(this is a resent post due to the temporary list hiatus-AG)
This weekend we travelled to the other side of the state and on
the way back I saw a tremendously interesting sky (complete with
distant rain showers) thanks to a frontal boundary. Well, it
took all of three seconds to decide to take the next exit and go
exploring the side roads finding a scene worthy of the clouds.
My family is soooo understanding sometimes. (not so
understanding othertimes). They were somewhat understanding
this time--would have been more so if it wasn't for the heat and
dusty farm roads.
Anyway, we found a farm landscape worthy of the clouds, and by
that point I had already visualized the photo in my head. I
immediately mounted the 35/shift on the E-1, setup the tripod
and got a meter reading with, tada, the handheld meter. A test
shot showed that my reading was two stops off. Duh, turn the
meter the other way. Ah, there we go! Checking for blown
highlights (the clouds were sunlit), I had a perfect exposure.
Yee hah!
Using the shift lens, I took a series of five pictures with lens
moved to the next major gradient mark. Very easy and quick.
Hast to be quick because the clouds were really scooting along.
I repeated the process five times to make sure I got a decent
sequence. (sequence #2 appeared to be the best). To minimize
camera movement, I used the 1-second anti-shock delay and shaded
the lens from the direct sun with my hand.
I did experiment with converting the RAW files using RSE, Viewer
and Photoshop Elements 3.0. I ended up just doing the panoramic
merge in Elements and let it do the RAW conversion as the shadow
detail was just slightly better without looking cruddy. This
picture was taken directly into the sun in a high-contrast
scene. The E-1's dynamic range captured the entire range
without clipping either end!!!! Smokin! Older Zuikos DO have
their advantages when it comes to high-contrast scenes as the
reduced contrast helps keep the shadows from blocking up on you.
Ok, during the merge, I did use the setting to keep each layer
intact. This is VERY important. After the photomerge has
finished it's process, save! Next, show the Layers Dialog and
rearrange the layers to make the outer images top or bottom
-your choice. For this project, I put the center image on top
and layer downward going to the edges.
To get the brightness values of each layer to match, I opened up
the Levels dialog for the layer in question, clicked on the
gamma (middle number) and used my mouse wheel to change the
value 0.01 at a time. By rolling the wheel you'll see the
exposed edge (between the two layers) get darker or lighter.
Stop when the line disappears. This mousewheel adjustment is
really the slickest trick when matching levels. Click OK. Go to
the next transition point. It's very important to work middle
out, otherwise, you'll be screwing up previously balanced
transition points. By working inside out (with the middle
picture on top), you are able to better compensate for the
light-falloff that occurs at the extremes. The outer images will
end up being lightened quite a bit, but since only about 1/3 of
those images are used it's really easy to match exposure
edge-to-edge. Save.
Using my Wacom pen, I setup the erase function to about 100
pixels (soft edged) and pressure sensitive for opacity. Working
at 100% view, I erased the edges of the overlapping layers
working around clouds and other objects. With a zigzaggging
motion and varying the pressure, I was able to blend the
transition point to work around problem areas. This "soft
erase" function reveals the layer below. Again, it helps
to work inside out. Use the Layers Dialog box to control which
segment is being erased. Save.
Flatten image, Save As a new filename (pano-v2.tif) Crop the
edges. Save
Now you can start working the overall color, brightness,
sharpness and all the other secret things you do to your images.
Save As a new filename (pano-v3.tif).
My weekend photo project is currently in this last step. The
artistic interpretation of the scene is something that will
develop over the next couple of weeks. I did experiment with a
few things, but know that I've got to live with it a little
before settling in on something. But I do know that it'll
probably take a good day or two of editing to get to the
"fine-art" point. This stage really has nothing specifically to
do with creating panoramics/merged photos and is something done
to any and every photograph destined for enlargement.
Based on overall pixel count and the high sharpness of the shift
lens, the final print size will essentially be unlimited.
AG
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