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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> The Agony and Ecstasy of Panoramics
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 04/04/2013 09:12:14 AM · #1
As noted in other threads, I shoot and build panoramics using the GigaPan system (both equipment and software). Even though there are a lot of less expensive (especially going the DIY route) options, I like being able to count on these tools to provide consistent results...particularly when a client is involved.

One of my clients, a museum, is currently exhibiting a collection of drawings by Michelangelo, and I've been documenting the exhibit for them. In many ways, this is and has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, with a wide array of assignments to handle. One particular challenge was to create a panoramic image of the gallery.

If the gallery were square or round, that would be easy. But, no, the gallery is long, narrow, rectangular, and divided into three rooms. This meant that, rather than putting the camera on a tripod and spinning it around, I had to move the camera for every single shot. If time (and budget) would have allowed, I would have built (or rented) a track. As was, we were moving everything one shot at a time. Nothing like shooting in the dark.

I built this panoramic image by hand, because there is no software to edit and stitch this type of collection automatically...I did all the post-production in Photoshop. What a pain. Not just hand-editing each image, but hand-stitching. I was really thankful to have that chair rail to line up most of the images. Before it was over, I was working with a nearly 2Gig psb file that resulted in a tif that weighed in at about .75Gig.

This is roughly (except for corners, doors, empty walls, and some of the spaces between the frames) the entire expanse of the gallery. (If printed out, it would be almost 5' tall and over 100' long.)

After the link loads, if you double-click on the far left, it will start to zoom in. You can then use the + key to zoom in further and you can use the arrow keys to scroll left and right and up and down. As the image is nearly 1 Gig in size, it might take a moment or two for your screen to refresh as you navigate.

Click the thumb to see the image:


While it is far from perfect, I think it's a pretty nice encapsulation of the exhibit.

Enjoy!

Message edited by author 2013-11-19 18:25:14.
 04/04/2013 09:18:59 AM · #2
Amazing accomplishment. Bravo! It has a life of its own, which makes it a joy to scroll through. And, the ability to zoom in is fantastic. It's a virtual museum.
 04/04/2013 09:45:48 AM · #3
congrats skip that's fantastic work and certainly takes dedication to push on!!
 04/04/2013 09:48:45 AM · #4
that's impressive, well done.

it even loading quick on my work pc over our paltry 1.5mps connection.
 04/04/2013 09:53:01 AM · #5
damn, that's sweet! great job skip.
 04/04/2013 09:55:43 AM · #6
Very well done - what a huge undertaking and accomplishment. Congratulations, Skip.
 04/04/2013 10:20:47 AM · #7
Cool and effective way to virtually stroll the exhibit. Nice job.
 04/04/2013 10:57:19 AM · #8
very cool, thanks for sharing!
 04/04/2013 11:20:07 AM · #9
Wow...
 04/04/2013 11:29:18 AM · #10
Nice work, Skip!
 04/04/2013 12:13:06 PM · #11
Love it Skip!
 04/04/2013 12:14:28 PM · #12
Awesome
 04/04/2013 12:26:27 PM · #13
Wow! Even works well on my slow work connection. A really nice way to view the display versus clicking through separate photos.
 04/04/2013 12:30:03 PM · #14
Awesome. I admire your skill & determination. Wish there were more of these. The finished panorama is fun to 'walk' thru & I experienced no wait time at all. "D
 04/04/2013 12:46:43 PM · #15
Amazing work Skip!
 04/04/2013 02:37:26 PM · #16
Will you leave the link up for a while? I'd certainly like to revisit.
 04/04/2013 02:55:49 PM · #17
quite nice.. i m just beginning to add panos to my repertoire and when I saw this - i thought it was quite well timed for my life! I think your job with this ones been pretty epic.
 04/04/2013 03:34:57 PM · #18
Skip--fantastic job!!! Really enjoyed it
04/04/2013 06:28:30 PM · #19
THANKS, ya'll!

@ C_Steve_G: the link is permanent :D

as it turns out, this is a first draft. while the client loves it, there are a few changes to be made. stay tuned...while i still won't be able to lay track, i will have a chance to work on my "museum shooting" setup ;-)
 04/04/2013 08:12:32 PM · #20
That was fun to experience! Almost as good as being there. Great work!
 04/04/2013 09:24:14 PM · #21
Incredible! Great job Skip!
 04/04/2013 10:43:15 PM · #22
i gotta ask skip, editing a 1 gigapixel file on my computer gets to be slow. do you do most of the editing before you start stitching or do you have a strategy that helps in this regard?
 04/04/2013 11:32:08 PM · #23
Requires flash. The ghost of St. Steve says this shall never happen. Will have to take a look from my "real" computer.
 04/05/2013 08:10:31 AM · #24
again, thanks!

Originally posted by ambaker:
Requires flash. The ghost of St. Steve says this shall never happen. Will have to take a look from my "real" computer.

sorry about that...hopefully someday there will be an embed that is flash-free.

Originally posted by devinder:
i gotta ask skip, editing a 1 gigapixel file on my computer gets to be slow. do you do most of the editing before you start stitching or do you have a strategy that helps in this regard?

this was a real piece of work...an automated gigapan may take five minutes; this one took about 12 hours by hand.

i did it in sections, working with 2 to 14 images at a time, depending on the section. i pulled them all into photoshop, made individual edits, then added them to a base panel and lined them up one at a time using guides.

it was ok until i had used 99% of my scratch disk and had to purge files off my harddrive in order to save (that was a little scary).

i just hope the next version goes more quickly...
11/19/2013 06:33:11 PM · #25
Originally posted by Skip:
as it turns out, this is a first draft. while the client loves it, there are a few changes to be made. stay tuned...while i still won't be able to lay track, i will have a chance to work on my "museum shooting" setup ;-)

well, here we are 7 months later and i finally have had a chance to finish this baby off! it still took about 12 hours...arggg.

it's almost 40' longer than the first one, having over 10 more images. of course i'm biased, but i'm simply amazed at the detail. you can actually read the plates beside the pieces.

anyways, feel free to check it out.

Click the thumb to see the image:


more than likely there will be a few more projects to come out of this. i'm just glad to have this part behind me.

Message edited by author 2013-11-19 18:33:46.
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