For the last several days I've been looking over the new Photomerge function of Photoshop CS3, as I have read it features improved image alignment.
I can only say this: AMAZING!
A few nights ago a friend called and asked if I knew of a good way to stitch together some photos of an old map, to recreate a single image of the entire original. I told him I would try the new CS3 Photomerge tool. Without any trouble whatsoever, using the "Auto" function it virtually flawlessly matched up every line - something we just could not do when hand layering the images. Here's the result (click on the image to see the full-sized version). The only artifact I could find was along the left edge of the map, in the center, the outline doesn't *quite* line up.
While traveling I often take series' of photos intended to be made into panoramas. Problem is, I have not up to now found a panorama stitching tool I really liked, so I have stitched my panoramas by hand. Though I have done quite a few, I have a library full of good data that has never been stitched together. As an example, a few years ago I took 9 portrait mode shots of the Badlands with my EOS-10D. These were hand-held, with Auto White Balance and P mode auto exposure. Check out what File - Automate - Photomerge did with them in just a few moments (click on the image to see a large quarter-sized version). The only thing I did with this after the Photomerge was Curves to lighten the image and a slight rotation to level the horizon. There are NO stitching artifacts to be found.
Here's an old shot out a window of where I used to work, which Photomerge put together in mere seconds from 4 portrait mode EOS-D30 shots. Again, no stitching artifacts (though there are some reflections barely visible as the image was shot through a window).
Here's another: Valle Grande in New Mexico.
You can be sure I'll be going through my entire archive looking for more pano series' to feed to this wonderful bit of software!
I've also found that it does an impressive job joining images, so I might start exploring non-shift-lens panos again. In particular, it seems to join images along an optimal "edge", which probably explains its performance.
A few nights ago a friend called and asked if I knew of a good way to stitch together some photos of an old map, to recreate a single image of the entire original. I told him I would try the new CS3 Photomerge tool.
A few months ago, I wrote a simple script to acquire slightly-overlapping screen captures of Google's "hybrid" satellite maps of Baltimore, then employed Photomerge in the CS3 beta to produce a single bitmap I could print. It was trivial. The result on my wall is a nearly-four foot square, highly-detailed satellite map of central Baltimore, complete with street names. The map has been a very useful geographical tool for me as well as a great conversation piece.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I've also found that it does an impressive job joining images, so I might start exploring non-shift-lens panos again. In particular, it seems to join images along an optimal "edge", which probably explains its performance.
What I preach since the beta: Photomerge not only works at last, it works very fast and very well. Alone a reason to get CS3 [the other reason for me was QuickMask]!
__________________ Dierk Haasis
[DH² Publishing] - Writing and Imaging
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