Hi h20pixels.  Welcome to the forum.

Good questions -  Which picture is #1.

Answer is it does not matter. 

We shoot 4 images.  I find that image #2 is where your center of interest should be located.  So we set up our tripod and rotate the pan head around where the camera is pointing to the center of interest.  Then rotate the camera 1 click stop to the left and take Image #1 at that position.  If you are taking 6 images... your center of interest might be at position #2 or 3.

The reason it does not matter is because you can always position the center of interest in photoshop. 

So where IS the starting point anyway.

For java display starting point it is located 50% from left to right and 50% down from the top of the image.  This is position "0" or zero degrees.

For QTVR displays the starting point is by default always on the left side of the image.

So IF I know in advance which display method will be using you can open your image in photoshop and then rotate the center of interest or initial view around to the center of the image. 

FILTERS | OTHER | OFFSET and make sure autowrap is checkmarked.

Then scroll your center of interest or initial view around to the middle of the image.

With Java display.. now your image will have the initial view center of interest right in the middle.  Typically I start just to the left of the center of interest.. because it takes a few seconds for the visitor to visually grasp the image content.. and then the viewer scrolls to the right into my 'center of interest' area.

Regardless of where your center of interest is located the java applet also will let you control the offset for initial view with a couple of applet parameters.

For a full set of applet parameters you might consider visiting:

http://users2.ev1.net/~wufdog/PT/ptviewerscripting/_ptViewer_Start.htm

In particular look for parameters called PAN, PANMIN, PANMAX 

For example: <param name="pan"  value="n" >  Where the value of "n"  is the number of degrees offset from the center of the image = 0 degrees.  Minus sign -20 would be 20 degrees left.  A positive value of 20 would be 90 degrees to the right.

I will let another forum expert discuss the blending issue.

Hope this helps

Dave

When exporting to PSD, PW4 does not blend the edges. Instead it saves the file into multiple layers with hard edged masks.I actually like this better as it gives me complete control over the blending. What I do is move the ceiling and ground layers to the top and start softening the edges of the masks where appropeiate. It's a bit cumbersome, but I find it gives me the best results.

However, if you shoot your images as perfect as you can and your stitching is very accurate, I find doing this is actually rare.

When shooting with Nikkor 10.5 (6+) the center of the final stitched equirectangular image will be at 180deg.

This  means you start shooting at 0 deg. Then rotate clockwise.

image 1 = 0 deg
image 2= 300 deg
image 3= 240 deg
image 4= 180 deg
image 5= 120 deg
image 6= 60 deg

This is the way it works on the Agnos rotator. For some reason Agnos put the deg on the rotator going counter clock wise. But if your rotator is different it is still the same.

Dave: Holy cow.......you learn something new every day....I never new I could offset the image in photoshop.

"FILTERS | OTHER | OFFSET and make sure autowrap is checkmarked."

One other point. When shooting with the Nikkor it helps to locate the brightest light source in the scene (in my case this is usually a big window.) Allow this point to fall at the 180 deg frame. This seems to reduce light fall off in the frames. It allows the exposure to approach the brightest part and then move away from it. It also helps to get the center of the light source on a seam between two frames. This will make the exposure more even and reduce exposre differences in the final pano.

If you place the first frame directly on the brightest light source this frame will usually be slightly over exposed and you will have to fix the ceilings and floors with photoshop.

General Lee.

In this forum, I probably learn more from y'all.  And I appreciate your help.

Happy New Year 2006

Dave

Happy New Year to you Dave and thanks for all of your help over the year.  Getting better results on the GV's.  Hope to show off some work soon.

Pixel

To the 1# questions of h2opixels's, I usually to move the positon of the image in image list by movedown or moveup button. It can also change the center point of the pano. But you should ensure the image is adjoining.

Happy new year to everyone!

Daisy

I agree.. while shifting your center of interest left and right to make the center of interest be at the center of the image point "0"  you can also shift the image UP.  On some panoramas I shift up as much as 35 pixels to close the zenith.  That rolls some of the sky down to the nadir or into the tripod cap area.  I usually place a tripod cap on the bottom anyway.

Dave