Panorama workflow in CS5?

[whited3]

Hi folks.

Not sure about the workflow for processing panoramas stitched from multiple images. Here's my rough workflow but I'd appreciated any comments.

1) Select RAW images and open in ACR
2) "Select all", normal processing techniques, "synchronise", then close.
3) In CS5 select New, Automate, Photomerge, Layout = Auto, select the images and OK.
4) Flatten and save as a TIF.
5) Levels and sharpening.
6) Flatten, Crop and save the finished image.

I supposed my main query is when to flatten?

Cheers,

Mark

[Colin Southern]

Hi Mark,

I merge the images first, and then pretty much treat them like any other photo.

[whited3]

These were taken from Cunningham's gap in QLD, looking NW to the Great Dividing Range. Workflow was as above, a series of 5 (Landscape) and 8 (portrait) images.

[AlanP]

With CS5 you can also fill in the outside of the panorama using content aware fill.

[whited3]

With CS5 you can also fill in the outside of the panorama using content aware fill.

Thanks Alan. Please pardon my ignorance but why and where would I use this?

Cheers,

Mark

[inkista]

Check out the PS CS5 content-aware sneak peek video that's up on youtube:



Around the 3:25 mark, is where the pano usefulness bits of content-aware fill come in.

For those using Gimp, content-aware fill is similar, but not identical to Resynthesizer.

[AlanP]

Thanks Alan. Please pardon my ignorance but why and where would I use this?

Cheers,

Mark

When you stitch a panorama in Photoshop the result is not a rectangle but an irregular shape with a blank outline. Before content aware fill the solution was to crop the blank area. If you have a panorama with an irregular shaped sky after stitching you would crop to the lowest point that would remove the blank area. With content aware fill you can add additional sky. If you have a panorama with trees on the side and grass on the bottom you can use content aware fill to create new trees and grass. If you don't like what content aware fill added you can content aware fill over the first try.

This works well for natural scenery. Content aware fill is smart enough to make things look believable most of the time. Sometimes you need to do some minor cloning. It works less well with man made scenery.

Whether or not we should let Photoshop make up additional content for our photographs is another question. I am just pointing out that it is now and option.

Alan