Panoramas

Two ways Sue,cheap way set camera on tripod and take 3 or 4 pics turning the camera right (or left for leftys very PC me :p) and overlapping a bit each time.
Get a prog called stitch and load them in that and it will stitch the m together to form a panorama.
Method 2 by a wide angle lens ,take pic and admire.

Oh! and the very cheapest method, use the widest lens you have and crop the top and bottom off the pic.:D
 
Regular landscape panormas are really easy - the software does all the hard work. You need a specific programme but there are lots about. The free Canon one works well but others will recommend something for you.

When I say regular landscape, I mean scenes without close subjects a few feet from the camera - that's the only time it gets tricky to match things up. Without things like that to worry about, you don't even need a tripod - just hold the camera as level as you can, avoiding pointing it up or down, or tilting left/right. Don't shoot with too wide a lens and leave plenty of overlap at either side. Lock the exposure on manual so that it doesn't change as you pan across.
 
Thank you all for the instructions. I will set my tripod up next time I am somewhere suitable.In fact I will take it with me today as I may get a chance to take pictures of Perth at night.I am on holiday in Australia at the moment and have seen some lovely beach shots that would have made good panoramas.I will have to sort out the PP when I get home.
Sue
 
Panoramas are one of the few times I use manual mode. I take a few meter readings across the whole pano then average them out. I ste the camera in M to that averaged setting then shoot all the frames (overlapping by about 1/3rd of the frame at each step) at the same setting. If I remember, I also use the same WB setting for all the shots (and if I'm lucky, I remember to set it back to auto afterwards).

For the actual stitching, I use a piece of software that came with a scanner (Canon) - ArcSoft IIRC and it does a very good job of it. It's not perfect but you can set it with 3 matching points per overlap and it has another try. Minor glitches then get touched up in PSE with the clone tool.
 
I have never once used a tripod for any panos.

Just stand there, camera set to manual and in portrait mode.twist body left, take a shot. Twist right and take another shot. I like to make sure I have about a 3rd of the image overlapped as it makes it easier for the software.

Think my biggest pano shot like this was 33 images. :)
 
I have used gigipano and this works very well. I haven't use a tripod on any of my shot although you have to be careful you don't miss anything, I normally miss a section of sky in mine.

Any camera will do all of mine have been done with my d40x
 
hi sue doesn't seem to have been mentioned yet but take your pano shots in portrait mode not landscape makes them look better also overlap each photo by about a third good luck
 
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