Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography

Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography
by Harald Woeste

Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography
Our Price: $640.00
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)

Book Summary Information

Author: Harald Woeste
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-11-04
ISBN: 1933952458
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Rocky Nook

Book Reviews of Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography

Book Review: In the Round
Summary: 4 Stars

Aside from the obvious benefits of digital over other photography media, like greater control over exposures and post-processing adjustments, digital photography has enabled us to improve older techniques so that photographers are better able to convey their vision. Images that covered more than the normal angle of view, called panoramas, were first created in 1787, using large scale circular paintings in which the viewer was centered in the painting. Today, with very little additional equipment, a digital photographer can create very wide angle images, with great detail, by stitching together several separate images. He or she can even create virtual realities (also known as spherical projections), where a viewer can have the effect of being completely surrounded by an image. Particularly amazing is not just the angle of view, which can exceed any wide angle lens, but the resolution of the final image.

Harold Woeste provides an introduction to panoramic photography. After reviewing the history of panoramas, Woeste introduces the special equipment necessary to capture the images to be used in the panorama. While a panorama can be captured using a hand held camera, better results will ensue using a tripod with a specially designed head when shooting the series of images required for a panorama. The author then discusses the computer software necessary to stitch together the images. He also shows methods of outputting the images, which includes both wide flat prints of great detail and images which must be viewed on a computer and which allow the viewer to select any direction to look, including even up and down.

An important part of the book is the description of four different panorama projects that the author worked on, moving from the initial idea for the project, through the special considerations in capturing the images, to the use of multiple software packages to maximize the quality of the image, to the final output as a print or computer file.

On the other hand, Woeste's level of detail is at the familiarization level, not the practical level of actually taking the images or using the software. Thus, as I followed along I occasionally encountered references that I did not understand, such as control points, which were not related to the Photoshop CS4 software that I normally use, but are contained in PTGui, a more advanced piece of software that can be used for difficult situations and for spherical images. To fully comprehend what the author was saying, I had to download PTGui (there's a free trial available) and spend several hours reading the instructions (which were not very well organized) and even process a few trial images. On the other hand, snap shooters who aren't willing to spend the time and effort, are also not likely try their hand at panoramas, and understanding the uses of PTGui will certainly help if one encounters a problem where PTGui can provide a useful solution. I suppose I would have liked just a little more detail. For example, Woeste suggests that while PTGui is great for stitching, one can have better results if one saves the image and then blends it in Photoshop. Unfortunately neither Woeste nor the PTGui instructions mention that the stitched image must be saved as a PSD file rather than a TIFF to do this. Perhaps what I really wanted was a better PTGui instruction manual.

In any case, if you are a photographer who wants to move beyond the simple flat image capture and processing, wants to know what's available to help you create better panoramas, and wants to see some of the possibilities available in panoramic photography, this book will provide a good introduction.

NOTE: Since I wrote this review I've found that there is a way to save PTGUI files as TIFFs.

Summary of Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography

The unusual perspective of a panoramic image creates a unique and intriguing visual experience for the viewer. Skillfully executed, panoramic photography can realize scenes which could otherwise never be captured in an image or seen with the naked eye.

Panoramas offer new possibilities for creative photographers, either as flat, two-dimensional images, or mapped into a 3D space that can be visited on a virtual tour. New, powerful, panorama software makes the workflow easier and more efficient than ever before.

Author Harald Woeste takes the reader on a tour from the basics of capturing panoramas, all the way through stitching, editing, and printing panoramic images. He provides a detailed description of the necessary equipment and materials, as well as the various software tools that can be used in the workflow. The latter half of the book illustrates the making of panoramas through a number of example projects.

In Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography you will find everything you need to know to create amazing panoramic images.

Architectural Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Architectural Books
The New American Village (Creating the North American Landscape) ImageThe New American Village (Creating the North American Landscape)
by Bob Thall
The Johns Hopkins University Press; Published: 1999-12-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.98
Price in other shops: $37.00
Invisible New York: The Hidden Infrastructure of the City (Creating the North American Landscape) ImageInvisible New York: The Hidden Infrastructure of the City (Creating the North American Landscape)
by Stanley Greenberg
The Johns Hopkins University Press; Published: 1998-11-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.18
Price in other shops: $40.00
Angkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer ImageAngkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer
by Jon Ortner, Ian W. Mabbett, James Goodman, Ian Mabbett, Eleanor Mannikka, John Sanday
Abbeville Press; Published: 2002-04-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $129.20
The Log Home: Classic Log Cabins Of North America ImageThe Log Home: Classic Log Cabins Of North America
by Nancy L. Mohr
Courage Books; Published: 2001-11-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.32
Price in other shops: $12.98
Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive ImageAftermath: World Trade Center Archive
by Joel Meyerowitz
Phaidon Press; Published: 2006-08-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $40.00
Price in other shops: $75.00
At Home in Greece ImageAt Home in Greece
by Julia Klimi
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2004-09-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.31
Price in other shops: $40.00
World Architecture: The Masterworks ImageWorld Architecture: The Masterworks
by Will Pryce
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2008-11-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $29.00
Price in other shops: $80.00
Scottish Country ImageScottish Country
by Charles Maclean
Thames & Hudson; Published: 1999-03-29; Paperback; Book
Stillness and Light: The Silent Eloquence of Shaker Architecture ImageStillness and Light: The Silent Eloquence of Shaker Architecture
by Henry Plummer
Indiana University Press; Published: 2009-08-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops: $39.95
Professional Interior Photography (Professional Photography Series) ImageProfessional Interior Photography (Professional Photography Series)
by Michael Harris
Focal Press; Published: 1998-10; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $34.99
Similar Books and other products
Why Photographs Work: 52 Great Images Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why ImageWhy Photographs Work: 52 Great Images Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why
by George Barr
Rocky Nook; Published: 2011-01-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.22
Price in other shops: $39.95
Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques ImageCreative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques
by Harold Davis
Wiley; Wiley; Published: 2010-05-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.90
Price in other shops: $29.99
The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression ImageThe Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression
by Bruce Barnbaum
Rocky Nook; Published: 2010-12-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.25
Price in other shops: $44.95
Architectural Photography: Composition, Capture, and Digital Image Processing ImageArchitectural Photography: Composition, Capture, and Digital Image Processing
by Adrian Schulz
Rocky Nook; Published: 2009-08-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $150.34
Digital Exposure Handbook ImageDigital Exposure Handbook
by Ross Hoddinott
Photographers' Institute Press; Published: 2009-05-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.94
Price in other shops: $19.95
Practical HDRI, 2nd Edition: High Dynamic Range Imaging Using Photoshop CS5 and Other Tools ImagePractical HDRI, 2nd Edition: High Dynamic Range Imaging Using Photoshop CS5 and Other Tools
by Jack Howard
Rocky Nook; Published: 2010-09-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.88
Price in other shops: $34.95
Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book) ImageComplete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book)
by Ferrell McCollough
Adorama; Pixiq; Published: 2008-05-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.95
Price in other shops: $24.95
Panoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition ImagePanoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition
by Arnaud Frich
Focal Press; Published: 2007-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.15
Price in other shops: $29.95
Assembling Panoramic Photos: A Designer's Notebook ImageAssembling Panoramic Photos: A Designer's Notebook
by Bertrand Bodin, Arnaud Frich, Albert Lemoine
O'Reilly Media; Published: 2005-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops: $19.95
Photographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching ImagePhotographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching
by Juergen Gulbins, Rainer Gulbins
Rocky Nook; Published: 2009-02-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.88
Price in other shops: $34.95