (30-04-2013), just before the clouds lifted.

 34P2-20.jpg   84.53KB   5 downloads

[Diva]

That's very cool!
These actually remind me of a cartoon movie I saw ages ago; I think it was called dragon hunters, but thehad these individual little plantes floating around and these pics look like those little planets.

[Wizzard]

Speaking of "floating planets", here's something I imaged some time ago.

Try and guess what it is........

 9467C2-5.jpg   167.65KB   2 downloads

[Wizzard]

Sunday, the only time that traffic is at an ebb. Just what one needs for some street panoramas.

For this pano, I got bold, and placed six road cones in a circle at a relatively busy (even for a Sunday) intersection on the Old Johannesburg road (close to the Swartkops golf course), and snapped away.

Nice open road surface with minmal shadows gave a good result.

For the curious:
Tech details of the rectilinear panorama (from which the Polar Pano is derived):
49 images, resulting in a 20000x4500 pixel image (after cropping), which results in a 263MB BMP file.
FOV = 360 x 85 degrees.

 38AP4C25.jpg   151.05KB   6 downloads

Imaged with a Fuji S9500.