How to shoot panoramas

[MarySmith2009]

Hi All!

I've seen the demo of FlashPanorama and I'm really impressed; I'm planning to buy it but before that I'd like to ensure that I can create these panoramic images (cubic?) that FlashPanorama can use.


What camera (digital/analog?) would I need to shoot the panoramic images?
How do I stitch the images together? (CubicConverter?)
How do I split them into a cubic format so they will be viewable?
Any other automated equipment available? (camera heads?)


Any help would be gratefully accepted!

I use Windows XP although I might find Mac software usable.

[Tuddi]

Hi Mary.

1. Any DSLR or semi DSLR camera would do (digital, not analog), and with a remote trigger.
2. PTGui (www.ptgui.com) is the best stitching software. CubicConverter is for Mac only.
3. Using PTGui, you will get .mov or equirectangular output files. You can convert those to cubic images using one of many different programs. One of which could be pano2vr (http://gardengnomesoftware.com/pano2vr.php) or Flexify (http://www.flamingpear.com/flexify.html) (plugin for Photoshop).
4. Flash Panorama Player + Flashificator saves you from hand-coding for days on end. Panohead for the camera is essential for doing pano work, and there are several good heads to choose from, along with a stable tripod.

[seanderson7]

Hi Mary,

Here are some of the sources I found when I was (not long ago) just starting to get my gear together to shoot panoramas.

Eric Rougier at www.fromparis.com has a great video and general tutorial (http://www.fromparis.com/html/technical_us_all.php).

Rosauro Photography has a fabulous techincal section (http://rosaurophotography.com/html/technical.html) to show you way more than you can absorb in one pass.

I researched a lot of techinques before committing to camera and software and have a PDF showing the gear and technique (http://www.venueview.com/panorama/panotools_ng/easy_patch.pdf) I use to produce high quality panoramas and get a very small nadir hole to patch (one of the critical elements in producing a good panorama).

After extensive review of other photographers work and comments, the hardware and software that will do a really good job at a modest capital cost is:

Nikon D80 or 90
Nikkor 10.5 full-frame fisheye
Nodal Ninja 3 MII
PTGui Stitching Software
Pano2VR Cubic Converter
Photoshop Elements or Photoshop (for advanced masking)

and . . . Flash Panorama Player to show it all off! Check out the VenueView Full-Screen Panorama (http://www.venueview.com/panorama/) sampler page.

Hope this helps! Don't go fast, read a lot and get a good idea of how this all works. It is really complicated on one level, but with the right gear and long hours of developing your techinque, it is a process that produces amazing results.

Stephen
www.venueview.com