Creating a mini planet

Playing a bit more with PhotoShop and while I type this PhotoShop is busy in the background, resizing my panorama - in preparation for my mini planet!

Definitely not perfect, but a jolly good first try!

First of all, create a panorama:

• Open all the photos to be used in the pano in PhotoShop
• Select all
• File - Automate - Photomerge
• In the Photomerge dialog box, click Auto under Layout; tick the Blend Images Together and the Vignette Removal boxes
• The center column will be empty, click Add Open Files
• Click OK
• Wait for the magic to happen.............be patient!!!!!!
• Get the Crop tool and tidy up the pano
• Make the image smaller and save as a jpeg

Now, create the planet:

• Use a 360 degrees panorama
• Re-size and rotate - prepare the image for the Polar Filter by stretching the height of the image so that the image is a perfect square:
  Image - Image size - uncheck Constrain Properties - set the height and width to the same value
• The above takes quite a long time as we are working with huge files
• Rotate the image 180 degrees
  Image - rotate canvas - 180
• This takes forever too!
• Apply the Polar Filter:
  Filter - Distort - Polar Coordinates
  In the dialog box: select the 'Rectangular to Polar' setting
• Rotate and clean up:
  Rotate the planet to your liking
  Adjust the contrast and colours
  Clean up sky and edges
• All done!

What I now know:
Choose a panorama with lots of blue sky at the top, with nothing 'touching' the edge (for example the trees) and choose a photo with 'empty' space in front, for example lawn - this will form a nice round, green circle in the middle 

A good tutorial if you get stuck

Tilt-shift effect

I want to use PhotoShop and create a tilt-shift photo. Found the tutorial, now just need to go out and find the right shot!!!!! Going to explore one of the bridges close to the waterfront this weekend - will hopefully get the right photo to apply this technique to

Actually also want to shoot another panorama, something different this time, with more buildings, or at least a building, in the photo

Yes, big plans this weekend!

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Open image
2. Enter Quick Mask Mode:
   Q on the keyboard or from the Tool Palette, choose Quick Mask Mode
3. Choose Gradient Tool:
   Select the Gradient Tool icon or G on the keyboard (Choose the Reflected Gradient option)
4. Draw a vertical line, start point will be the in-focus area and the end point will be where the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus is completed (draw line up!!!!!). The area of focus will appear as a red band across the image
5. Return to standard mode:
   Q on keyboard or press icon in the Tool Palette (Edit in Standard mode)
   The top bit of the image will show as selected
6. Open Lens Blur Interface:
   Filter - Blur - Lens Blur
7. Review the effect and tweak settings:
   Will see the effect (focus effect)
   Top bit should be out of focus
8. Exit Lend Blur Interface by clicking on OK
9. Remove selection boundary:
   Press Command + D to remove the selection boundary
10. Open Hue/Saturation Adjustment Interface:
    Boost the Saturation to improve the effect - a model scene is often brightly painted
    Image - Adjustments - Hue Saturation
    Boost Master Saturation to +40
11. Open Curves Adjustment Interface:
    May help to increase the contrast of the image slightly, using the Curves adjustment
    Image - Adjustments - Curves
    Adjust Curves, do NOT overdo. Use a small S-shaped curve
12. Finished!
13. Save image

Panorama

Camera:  Olympus e-5 with the 14-45mm lens 

For a long time I wanted to shoot a panorama shot. Read up about it quite a bit, and the same message came from all the sites:

• Take a test shot
• Record the correct exposure
• Switch to manual mode
• Dial in the pre-tested aperture and shutter speed - this means the exposure won't change during the shoot
• Use a tripod
• Shoot in portrait orientation - this didn't work for me as the little device I used to turn the camera wouldn't work with the camera in portrait orientation (it is fitted between the camera and the tripod)
• The first shot must include a finger - so that you know when downloading the photos this is where the pano shots start - BEST ADVICE EVER!
• The last shot must include two fingers - to show the end of the pano shots - again, the BEST ADVICE EVER!
• Shoot to the right
• Overlap by at least 25% - easy with the little pano device I used, it automatically overlaps with 30%
• Set White Balance on daylight or auto
• Use continuous auto focus
• For the Olympus the best shutter speed is 1/80 sec and aperture F/9.0, ISO 200
• For some good reading, I recommend:
  http://www.olympusamerica.com/crm/oneoffpages/crm_panorama_jaydickman.asp 
http://dpexperience.com/2010/02/08/shooting-for-a-panorama/ http://www.manfrotto.com/Service/How+To+Lessons/Shooting+Coastal+Panoramas/Shooting+Coastal+Panoramas/3670816 http://www.shortcourses.com/use/using7-1.html http://www.panoguide.com/howto/