How to Make a Panoramic Photo on a Mac

Macintosh users can make 360-degree QuickTime VR movies that can be posted on Web sites and viewed with any computer. You can do it entirely with freeware, without a digital camera.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Macintosh Computers
• Cameras (digital Or Film)
• Software Or Freeware As Needed

1. Take a series of photos from a single spot, turning your body and your camera clockwise with each click of the shutter. (Let the photos overlap a little and try to keep the horizon level.)

2. Request pictures on disk when your film is developed, if you took the photos with film.

3. Load the photos onto your computer.

4. Get a free image editor such as BME from download.com. (Skip this step if you already own Adobe Photoshop or another image editor.)

5. Cut and paste your series of photos together on the computer so that they form one long, wide photo.

6. Touch up the transitions between photos as well as you can.

7. Make sure the left and right ends will line up when joined.

8. Crop your image by pixels. Make sure the short dimension is divisible by 4 and the long dimension is divisible by 96.

9. Rotate your image 90 degrees counterclockwise.

10. Save your image as a PICT file.

11. Get a utility called QTVR Make Panorama 2 from Apple's Web site.

12. Drop your image file on QTVR Make Panorama 2. Answer the questions as the program asks them.

13. View your finished movie with the QuickTime Movie Player.

Tips & Warnings

• Because these programs are freeware, you might have to experiment to learn to use them.
• You can also connect photo prints with tape or glue, then scan the combined photos.

on 11/22/2005 It's best to use a tripod when taking your pictures for the panorama. That way you know they will be level, and you won't have much trouble keeping the camera still.