Adobe Photoshop CS3 - Manual (Page 247)

PHOTOSHOP CS3
User Guide
240
Keep the camera level Although Photomerge can process slight rotations between pictures, a tilt of more than a few
degrees can result in errors when the panorama is assembled. Using a tripod with a rotating head helps maintain
camera alignment and viewpoint.
Stay in the same position Try not to change your position as you take a series of photographs, so that the pictures
are from the same viewpoint. Using the optical viewfinder with the camera held close to the eye helps keep the
viewpoint consistent. Or try using a tripod to keep the camera in the same place.
Avoid using distortion lenses Fish-eye and other distortion lenses can interfere with Photomerge.
Maintain the same exposure Avoid using the flash in some pictures and not in others. The advanced blending
feature in Photomerge helps smooth out different exposures, but extreme differences make alignment difficult. Some
digital cameras change exposure settings automatically as you take pictures, so you may need to check your camera
settings to be sure that all the images have the same exposure.
Create a Photomerge composition
When you set up a Photomerge composition, you identify your source files, and the panorama is automatically
assembled. After the panorama is assembled, you can fine-tune the placement of the individual photos, if necessary.
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose File > Automate > Photomerge.
• In Adobe® Bridge CS3, choose Tools > Photoshop > Photomerge from the Bridge menu bar. Skip to step 5.
Note: In Bridge, choosing the Photomerge command uses all images currently displayed in Bridge. If you only want
specific images used, select them before choosing the Photomerge command.
2 In the Photomerge dialog box, choose an option from the Use pop-up menu:
Files Generates the Photomerge composition using individual files.
Folders Uses all the images stored in a folder to create the Photomerge composition. The files in the folder appear
in the dialog box.
Or, click Add Open Files to use images you have open in Photoshop as your source files for the Photomerge.
3 Click the Browse button to navigate to the source files or folder you want to use to create the Photomerge compo-
sition.
You can add more files by clicking the Browse button again and navigating to the source files. You can always remove
a file from the Source Files list by selecting the file and clicking the Remove button.
4 Choose a Layout option.
Auto Photoshop analyzes the source images and applies either a Perspective or Cylindrical layout, depending on
which produces a better photomerge.
Perspective Creates a consistent composition by designating one of the source images (by default, the middle image)
as the reference image. The other images are then transformed (repositioned, stretched or skewed as necessary) so
that overlapping content across layers is matched.
Cylindrical Reduces the “bow-tie” distortion that can occur with the Perspective layout by displaying individual
images as on an unfolded cylinder. Overlapping content across layers is still matched. The reference image is placed
at the center. Best suited for creating wide panoramas.