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Using the following steps, create a 3-D panorama from a set of photographs. |
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This
graphic should appear briefly on your monitor. Then you will make
a choice from the drop down menu at the top of the page. (See the
next graphic)
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You
will create a new file which will manage the output of your new
panorama. You have two choices. You would select "Panorama
Stitcher" if you have several pictures you are going to stitch
together to make the panorama. This is probably the choice you will
make most often. "Panorama Maker" is used when you already
have a long panorama picture, and you just need to stitch the ends
together.
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Once
you have selected your VR operation, you need to store your files
in a particular folder. I would suggest that you store your panoramas
in the folder where your picture(s) are stored. The name you give
the original file will be used as filenames for the generated files
with various suffix names, such as .pano or .tile or .pict. Each
time you create a panorama, QTVR Authoring Studio generates three
files from your creation-a pano, a tile and a pict file.
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| The computer presents a window which allows you to work with source images and change output file settings before stitching the panorama. The images will appear in the lower half of the window when they are added to the Stitcher. |
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You
need to know the characteristics of the camera which was used to
take the pictures. If the camera name is not listed here, you will
have to edit and create a new settings file for the camera used
to take the pictures.
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If your panorama is a full 360 degrees, make sure that the box labeled "Images Wrapped" is marked. If the panorama is less than 360 degrees, the box should not be checked. You are now ready to add images to your workspace. Click the button "Add Images." |
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Find your folder of images by selecting the appropriate folder name on the pulldown menu. If all of the pictures are to be used in the panorama, select Add All. The files you add to your list will be shown in the lower window. |
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When all of the images you need for the panorama are shown in the lower box, click "Done." If there are some files you want to remove from the list, click on the file and click "Remove." |
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Images will appear in your workspace. The computer has no idea how your camera was oriented when taking the pictures, so you need to rotate the pictures to the appropriate orientation by selecting the rotate buttons until the images are oriented properly. |
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If
the images need to be rotated for proper orientation, use the Rotate
buttons until they are upright.
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The images will stitch from the leftmost image to the next sequential image to the right. Make sure the pictures are in the correct order. If they are in reverse order, click the Sort button. Which set of 4 pictures are in the proper order for stitching? |
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When
the images are in the proper orientation and proper order, click
on the Stitch Pano button to see how the panorama looks using the
default setting of the software.
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After you hit the Stitch Pano button, the computer begins to work, and you get to watch the results and they occur. The computer begins to stitch the pictures, one at a time, beginning with the one on the far left of the workspace window and continuing to the right. This images shows three stitched images. Note the black line across the top. The camera was not completely level when the images were taken, and they do not line up perfectly. The computer tries to line up the pictures as best as possible, but sometimes the image borders are not defined well enough for a clean stitch. The computer then makes its best guess, and puts the images together. |
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The
computer attaches the rough panorama image and "fills in"
the dark areas left at the top and bottom of the image.
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The
computer continues to modify the image by cutting the top and bottom
of the image (crop), eliminating any "rough edges."
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After
cropping, the computer tries to blend and sharpen the large image.
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The
image is resized so that it can be used by software which allows
the user to view the pano.
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Once the large picture is complete, the computer stores the image, using the suffix .pict. This image can be used if you wish to view the entire image without the use of a player, such as QuickTime player. This is the type of image which is required for the "Panorama Maker" option of this software. |
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The
computer continues to create images by slicing the long image in
to tiles.
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When the computer completes its work, a new window will appear which contains the newly created panorama. In the case here, default settings were not good enough to create a perfectly aligned series of pictures. The first and last picture in the series did not line up, and it appears if the horizon is non-continuous. In this case, it would be best if the user hand aligns each picture in the panorama before stitching.
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Check out"Alignment Corrections" and learn how to stitch your panorama by hand, if the default settings do not create an acceptable final product. |
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©2000-2002
Dr. John Park for Science Junction, NC State University. | Panoramas and Object Movies | Learning to Use Technology | Teaching With Technology | |