How to create HDR Panoramas

You will learn how to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) Panoramic images.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• DSLR camera
• Tripod
• Pano head
• PC
• Panoramic Photography software

1. Set your DSLR in Manual 'M' mode. You will be varying shutter speed as you bracketing +/-2EV. Set image format as RAW.

2. Fix your DSLR on a sturdy tripod. Shoot your panorama letting 30% overlapping between each shot for each set of exposure. Each exposure set would be at least 3 shots allowing +/-2EV.

3. Once shooting completed, transfer your RAW images to a PC with Panoramic Photography software installed such as Autopano Pro or PTGui Pro.

4. Start your pano software and load all source images. The software will detect, group and project your pano image.

5. If the pano not stitched as you expected, correct position of individual images and color as needed.

6. Once editing done, render your pano and save it as JPEG format letting the software do the tonemapping or in Radiance (.hdr or .exr) format to do the tonemapping with other 3rd party HDR software like Dynamic Photo HDR or Photomatix.

Tips & Warnings

• RAW image processing would be very time-consuming unless you have high performance PC with multiple CPU and high GPU processing.
• To speed up, you may convert your each image of exposure set to small-sized TIFF format and load those source images into pano software and let it process for you.

Resources

• HDR Panoramas article on BoraBaysal.com
• Autopano Pro
• PTGui Pro

[borabaysal]

on 7/6/2009 Thanks Jami, hope she utilize it :)

[jcoolcash11]

on 7/6/2009 My sister is the photographer I am passing this on. rrcr5*