AutoPano Giga, PTGUI — High Resolution General Workflow
Originally Posted: January 9, 2020
Updated: May 7, 2023
Introduction
In my post about 5 different methods to obtaining large format stitched imagery, I spoke about the various ways to achieve image capture for high-resolution imagery.
While there are plenty of tutorials on the Internet that cover how to use the various software packages, choose a projection type, blend & render mechanism type, etc., this article covers the tools I utilize “post image capture” to assemble the individual frames. Essentially providing a general overview of my approach to producing my high-resolution imagery.
Take it for what it is, and don’t forget to search for some of the tutorials; it’s how I started this photographic process 10 years ago.
General Workflow
As with any good workflow, it evolves… and over the past ten years-ish, my workflow for my high-resolution stitching has evolved and become refined as the software packages, computing hardware, and my general skills have progressed.
Below is a quick overview of my general workflow; the description follows the chart.
[justified_image_grid ng_pics=906]
- Image Capture
- Asset Ingestion — (2a) Phase 1, (2b) Phase 2
- Asset Meta Data Processing
- Image Processing
- Export Source Images
- Assemble, Correct, Choose Projection, Render
- Post Rendering Final Image Processing
- Ingest final work
- Done — Export Final Image to the website for display or send to the printer for fine art print.
AutoPano Giga
http://www.kolor.com/image-stitching-software-autopano-giga.html
[justified_image_grid ng_pics=907,908]
As you can see by the photos in the screenshots above, the images have varying degrees of success in initial detection and projection. The second screenshot shows the editing/tuning screen of Autopano Giga, which allows for a plethora of choices for straightening, projections, and other corrections to an image before rendering for final output. Auto Pano Giga has a small arsenal of options for render output which I will write about another time.
While I bring in the source images as 16-bit TIFFs, I usually render them directly to Photoshop Large Format 16-bit (.PSB).
For reference purposes, you can see the final images for a) Lahaina Canoe b) Lake Minnewanka Winter and c) The Shear Scale of Hubbard Glacier by clicking each link.
PTGUI also offers a variety of tools and options that do essentially the same however the tools do have some unique options to each software package.
PTGUI
PTGUI has been my defacto standard for many years, I started with the tool in 2005/2006 and have kept up my subscription for roughly 10years-ish.
When I converted to Autopano Giga in 2011 it was due mostly to help aid rapid multi-pano generation with my Gigapan Epic Pro. As of late 2013, I have recently returned to utilizing PTGUI for many of my 360 degree immersive panoramas as I find the masking, options and tools provided by PTGUI to be consistently more successful for my difficult immersives than AutoPano Giga. Perhaps its due to my in-depth understanding of the inner workings of this tool.
Regardless I still utilize this PTGUI with excellent success.
[justified_image_grid ng_pics=909,910]
Final Words
As with any tool set, or journey… you must find what works for you and rarely does one shoe fit all.
I have remained generally steady with mainstream tools over the 10 years, with minor modifications here, a few refinements there and a set of enhancements as new ideas, challenges and goals came my way.
There are no shortage of tools out there that can accomplish this work (Command line pano tools for example), and I have evaluated a great many of them; in the end these tools are my choice to successful stitching regardless of the camera I use, or the method I use to capture the many frames.
| Article posted in: Quantum of Light ||