Panorama

[JakobP]

Hi guys.

I have said yes to an assignment were I have to make a very large panoramic print (2,5 meters x 20 meters). The thing is that I have considered very many ways in which I could do it, but what would you suggest? I would like the print to be of very nice quality, well exposed, fine grained and so on. My own best suggestion is to take multiple pictures and "stitch" them together in photoshop - but again: What would you guys suggest?

Thank you in advance :-)

[Myxine]

Hi Jakob,

I've never tried such a big print, but i own a Fuji G617 panorama, and i think that with the highest resolution drum scan, you should be able to print that big. I guess the print is supposed to be seen form a distance?

[Vaughn]

Subject matter?

Degree of view? (that is, 180 degrees, etc)

That would be about 1.25" x 10" section of an 8x10 negative, if you wanted to do it in a single image. Otherwise, sort of that gigapan sort of stuff. A lot depends if it is a static scene or not.

[JakobP]

Yeah it is suppose to be seen from a distance, but still the quality has to be nice :)

The subject is landscape, nature - a picture with nothing that moves. I would like to make a picture that does not have a degree of view - in other words, I have thought of taking one picture, moving the camera, taking one more and so on and so on. But I don't know if its a stupid idea - what do you think?

[Vaughn]

I have done panoramas that way, though of course one can not stitch such images seamlessly. I have printed them as separate images with a small separation between the images.

Nature scenes -- there can be lots of moving stuff (clouds, waves, water, etc). But anyway -- sounds like a terrific opportunity! have a lot of fun with it!

vaughn

[Jim Noel]

I think there are only two choices.
1. A 6x17 cm camera with color negative film - easiest to obtain
2. A 7x17" camera with color negative film - possible to obtain, but not easily
An image from a single negative is going to be better than a stitched one.

[Thad Gerheim]

I've done a few panoramas by stitching and I'd say they were successful. I've stitched as many as six 4x5s and printed up to twelve feet long, they looked reasonably good. Autopano Pro is the software I used and there have only been a few places where I had to go in an clean up some disconnected spots. I've heard that some people have made some really large ones from a betterlight scanning back.
I'll post one I did, but with the size restrictions here, you can't see much.69603

[sully75]

Unless you were going to do this with a LF panorama camera (something like a 8x20 or whatever) I'd be all over this with a DSLR. That's just me but your chances of success are a lot higher, and the costs of failure are something you can get around...

[alexn]

6x17 can easily print that big given you're not going to be standing within 10ft of the print..

The most difficult aspect of this in my opinion will be printing and mounting an image that size..

If it were possible to get a 7x17 and some mythical 7x17 colour film, You'd be set... I don't think there would be a real limit to print sizes from a drum scanned 7x17...

If you believe that you'll need more resolution than 6x17 and still require colour, a 4x10 would probably suffice, and if need be, just use shift to take two overlaping frames and stitch them to get the aspect ratio you require...

[Lachlan 717]

The is a guy in Australia about to do 8x20" colour neg work.

You can get the film, but it'll cost you, and you'll receive a LOT of film!!

[adam satushek]

If it was me....id stitch 8x10 drum scanned negatives together. I've done quite a few of these with 4x5 to make 42 x 80 inch prints, (could print them larger, but that's the max of the printer). If you have a lens with enough coverage and plenty of shift its nice to just shift, but honestly I have just rotated the whole camera with great results it just takes more work in photoshop. I like to use the photo stitch function in photoshop set to stitch and blend (without warping) as a starting point, then touch up the layer masks and warp myself if necessary. Much easier to do this with natural forms where you can fudge some information, but I have done it with buildings and other man made structures as well.

Good luck!

[Leszek Vogt]

Part of this trick is that the processing has to be quite accurate (all the film files have to be processed as one batch) to stitch together really well. The film should be from the same batch, as well. The print will cost lots of cash, but you probably already know that. If it's a scenery, you can use somewhat of a telephoto in vertical orientation....allowing 15-20% for stitching. I used PS 8 and it worked really well for me (in digital), though Pgui (sp) software would likely be better. Unless film is a must in this case, as an alternative you could rent a MF digital camera set the WB properly...all in manual...on a pano head....and you could totally bypass the film processing and drum scanning. It's not hard, I did it handheld....though I wouldn't suggest doing that with LF camera. Good luck.

Les

[adam satushek]

If you are bringing it into photoshop, you can adjust each layer (negative) individually to get them to match perfectly even if your development or scans are different.

Or you could just get one of theses....http://www.photokina-show.com/0382/seitz/digitalcameras/digitalcamera/

[Drew Bedo]

This has been done before by taking multiple overlapping shots, then scanning and stiching to achieve a high quality panorama.

[timparkin]

I've made a few big pictures using a variety of techniques.

Firstly I've made side by side 4x5's using rear shift on my Ebony 45SU (110SSXL)

http://www.onlandscape.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sutton-larch-pano-nigel2.jpg

and I've also made rotational panoramas - the following is three 4x5's stitched in PTGUI - layers exported to photoshop and then tweaked the joins (110SSXL)

http://static.timparkin.co.uk/static/tmp/glencoe.jpg

detail here

http://static.timparkin.co.uk/static/tmp/glencoe-zoom.jpg

And here's an 8x10 using a 4x10 darkslide (110SSXL - I like that lens!)

http://www.onlandscape.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/810-wide-pano-1000.jpg

and I also made a side by side 8x10 which I don't have access to at the minute.

With my experience, I would say that it really depends on your view - If you have foreground then I would recommend doing rear shift or get it in one on 8x10. Otherwise rotational stitching works fine, especially if you need to get a large angular view.

To be honest though - 6x17 does a bloody good job as people have said, especially if you get it scanned with a good drum scanner (especially if you can get an 8000dpi scan from a proper hires scanner with 3 micron aperture) - be a damn site easier too.. (Of course you would need to stich these together too.. )

However, it won't beat 8 side by side 4x5s!

Tim