Task 5 How to Build Panoramas

The Photomerge command has automated the process of stitching together panoramic images, allowing you to create wide-angle landscapes that are seamless and highly detailed. To complete this task, start with a group of images taken in a linear sequenceacross a horizon, for example. Although the Photomerge command makes the process of creating a panorama very easy, a common misconception is that the process is fully automated. This task explains how to use Photomerge as one tool in the process, with the understanding that you must still tweak the image layers manually to complete the effect.

1. Launch Photomerge Interface

Select File, Automate, Photomerge to launch the Photomerge dialog box.

2. Select Source Files

The first Photomerge screen that appears asks you to select the files to be stitched together for the panorama. Click the Browse button, navigate to the desired files in the window that appears, and click Open. Repeat this selection step for as many files as you want to use to create the panorama. If the images are located in the same folder, Ctrl+click (Windows) or (Mac) to select more than one file. Alternatively, group all the images in a single folder and select Folder instead of Files from the Use pop-up menu. When all the images are selected, click OK to launch the Photomerge script.

3. Zoom to Inspect

Photomerge automatically opens each target file and attempts to combine all the pieces into a cohesive panorama within the Photomerge window. The preview will be quite small by default, so drag the Zoom slider in the Navigator section of the window to the right to enlarge the preview.

4. Edit in Photomerge

The Snap to Image setting is active by default, which should cause the images to snap into alignment. If the alignment doesn't look right, drag each image to correct the alignment. Files Photomerge can't match up automatically are displayed along the top of the dialog box. Drag these files into the main window and manually align them. Enable the Keep As Layers check box to preserve each image as a separate layer in the final file. When you're satisfied with the results, click OK.

5. Edit the Image

Because you're combining multiple images taken from different angles, the chance of having each exposure match perfectly is pretty slim. But each is on a separate layer, so adjusting color and hiding seams is greatly simplified. Finally, to square things off, use the Crop tool from the toolbox, drag a marquee to define the rectangle for the image, and double-click to crop the image. Close the file as you normally would to save the changes.

How-To Hints

Using Match Color

Occasionally, the images you're combining will have color shifts as the exposure gets lighter or darker. A good way to fix this problem is to use the Match Color command, using a single layer as the source for the corrections. For more on Match Color, see Part 5, Task 2, "How to Use the Match Color Command."

Leaving Plenty of Overlap

When shooting images for a panorama, make sure that the shots overlap somewhat so Photomerge has enough data to work with as it combines images. The visual overlap of the images can also help if you use layer masks to combine layers manually (see next hint).

Using Layer Masks to Merge Images

When the panorama opens in Photoshop, each of the original images is listed on a separate layer. If the layers do not line up exactly right, and you have enough image overlap between the layers, try to blend the layers with a layer mask. Click the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, select the Brush tool with black as the foreground color, and paint to blend the two layers.