How to print large A2/A1 size images - Part 2 :-)

[rammy]

Following on from my question about trying to print a large image (A1 or A2 size), here is why:

I am trying to compose an image that can be printed 6 feet high (big, yes). To try and do this, I am panning the shot of a building to get large images and stitch those together. BUT, when I pan, the vertices warp or curve. I guess this is because the focal length is not close enough, but I cannot move further away from the building :-(

Does anyone know how a large panned image can be composed without the warping? I guess I need a better lens? I am using the 18-55mm lens that came with the 300D. Would a wide angle lens work, but that causes a fish eye effect?

Have a look at this image, it is warping because I am panning up. How can I get a 6 feet high picture of this, without the warping? It looks cool though, eh?

http://www.crystalsymphony.plus.com/Temp/CanaryWarped.jpg

[Scottes]

You might need a tilt-shift lens, but a panoramic tripod head that allows you to pan and tilt around the nodal point of the lens might do.

[BrandonSi]

You're not refocusing for each section of the photograph are you? I've never done anything like this but I wouldn't think you'd want to do that...

[rafale]

You could try a Photoshop plugin like ImageAlign Pro or one of the other plugins that realign images that would otherwise need a pan-tilt lens.

[BearSummer]

Hello again Rammy,

I guess it depends on how much money you want to throw at the problem.

No money, using a tripod focus on the middle of the building, change to manual focus and leave it alone, switch to manual, set your aperture to around f8-f10 and a shutter speed to give you a correct exposure, pan down and take the ground shot, then pan up and take the middle shot then take the top shot. make sure that you overlap by about a third on the image. then stitch them together using photoshop, correct for curvature in photoshop

some money - do the above but get panorama tools and pay for the front end (about £40)

more money - do the above but buy a lens without so much barelling/pin cusshioning (50mm f2.5 macro is heavily corrected, a few hundred pounds)

more money still - do the above but get a panoramic head, levelling base and a good stable tripod like a benbo mk2 (£420+£80+£150)

lots more money - buy a tilt shift lens and learn about movements (£1000 each and there are three (24/45/90))

Best regards

BearSummer

[Andy_T]

In a nutshell ... the distortion will be more visible the wider your focal length is.

When you shoot panoramas, using 50 mm focal length and shooting more photos will most likely give you better results than using 18 mm and shooting fewer photos.

Best regards,
Andy

[rafale]

May want to take a look at: http://www.powerretouche.com/Lens-correction_plugin_introduction.htm

[Andy_T]

Also, the following might be interesting:

http://www.panoguide.com/

Best regards,
Andy

[CoolWalker]

Keep it simple...the only way to stop that effect is to "act like an elevator" and physically go up with each shot...tilting is not the answer...you are trying to attempt something that is somewhat out of spectrum of the design and technoilogy. Looks good like that however...but you will have to follow each shot upward.

:D

[BoySpot]

I know I'm not an expert on this but I have just been using a technique in Scott Kelby's book on Photoshop CS to remove tilt using free transform in Photoshop. Whether it would look good on something this big I don't know but it might be worth a shot?

[rammy]

Thanks very much for the info! I'm a newbie at digital and so find I mess things up a lot! :-(

BearSummer and CoolWalker you seem to suggest practical solutions.

BearSummer, I have a shopping list of gear to get, next time I'm in the states so will look up these Pano Heads. Can one make something that works themselves, bit expensive don't you think?

I had a focal length of approx 28 and when I tilt the camera up, I actually see the building distort (warp) in the view finder before I take the picture. I did not refocus or change focal length.

I tried doing what you suggested BearSummer and I get similar result as shown in the image (f8 - 28mm). I have not tried shifting up and down (instead of tilting which is what I was doing), as CoolWalker suggests.

I'll try your suggestions about focal length, shifting etc and post my resultant image so you all can see a Before (dumb user) and After (Informed user) :-)

(If it works)