What is the best software for stiching photos and panoramas

HI folks,

I need to know which software is best for stitching photos in making panoramas. So, that they can seamlessly stitch the photos together in making some good panorama shots.

Don't know if it is the best, but I've had good results with Canon's PhotoStitch. It's effective when the pictures were taken with the Stitch Assist setting. I've played around trying to stitch together shots taken without that setting, but there's sometimes a shift in exposure that results in the seam being visible and needing some doctoring in PhotoShop.

That stitch assist setting is only in the powershots, not canon DSLRs, correct?

That would be a kind of cool liveview bonus.

If your serious about this skip right to Ptgui Pro...

Wish I had skipped all the intermediate solutions and followed others advice on this...Would have save me a lot of time and hassle.

Looking at your gear list suggusts this is the product for you.

Apart from Ptgui, Hugin was recommended to me at one time. As it's free, it's worth a try. I have not used it, though, as I haven't done any panos for ages.

I'm wondering if someone shots in RAW on a DSLR, processes the shots to jpg, then uses the PhotoStitch software, whether it all should work.

I've used PhotoStitch to put together panoramas from individual shots not taken with the StitchAssist setting, and it worked well. Only issue was the exposure differences which created different shades of colours, but that is something that could be managed with the RAW to jpg conversion, maybe?

Don't know for sure ... just wondering?

Hi...

I have recently started using Autopanopro for stitching together stuff for panos, I find it a top bit of kit. Not sure how it handles raw as I am currently shooting on an S3. I like it because it allows you to shoot handheld and still manages to overcome the problems created by the pitching and yawing of the camera (which is good because I always seem to leave Tripod in the car)... Have a shiney new 450D on the way so will hopefully find out over the next few weeks!

The best programs for stitching are derivatives from the original panorama tools package made by Helmut Dersch
So they are Hugin, PtAssembler and PtGUI pro

I've heard good things about Autopanopro but in my tests it is really worst than the other 3 in choosing control points.
Photostitch and Photoshop are particularly bad.

luigis wrote in post #9108581
The best programs for stitching are derivatives from the original panorama tools package made by Simon Deustch

I have never heard about Simon Deustch (or Deutsch). AFAIK the author of Panorama Tools is Prof. Helmut Dersch from University Furtwangen; see http://webuser.hs-furtwangen.de/~dersch/

These three are the "decent" stitchers (I don't know if Autopano Pro is based on the principles of Panorama Tools), they can make the most complex stitching.

However, for someone stitching only occasionally, who tends to throw away the "unsolvable" pano, these may be too complex. Although they do offer automatic processes, the point is in the manual control, and that requires understanding of issues, which are not even mentioned with the simpler stitchers.

I have been using Panorama Tools Assembler for several years, after having tried several sucker packages, and I can't even imagine to go back to those, but I invest much more time in making panos than the vast majority of other pano enthusiasts.

Name corrected I got confused thanks for the correction and apologies to Helmut!

For simple things I've used PhotoStitch (worked surprisingly well on a cell-phone pano I did in Grand Teton which Photoshop barfed on)

I have played with Hugin also and it works really well, though it has a learning curve.

sue.t-

I have done RAW->JPG and then used PhotoStitch sucessfully. It's all about controlling the exposure/blends. In some cases a whole frame change works, others I use a gradient mask to blend the pictures better.

I've used and gotten great results from PTAssembler. At $45, it is tough to beat:

http://www.tawbaware.c​om/ptasmblr.htm

Hugin - it's free, does a fantastic job, blends exposures too - like if you've used a CPL and getting gradient across the sky, it recognises it a smooths it out. Also corrects for lens distortions. Has a click 1-2-3 type wizard/helper, or you can roll your sleeves up and align manually if you like. Really is wonderful. Did I mention it's free?

Photoshop CS4's photomerge feature has still failed to let me down. Works great, simple.

Off topic a little, but for doing panos, shouldn't one be using M and keeping the same shutter and aperture to maintain correct exposure?? That's the way I understood it. Also, NOT using auto WB and ISO so as to not get shifts.