Hi there

Once again I would like you to coment on two panos. This time its concerning windows in a room. Sun was shining outside 1 o'clock shot.

Which shot do you like better, and why ?

http://www.panoramas.ch/panoramas/fullscreen.aspx?Film=saal 

or

http://www.panoramas.ch/panoramas/fullscreen.aspx?Film=saal2

Thanks for your feedback. (Well if you notice a difference)

Regards Markus

Hi Markus,

Hmm, same pictures one with higher contrast and the other more saturation. All done with Photoshop and not the camera this time.

I would say pano saal (1) is most accurate with the bright sun bleaching out the colours somewhat. Either is acceptable and would please most people. saal (2) looks as if it was taken later in the day! (Which I know it wasn't)

Regards, Smooth

Both are very good panos.

The second one has better looking windows. The color saturation is better in the sky.

I could not tell any difference in the room lighting/exposure between the two. I only noticed the window differences.

Did you do this with bracketing?

I like the first one better because the interior of the room is lighter and more appealing.

How did you do it so that you can see the oustside clearly and not have the bright blown windows?

Dear friends*

Your feedback is of great help to me!

First how I did it. Since I upgraded to Nikon D70 Sigma 8mm I do all shots like this.

1) Put camera on auto and see what settings the camera would use shooting against the window, shooting so windows covers 20% of shot, shooting at the backside. (Sorry smooth)

2) Take an average and set the camera on manual and put in this values

3) Take 3 sets of 4 shots using the bracketin function and an infra red remote control so all 3 shots will allways be identical (no movement of setup by my hands since I don't touch anything)

4) Take all the RAW images to PS and see what white balance, temparature would be the most appropriate to what it was and set all 12 images to that temperature.

4) Stich all 3 set in the software of choice. I stich with the normal exposure set untill I am satisfied, save and then just replace the 4 images with the under exposed set, stich with exactely the same settings, then replace again with over exposured set and stich exactely witth the same settings.

5) Take shots to Photmatix and let it blend

6) Take the shot to PS, reduce noise and sharpen it

7) Use PanoCube to convert to cubic tiles, Fixe floor and ceiling in PS

8) use PanoCube to make .mov

9) use PanoCube to convert back to 2:1 format and take it to PS to make the shots smaller 2000 x 1000 to use it in small Java and/or .mov files

10) Look back at pano be pleased and get nerved that I have put up so much work in it and still am not satisfied LOL

Well the first panos saal was done exactely this way. The second one (saal2) I took the windows of the underexposed shots and used PS mask to blend the windows of the under exposured pictures to the Photomatix blended shot.

@smooth

you were right, second shot was taken at the same time or better is the same shot
... and would please most people. I hope I get to the 95% approvel rate soon.

@bigGreenFuryTh

your comment is exactly right. It depends on the focus you want to give. For me I like the #1 much better. This might be because of the room beeing the thing to show of. Also #2 looks kind of unatural to me.

@Gen. Lee

you could not finde any difference other then the windows because there is not

@VT360

Explenaition above. Takes a whole lot of time to do it that way and my LapTop sitches for about 10 min for every pano.

@All. Yes I consider you friends even though I have never met any of you personally but appreciate your open feedback every time. So if anyone every is in Switzerland give me a mail and we meet and have a beet or two.

Thanks again for your feedback

Markus

PS: Beeing Swiss I took an average. Half way between nr. 1 and nr. 2 LOL :-)

Ok Markus,

Fair enough, but there was no movement between pano one and pano two in shots. I was looking at the clouds.

The bracketing was fast.

Interior remained the same and the capping also looked the same which lead my to believe it was all Photoshop. I overlaid both images for comparison. I'm 100% sure you could have done this in Photoshop.

#1 is still more natural in my eyes. #2 has greater colour and doesn't look natural to me. Half way in between is a safe bet.

Good work Markus my Internet mate!

Regards, Smooth

@smooth

I set the timer to 2 seconds for the remote control.

So actually after the the first shot is taken after two seconds which don't count.

It takes me 1" to engage again and 2" timer to take the second shot. It takes me 1" to engage the 2" timer again. So from the first shot to the second only 6 seonds pass for the first set of shots

All other shots are taken after 12 secondes (additonal 3 seconds for 90 degree move and counting now the first 3 seconds of the shot) 

So 1 time 6" and 2 times 12 " and 1 time 9" (last time needs no movement) I can shoot 3 sets of 4 panos comfortable in 40".

The version saal2 was done in PS.

And yes I have now a halfway online as example 1

Regards Markus

Smooth,

You said you are 100% sure he could have done this in PS. Do  you mean using the same workflow described but using PS HDR?

Martold,

"saal2 was done on PS". You mean the same workflow but not using photomatrix?

Why does #2 look unnatural? I am used to dealing with the window issue. I have to on every shoot. #2 looks more natural than #1.

#1 you can tell the exposure of the sky is not natural. #2 has the correct blue sky and the grass and houses have better contrast.

Something to consider is what kind of monitor these are being viewed on. Old CRT's vs newer LCD monitors. There is a very big difference in how these images will look when viewed on different monitors with different resolutions and color calibration settings.

Make sure you are using the correct color space when working in PS or it will not look correct on some monitors.

In my case I have new SONY HS95P LCD set at "Srgb". I think the brightness is at 5200K.

I have been through several problems with clients seeing there images as way too dark or way to light when I know the image is optimized properly for color, brightness and saturation.

Upon investingation I found that some were viewing the images on very old CRT's where the phosphers were worn out. When I got this new monitor I then discoverd I was over correcting brightness because on the new LCD the overall temperature of the screen is higer and therefor makes images appear very bright or washed out.

It took some testing. I tested on about 6 different monitors of varying quality, type and screen resolution. I can now adjust the color correction to get the best image for most monitors. But there is nothing you can do about a 5 year old CRT. It will look like crap compared to a newer CRT or  LCD.

@gen Lee

Only the blending in of the windows in the #2 shot was done in PS. The rest was done with Photomatris. So I just took the #1 shot and photoshoped the windows of the under exposed panorama in.

Concerning the monitors I think this is a lost case. I have two old CTR next to each other on one machine and the colors look different because a user can set contrast, color or colour, temperature to his setisfaction.

I also hava a lap-top with a externel TFT and it also looks diffent. I don't even want to talk about my old iMac next to it. I this matter I think there is just no way to garantee the output or outcome on a monitor.

Maybe it looks annatrual to me for having had blownout windows in the past 3 years, LOL. No the thing is that because of the 3 shot blending the room is a bit foggy too, so the foggy windows kind of match the room better.

#2 looked a bit like photoshoped in to me. I kind of asked these questions to the forum members to get an idea of what poeple think. I also asked some of my kids and my wife and they liked #1 better.

At the end its not what looks more real or what gets closer to the real thing, but what does the client think of it.

And in this case it was a good swiss compromise, like the #1.5 that is now the #1.

Regards Markus