Hi everybody

I have started to use photomatix from HDRsoft to make HDR panoramas, but I am experiencing problems with the quality, and wondered if any of you have any suggestions to what I might be doing wrong.

All of my HDRpanoramas tend to get quite blurry. I can't understand why as I believe I am doing everything right. This is what I have tried:

1) I shoot all of the pictures at the location at different exposures. I am using a Nikon coolpix 8700 with the FC-E9 fisheye and the MrotatorA from Agnos

In photomatix I have tried different approaches. I have tried to combine (h&s details auto) the pictures before stitching and I have also tried to generate HDR images and tonemapping before stitching. They always get blurred, even if I align the pics beforehand.

I have also tried to stitch all of the panoramas prior to generating a HDR panorama. Here I load the pics into panoweaver, toggle them all with the following parameters:

Ceter X 1615

Center Y 1249

Radius 989

After this I export/publish the pictures and open them in photomatix. Again I have tried to generate HDR and the tonemapping and I have also tried to combine the pics. Accordingly to my knowledge when I do it like this there should be no problem with the alignment, but the panos still get blurry, also if I align them before generating the HDR.

Anyone out there who have had the same problem, or who have any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong?? I would really appreciate all of your help.

Unfortunately I cant post any of my panoramas as my webpage is build on a CMS system and that do not allow me to post panoramas my self.

Best regards

Morten Andersen

- a newbie trying to improve

p.s. a small question more. When I have generated a HDR panorama and are about to do the tonemapping I can't import the generated picture into panoweaver if I make any adjustments e.g in color saturation or "strength". Panoweaver just write:

Error 003: Please import a valid sperical (2:1) or cubic panorama image (1:6).

I have asked easypanos technical support for an answer on this questions but if any of you can help me I would be gratefull.

Hi

Do you take 360 degrees at one exposure setting, then do another 360 degrees at a different exposure setting and so on? Or do you take multiple shots at different exposures before then rotating the camera to the next click stop and taking a nother set of exposures etc?

I'm just thinking that if the camera moves even a fraction between different exposures then that could explain the blury (not quite pefectly aligned) HDR results. I think it's probably better to take all your bracketed exposure shots in one postition, then rotate the camera to the next stop and bracket again and so on. Also you must be very gentle with the camera and tripod when adjusting settings on the camera between shots so as not to move things any more than necessary.

Just a thought
Glenn

Hi Glen

Thank you for your quick reply.

I have tried both procedures. One where I take multiple shots at one setting and one where I take one shot, then rotate and then a new shot. You are right the result is better when you take all of the shots at different exposures before rotating, that I have learned :o) but still the picture get blurry. Perhaps the alignment tool of photomatix is not as good as I could have wanted it to be. Do you know any other way to align the pics or do they have to be aligned in photomatix to work?

Please everybody if any one else have any suggestions they are mostly appreciated.

Best regards

Morten Andersen

- a newbie trying to improve 

Hi everybody

I have just recieved an answer from Easypano regarding my last question on why I can't import the HDR picture into panoweaver. Thought some of you may benifit from the reply if you should get in the same situation as me. Here is their reply:

"We have checked your image and found that your image is 1986*999. It is not an exact image of 2:1. So the error comes out. Maybe some pixels are lost by accident when you edit it. So please make the image into an exact image of 2:1."

 
Does any of you know why photomatix changes the image so it is 1986*999??

Also does any of you know how I can correct/change it so it once again becomes a 2:1 picture?? I know it moste likely is a newbie question but still hope you can help me :o)

Best regards

Morten Andersen

- a newbie trying to improve

Now that you know the dimensions are being altered you can change them back... they are only off by 3 pixels.  Adjust one side only:

1986 width/2 = 993 not 999   or

999 height * 2 = 1998  not 1986

Force Photoshop to not adjust the opposite dimension.  Now your image is 2:1 and you can view it in PW4.

Dave

Do you press the shutter by hand or do you use IR control to take the pictures.

As soon as you get your hand to the camera I would expect that the camera will move in some direction even if not noticed. So therefor a blury picture would be explained. Since you thake 3 times 3 or 3 times 4 shots not all shots would have the same error so the missalignment would be different on each shot. Therefor any alignment would correct one side and make an error on the other side.

Just an idea what it might be

Regards Markus

Hi Dave

Thank you for your help. I also found out that I could just change the image size in Photoshop, so that was a nice and easy solution to that part of my problem :o)

Markus

I press the shutter by hand. Do you really think that is enough to cause the missalignment?? Have you had this experience personally or is it just a theory of yours?? If I go you and purchase a remote then I believe that sometimes I will experience an other problem. I have found that some times it is not enough to use autobracketing even with ev steps of 2 e.g. if you have a room with bright light shining through the windows. Therefore I will need to cintrol the exposure steps manually, and as far as I know this is not possible with a remote control. Is this correct???

Thanks for your help so far.

Best regards

Morten Andersen

- a newbie trying to improve  

I have a Nikon D70 and I use the countdown timer (too tired to think of the correct term!) on the camera, set to 5 seconds. I have to manually alter the exposure settings for each shot however, which will cause camera movements, but I try to be very gentle! So I think using the timer probably helps, but it would certainly be better if you could avoid touching the camera at all.

I don't know about your camera but I used to have (well still do) an Olympus C5050Z. That would take all the bracketed exposures with one press of the shutter, which was nice. Perhaps yours does this?

Glenn