Saturday, May 23, 2009

Take Great Panoramic Pictures with Any Camera [Panoramic]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/dj0UBuTJrNc/take-great-panoramic-pictures-with-any-camera

Panoramic software has come a long way toward making panoramic images child's work. Great software or not, there's no substitution for good source material. Take better panoramic pictures with these tips.Photo by Diego_3336.

Taking an awesome panoramic photograph isn't as daunting a task as it once was, but there are still basic guidelines to follow for optimum results. One of the crucial elements to a natural-looking panorama is even exposure. If the exposure is different in each frame, your panoramic will end up with with a bizarre-looking skyline and an unnatural mixture of highlights and shadows. If your point-and-shoot has a panoramic mode, use it. On your DSLR, pick an average setting for the scene and set your exposure manually to that setting.

Exposure isn't everything, though. Equally important is overlapping your images:

Overlapping is one of the important areas in creating a panoramic image. Just one slip with not enough overlap can ruin an attempt at the grandest of wide angle shots. No one wants to see pictures of the Grand Canyon with a bar of white down the middle because of the failure to overlap properly. I overlap by 30% each time. Sometimes more. Most people say 15% works just fine. Experiment with your particular camera to find the sweet spot of overlap.

For more excellent tips on creating beautiful panoramic photos, make sure to check out the link below. If you're particularly pleased with your creation, previously mentioned viewAT is a service dedicated to sharing panoramic photos. Have a tried and true tip of your own for awesome panoramic photos? Share it in the comments below.