I like to create large panoramics by stitching multiple images together. This is a continuation of a photographic collaboration on usefilm between myself, Tom Rumland, and Hugo de Wolf.
This is a cactus that was growing at the end of an inlet on an island in Baja. The stitching was difficult but Tom and Hugo both rose to the challenge. I can only hope that they have a new appreciation for stitching and working on large formats.
The experiment is to determine the different visions and resulting treatments of 3 different people acting on the same image.
All three of us will posting three versions of one of our images. the same image re-worked by each of us. This is the second of these images.
The first collaboration is at: MK: http://www.usefilm.com/image/657485.html HdW: http://www.usefilm.com/image/657483.html TR: http://www.usefilm.com/image/657482.html
We are interested in your views regarding the different treatments. likes, dislikes, etc. preferably within the context of the re-work and noted individually under each version. The subject was chosen between all of us.
Hope you enjoy it!
Hugo De Wolf: http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/29363.html
Tom Rumland: http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/30260.html
Michael, on the Yahoo PanoTools list, where I hang out, everyone else uses PS7 or CS1/2, and most swear by Hugin. I haven't used it myself because I only have PS6 and my computer hasn't got the recommended minimum spec. PanoTools has a stiffish learning curve (but a truly excellent support group to make up for it). It offers a range of tweaking and sophistication that no automatic packages come anywhere near. I use an automatic package (PixMaker) for quick and dirty stitches but do any serious work with PanoTools. It is also free! But you might find yourself wanting to buy a shareware GUI and use a few plug-ins designed to work with it to ease things along. For instance, there is an excellent one called AutoPano that identifies stitching points automatically and allows you identify and reject any stray coincidental errors. If you are interested, there is a Wiki that already covers some of the basic stuff.
As a confirmed and practising panorama lover I particularly appreciate this contribution. The collaborations by three very different photographers is another good subject for an article, which could draw everything together and make it much more accessible. Any news of Hugo? By the way, the "hugin" plug-in for performing the final stitches of panoramas is an incredible performer if your computer has the power to do the number crunching involved. No need for pixel-by-pixel removal of seams!
This is a very impressive image. I do have to say that out of all of these I prefer Kanemoto's stitch. Not so much the stitch itself, because all of them are perfectly stitched, but his colors and curves adjustments are more pronounced, helping to bring the otherwise mundane desert to life. I suppose that if someone was going for the bare-bones non-PSed photo, I would vote for Rumland's version. Great job overall everyone.
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{K:86139} 6/17/2005
