A program that allows you to create full-fledged 360-degree panoramic images based on a series of ordinary photographs. There is the possibility of automatic detection of focal length, correction of perspective distortion, automatic correction of lens distortion, automatic stitching of photos into huge panoramic images, creating a smooth transition from one picture to another.

Has an easy to use user interface. The package includes excellent tools for perfecting and combining images in automatic mode. offer tools for automatic alignment, enhancement and gluing of images, creating panoramas of a spherical shape. The adaptive image alignment technique ensures that there are no visible seams, even if there are moving objects in the frame. The listed functions allow you to create virtual tours in the form of applications Java or Flash, as well as mark active points on images. The user will be able to save the results of his work in the form of a screensaver, as well as print them as a poster or a multi-page document. The built-in database contains information about six hundred models of modern digital cameras, including common compact cameras and SLR cameras.

Program features:

Seamless gluing of a series of images into a flat or 360-degree panorama
Seamless pasting of multi-level images
Support creating 360×180 degree spherical panoramas
Automatic alignment and blending of a series of images
Fully 16-bit working environment for 16-bit images
Detection of more than 1200 digital cameras by EXIF ​​information
Automatic vignetting correction
Adjusting the exposure of imported images
Automatic panorama exposure compensation
Manual adjustment of all post-processing steps when creating a panorama
Checkpoint editor
Export to interactive Java and Flash panoramas
Export panorama as a screen saver or executable file
Save to a variety of graphic files, including JPG, TIFF, PSD, BMP, PNG, PCX, RAS, and TGA
Import images in JPG, TIFF, PSD, BMP, PNG, PCX, RAS, IFF and TGA formats
Import of existing panoramic images for further processing
Import about 300 RAW formats including DNG, CRW, NEF, CR2, RAW, MRW, DCR, ORF, ARW, PEF, etc.
Poster printing function
Support for cylindrical, spherical and perspective panorama design
Hotspot editing for Java and Flash panoramas to create virtual tours
Using filters for the created panorama (clarity, color balance, brightness and contrast, etc.)
Export individual panorama images as layered PSD file or multipage TIFF file

Originally posted by sanmai at How to take a panoramic photo. Step-by-step instruction! Simple, easy, fast.

Every amateur photographer must have wondered at some point: how to make one panorama photo from several shots? What is needed for this? Is it difficult? Read on for step-by-step instructions to help you panoramic photo (panorama) without tripod and without much difficulty.

Today I will tell you how to do it easily and simply.

Making a panorama is not easy, but very simple! Step-by-step instruction. Modern programs allow you to make a panorama from pictures taken with any camera, as long as the frames overlap each other. So that you have no doubts about the ability of your camera to take pictures suitable for making a panorama, for this photography lesson I took a phone camera.

I invite you to repeat all the steps of this instruction with me, using these photos that you can

• download from the link in the archive from my dropbox,

If you use your own shots, make sure that there is at least a quarter of the total space between shots, and it is better that the horizon does not "run away" between frames. In fact, a smaller overlay may suffice, but the best, as you know, is the enemy of the good, therefore it is better not to overdo it with overlapping.

To assemble the panorama, we will use the latest version of Hugin. At the time of this tutorial, the latest version is 2011.4.0. Hugin is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. All instructions below are suitable for the version for any OS.

Installing Hugin is easy, just download the installation package and follow the installer's instructions.

When opened, Hugin automatically creates a new project. Select photos for the panorama by clicking the appropriate button.

You can add all the photos at once in one fell swoop.

Hugin defines the properties of the lens itself.

Click "Combine ..." and let's go to drink tea, especially if you do not have the most modern computer or a lot of high-resolution pictures.

As soon as Hugin merges the images, a panorama preview window will open.

For a better view of the result, turn off the grid by unchecking the box at the top of the window.

The panorama preview has several tabs with settings, some of which are of no interest to us at all due to the fact that Hugin has already done the main work on combining images, and the other part of the tabs can still be useful to us.

On the "Projection" tab, we have the ability to change the way images are projected and some other settings. For example, you can see what a panorama would look like if it was shot with a fisheye lens:

However, today our goal is not special effects, but a finished panorama, so we will choose an equidistant projection mode.

On the "Moving on the projection plane" tab, we have the opportunity to align the horizon on all frames, if suddenly it did not align automatically. We can also bend the horizon for more effect:

To return the horizon to its original, even state, press the "Align" button:

On the next Crop tab, click the Auto Crop button to automatically crop the black edges of the panorama.

If the result of automatic cropping did not suit you, you can drag the inner edge of the frame and crop it as you need, for example, if we plan to finish painting the sky and black fields do not bother us.

Close the preview window and click "Create Panorama..."

And then he will offer to come up with a file name for the finished panorama:

We stock up on patience, tea, coffee, jam, cookies, etc., for 5 minutes :-)

Find the resulting panorama file:

We look with any suitable viewer.

For publishing, it is best to convert the panorama to JPEG. This can be done in any graphics editor or in popular viewers.

The result is scaled up to 8209 x 1693.

No need to think that only Photoshop can create panoramas. By the way, I described how to make a panorama using Photoshop in my review ().

There are a number of free programs that can do this job just fine. And the best part is, you absolutely do not have to pay for them. Some of them do not even require installation on a computer.

Over the years of photography (over 10 years), I have tried many and decided to collect my own small personal rating of free programs for creating panoramas. So, let's begin!

Rating of free programs for creating panoramas

4th place - Canon Ptoho Stitch program

The old, good and free program that comes with Canon cameras. The interface of the program is old, but it performs its functions.

How to make a panorama with Canon Photo Stitch?

Step 1- run the program

Step 2- select the photos from which the panorama will be created.

Step 3- start combining photos into one large panorama frame.

At the same time, you can turn on the option to display the seams along which the photos are combined.

Step 4- Choose panorama generation settings (the program offers a choice of possible options)

Step 5- crop the edges of the panorama and save to a file.

The result of the work Canon Photo Stitch - collected separate panorama with cropped edges. Very good, but had a lot of manual work!

3rd place - Hugin program

A free program by a large team of authors with great but confusing functionality. Too complicated for a beginner in my opinion. Of the benefits - there is support for the Russian language in the interface.

How to make a panorama with Hugin?

Step 1- run the program. When opening, there is a set of tips for a beginner - a small bonus from the developers.

Step 2- Set the settings for creating a panorama using Hugin - the folder for saving, the name of the files, etc. There are many settings, so hold on 🙂

Step 3- Upload photos to create a panorama.

Step 4- Choose the type of lens and look at the aligned pictures.

Step 5- We select the settings for creating a panorama before generating the resulting photo.

We keep the panorama ... ..

As a result, we get such a processed panoramic photo using the free Hugin program.

2nd place - MS Image Composite Editor

Yes, yes, you heard right - the letters MS - means that this program was made by Microsoft. And, for free! 🙂

Cons - there is no Russian interface, but the program is so simple that you don’t need to read much here.

How to make a panorama using MS Image Composite Editor?

Step 1- open the program and go to the settings section - the upper right part of the window - see the gear.

Step 2- select a photo to create a panorama. The button in the top header is "New Panorama from Images"

You have completed step 1 - you have done the import of a photo for a panorama.

Step 3- reduction of photos into one picture - "Stitch"

After you get the panorama, you can enlarge it for viewing using the sliders.

Step 4- If you need to crop the photo - go to the "Crop" button.

For cropping, handles are used, exactly the same as in Photoshop for this command.

If everything suits you, save it.

As a result, you get a finished processed panorama using the MS Image Composite Editor program.

1st place - AutoStitch program

My favorite free panorama software!

What does she captivate?

• no need to install on a PC, just open the archive and work
• minimum settings for creating a panorama
• small program size
• smart frame detection

How to make a panorama with AutoStitch?

Step 1- run the program and go to the settings

Step 2- Open photos and add them to the program

ALL…. I repeat….. THIS IS ALL! 🙂

the program will do the rest.

The result of the program will be a collected panorama from the files that you have added.

If you are still not satisfied with this functionality, you can make panoramas using Photoshop CS ().

Additional information on free panorama creation software:

• AutoStitch- Website address - http://matthewalunbrown.com/autostitch/autostitch.html
• MS Image Composite Editor - Website address - http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/ice/
• Hugin- Website address -
• Canon Ptoho Stitch- Website address - http://support-au.canon.com.au/contents/AU/EN/0200246607.html (select the Download checkbox to see the download link)

Video review of free programs for creating panoramas (Rating)

Virtual photo panoramas, like panoramic shots, allow you to show the objects of shooting in all their beauty and scale and differ from panoramic photos in interactive viewing. In practice, this means that when viewing a virtual panorama, the user sees only that part of the image that interests him at a particular moment. If desired, he can look around, look up and down, as well as zoom in or out individual details of the image - that is, examine in detail any part of the panorama being shown. While looking at a photo, the viewer cannot control the viewing process and sees only what is shown to him. In other words, virtual panoramas make it possible to practically "live" acquaint the viewer with the surroundings: the layout of a house or apartment, the interior of a car, various interior design options, the interior of a hotel or restaurant, etc.

Therefore, it is not at all surprising that today virtual panoramas (as well as virtual tours) can be increasingly found on the websites of those companies for which the appearance of the premises and interiors is an important part of the business (real estate agencies, travel companies, hotels, restaurants, salons, etc.) . For example, in real estate companies, sets of virtual panoramas (internal views of the living room, kitchen and bedroom, external views of the house, driveways, outbuildings, etc.) are widely used to visualize information about houses and apartments for sale. Series of virtual panoramas are often combined into virtual tours, in which the transition from one panorama to another is carried out through active zones placed directly on the images. Such tours allow you to make real virtual journeys, sequentially moving between panoramas.

Today, virtual panoramas are most often created using Flash and QuickTime VR (QTVR) technologies - that is, they are SWF or MOV files that are viewed directly in an Internet browser using Flash or QuickTime players connected to the browser, respectively.

Viewing a virtual panorama in an Internet browser

Virtual panoramas are usually created from circular or spherical panoramic images. When viewing virtual circular panoramas, you can perform a full turn in the horizontal plane in any selected direction, and when viewing spherical panoramas, you can additionally move the image up and down. At the same time, it is possible to create virtual panoramas based on other projections (cylindrical, cubic, etc.), although the possibilities for viewing such virtual panoramas will be more limited: in particular, cylindrical virtual panoramas are viewed by smoothly moving them to the left or right.

About the technology of creating virtual panoramas

Photo panoramas are usually created from several specially prepared overlapping photographs using special programs that "stitch" the images into a single panorama, removing the invariably occurring distortions. In order for such stitching to be possible, a number of important rules should be followed:

1. The camera must have an exposure lock function - that is, a manual mode for setting shutter speed and aperture, or an auto exposure cancel mode (the latter applies only to digital cameras). In addition, for digital cameras, a manual white balance setting is required.
2. To obtain a high-quality panorama when shooting, it is advisable to use a tripod with a panoramic head - it is needed in order to fix the camera in such a way that the axis of rotation passes through the nodal point (the point inside the camera lens where the light rays going to the film or matrix intersect). This is very important, because when the camera rotates around the nodal point, there is no parallax of objects.
3. You need to shoot each subsequent frame of the set so that it overlaps the previous one by about 30%, and the linear and angular position of the horizon line remains unchanged throughout the set (that is, the camera must be aligned using “levels”). In addition, it is better to place the seams on non-critical (quite plain) places.
4. When shooting, it is necessary to monitor the lighting and even distribution of light over all the pictures of the set, otherwise it may turn out that one of the pictures will be dark, and the rest - light. To avoid this, it is wiser to choose a point for shooting at which the light source would be on one of the "seams" of the future image.
5. You should shoot with the maximum possible depth of field (sharpening must be done manually) and in a single mode - that is, with the same exposure and the same white balance (do not use auto mode!).

Since you can never be sure when shooting the source material that the stitching result will be perfect, it is better to take several sets of shots for one panoramic photo in advance - it is possible that a slightly changed angle of view in one of these sets will be better.

It is desirable to shoot in RAW format - this provides additional opportunities for processing each frame, such as changing the exposure.

In addition, external conditions should also be taken into account. Here you need to pay attention to two points: a change in illumination and the presence in the frame of moving (clouds, waves, people, cars) or objects swaying from the wind (tree branches). In the first case, if you do not have time to take the entire set of pictures before the nature of the illumination changes (for example, the sun will be covered by clouds), then you should not start shooting at all - such source pictures simply cannot be stitched into a panorama. In the second case, when photographs are combined with similar objects, artifacts appear (the so-called phantoms or ghost objects), which can be (although not always) eliminated only by painstaking and very time-consuming retouching. Therefore, in such cases, it is often better to postpone shooting until a more favorable moment.

Stitching images into virtual panoramas is carried out in special stitching programs, which, as a rule, can stitch in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode. Auto stitching is fine if the camera didn't have a front tilt and the side tilt was the same for all shots (i.e. a tripod was used and the camera was carefully leveled). When shooting from a tripod, but with unknown camera tilt angles, semi-automatic stitching is recommended, in which you will additionally need to specify stitching points on one or more pairs of images. If the camera angles are different for all shots (which is always the case when shooting without a tripod), an acceptable result can only be obtained with manual stitching.

The stitching technology in all programs is approximately the same. First you need to load the original set of images and set the order of their placement. In some programs, you can immediately carry out the necessary image correction (of course, it is much better if the image correction is done in advance in more suitable programs for this purpose, for example, in Photoshop). Then the images are converted to a certain projection, for example, spherical - this is necessary, since only in this form can images be stitched.

Then the resulting images are joined to each other - automatically or manually by setting control points for each of the pairs of adjacent images. The latter is very time-consuming, but often allows for stitching far from ideal images. Obviously, the quality of image alignment directly depends on the accuracy of setting control points. Finally, in the final step, adjacent images are blended to equalize their brightness, contrast, and hue.

The result of all these actions will be obtaining a photo panorama. To turn it into a virtual panorama, you need to convert the panorama to the appropriate format, and to demonstrate a virtual panorama on the Internet, you will need to manually embed it into the file of an existing web page (basic knowledge of HTML is enough) or generate a template web page (similar functionality is available in a number of solutions discussed in the article). ).

Applications for preparing and converting photo panoramas

There are quite a few programs on the market, some of them allow you to save finished images as virtual panoramas and even provide the generation of appropriate HTML codes that make it possible to embed virtual panoramas into web pages with minimal effort. Other programs do not provide such functionality, which, however, is not critical, since there are converters that allow you to perform such conversions.

We'll look at PTGui, Autopano, The Panorama Factory, and PanaVue ImageAssembler as examples of crosslinkers. The most impressive of them are the first two programs, which allow achieving high-quality results of gluing pictures into a photo panorama even in difficult cases. As for obtaining virtual panoramas, theoretically all four programs can be used to solve this problem, but it is much more convenient to use a converter, among which the Pano2VR program is of the greatest interest.

PTGui 8.2.1

Developer: New House Internet Services B.V.

Distribution size: depending on the version from 5.6 to 9.8 MB

Work under control: Windows (all versions), Mac OS X

Distribution method: shareware (30-day feature-limited demo that adds a watermark to images - http://www.ptgui.com/download.html)

Price: 79 euro

PTGui provides the creation of cylindrical, flat and spherical panoramas - both single-row and multi-row, and based on any number of images. The program is presented in two versions - PTGui and PTGui Pro. The PTGui Pro version additionally can create HDR panoramas.

Setting panorama options in PTGui

Stitching is carried out under the control of the wizard in normal or advanced mode, and the program determines the parameters of the lens itself. The advanced mode provides full control over the stitching parameters: you can crop, manually set a variety of parameters of the source images (rotate, tilt, adjust the exposure, etc.), set control points, etc. The original shots can be taken without carefully leveling the camera with levels (for example, being tilted or taken at a slightly different angle), since the program is able to correct such defects. In addition, the program can correct distortion and perspective distortion and allows you to adjust the position of the horizon line. And in the settings of the panorama itself, you can also specify which module (built into PTGui or one of the external plugins, including the Smartblend plugin, which is best at fighting phantom elements) will be used to blend images.

Finished panoramic images are saved in JPEG, TIFF or PSD formats or exported as virtual panoramas in MOV format. In the case of creating a virtual panorama, functionality is provided for determining the size of the viewing area and image quality, as well as setting restrictions on viewing angles along the horizon, tilts and viewing angles.

Autopano 2.0

Developer: Kolor

Distribution size: depends on OS and version (Windows versions - from 12.5 to 17.3 MB)

Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; Mac OS 10.4/10.5; Linux kernel 2.6 or superior

Distribution method: shareware (a functionally limited demo that adds a watermark to images, does not allow saving projects and restricts export to PanoTools - http://www.autopano.net/en/buy-autopano/download.html)

Price: Autopano Pro - 99 euros, Autopano Giga - 199 euros

Autopano provides the creation of cylindrical, flat and spherical panoramas (including multi-row) from an unlimited number of images. The program is presented in two versions: the basic Autopano Pro and the extended Autopano Giga, the latter additionally allows you to create gigapixel panoramas from hundreds or even thousands of photos, has advanced HDR support and can export panoramas to Flash format.

Assembling a panorama in Autopano Giga

Merging panoramas in Autopano is performed in a fully automatic mode: the program independently extracts photos from the specified folder that are part of the panorama, ignoring unnecessary shots, determines the lens parameters and stitches the images by placing control points. In this case, the original images can be cropped and color corrected (exposure change, white balance adjustment, etc.). Optics distortion is corrected automatically, and image blending is performed using the module previously specified in the settings, the list of which also includes the Smartblend plugin. If necessary, the position of automatically set control points can be easily corrected, as well as adding new control points or deleting unnecessary ones (there is also a function for automatically detecting and deleting "bad" control points). The assembled panorama can be rotated, cropped, its projection and center position can be changed, the horizon, color can be corrected (HDR color correction is possible), etc.

Finished panoramic images are saved in PSD, JPG, PNG, TIFF, HDR or EXR formats, export to Flash format is possible (no virtual panorama design settings are provided). Implemented export of Autopano projects to PanoTools, as well as import from PanoTools to Autopano, which allows you to use the capabilities of these two solutions at the same time: the first, for example, is useful for obtaining more precise optimization in complex cases.

The Panorama Factory 5.3

Developer: Smokey City Design LLC

Distribution size: depending on the version from 8.05 to 15.5 MB

Work under control: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7 and Mac OS X 10.3.9/10.4/10.5/10.6

Distribution method: http://www.panoramafactory.com/download.html)

Price:$79.95

The Panorama Factory program is used for stitching images into single-row flat and circular panoramas, as well as for stitching documents. Stitching is performed fully automatically or in semi-automatic or manual mode. In automatic mode, images are correctly stitched together with a small (but identical) tilt of the camera, in semi-automatic mode, the device can be tilted in a vertical plane, with more serious errors, you will have to turn to manual mode. By default, the creation of panoramas occurs step by step - under the guidance of a wizard, however, it is easy to switch to the classic mode of operation, when all operations will have to be performed independently through the menu. The program can determine the focal length, allows you to correct the original images (they can be rotated and cropped) and can eliminate barrel distortion, adjust the exposure, increase brightness and sharpness during the stitching process. And the image blending adjustment implemented in it allows you to deal with phantom elements.

The process of manually stitching a panorama in The Panorama Factory

Created panoramic images are saved as single-layer or multi-layer bitmaps (BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG and PSD) or converted into virtual panoramas in QTVR, IVR and PTViewer formats. The generation of an HTML file associated with the virtual panorama is provided. You can adjust the vertical and horizontal field of view of the saved panorama image, and if it is turned into a virtual panorama, you can also determine the image quality, field of view size and rotation speed during automatic viewing.

PanaVue ImageAssembler 3.5

Developer: PanaVue

Distribution size: 6.8 MB

Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista

Distribution method: shareware (functionally limited demo that adds a watermark to images - http://www.panavue.com/en/downloads/pia/trial.htm)

Price: Standard Edition - $64, Professional Edition - $129

PanaVue ImageAssembler allows you to stitch circular and flat single-row and multi-row panoramas. The program is presented in two editions - basic Standard Edition and extended Professional Edition. The advanced version has improved retouching capabilities and allows you to stitch huge images (up to 100,000x100,000 pixels).

Creating a panorama in PanaVue ImageAssembler

The main stitching mode in PanaVue ImageAssembler is automatic, but it is also possible to take into account manually placed breakpoints. The program independently determines the parameters of the lens (focal length and tilt angle of the camera), allows you to correct the original images (rotation, sharpening and blurring are allowed), change the type of projection and is able to correct geometric distortions during blending and straighten skewed images. In addition, you can adjust the degree of blending of images, and at the end of it, crop the resulting panoramic image.

Ready-made panoramas are saved in all popular graphic formats, including JPG, TIF, BMP, PNG and PSD (the latter only in Professional Edition) or exported to virtual panoramas in QTVR and PTViewer formats. For the saved virtual panorama, you can set the desired size of the viewport and, if necessary, limit the allowable viewing angles, as well as determine the image quality.

Pano2VR 2.2.3

Developer: Garden Gnome Software

Distribution size: 10.8 MB

Work under control: Windows (all versions), Mac OS X and Linux

Distribution method: shareware (demo with watermark - http://gardengnomesoftware.com/pano2vr_download.php)

Price: personal license - 59 euros, corporate license - 149 euros

Pano2VR is a handy tool for converting finished panoramas to Quicktime VR (QTVR) or Macromedia Flash 8/9/10 format with simultaneous generation of associated HTML files. Panoramas in JPEG, PNG or TIFF formats (Cylindrical, Equirectangular, Cube Faces, etc. projections are supported) or virtual QTVR panoramas can be used as source panoramas. In addition, the program has the ability to transform panoramic images into a sphere, a mirror ball, a cylinder, a horizontal cross, etc. It is possible to add active zones to the virtual panorama to go to specific web pages, for example, with other panoramas, which allows you to get simplified virtual tours.

Convert panorama to Flash format in Pano2VR

For a virtual panorama, you can limit viewing angles along the horizon, tilts, and allowable viewing angles. The number of segments involved, the size of the view window, the quality of visualization, etc. are also regulated, it is allowed to enable / disable autoplay. In the case of a Flash panorama, it is additionally possible to select a design template, which, if necessary, can be easily edited and saved for further use. It is possible to generate an HTML file associated with a virtual panorama, and when creating QTVR panoramas in the HTML file settings, you can determine whether you need to use the DevalVR plugin for viewing.

For Windows users, the developer's site also offers the Pano2QTVR 1.6 utility (http://gardengnomesoftware.com/pano2qtvr.php ; 2.8 MB), on the basis of which the Pano2VR program was created. At the moment, this utility is no longer being developed, but it can still be useful, since it provides conversion of panoramas to Quicktime VR (QTVR) and Macromedia Flash 8 formats and is offered at a more affordable price, although it is less convenient to use. The utility is presented in two versions: free basic Pano2QTVR and extended paid Pano2QTVR Pro.

Panorama2 Flash 1.00

Developer: Easypano Holdings Inc.

Distribution size: 17 MB

Work under control: Windows Me/2K/XP; Mac OS X 10.4 and above

Distribution method: shareware (demo version that adds a watermark to images - http://www.easypano.com/download-panorama2flash.html)

Price:$49.95

Panorama2Flash is a simple utility for converting ready-made spherical and cylindrical panoramas into interactive panoramas in Flash format while generating associated HTML files.

Generation of a virtual Flash panorama in Panorama2Flash

Panoramas in JPG, PNG, TGA, TIF and BMP formats can be used as initial panoramas, and for a virtual panorama it is possible to determine the size of the viewing area and image quality, select images for the "floor" and "ceiling", set restrictions on viewing angles along the horizon , tilts and allowable viewing angles, etc.

Aleo Flash Pan Zoom Viewer 1.1

Developer: Aleo Software Inc.

Distribution size: 1.89 MB

Work under control: Windows 98/98SE/Me/NT4.0/2000/2003/XP/Vista

Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo that adds a watermark to images - http://www.aleosoft.com/download/flashpanzoom.zip)

Price: personal license - $29.95; commercial license - $49.95

Aleo Flash Pan Zoom Viewer is a compact and simple utility for converting ready-made JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP photo panoramas into interactive Flash panoramas with simultaneous HTML code generation.

Convert panorama to Flash format in Aleo Flash Pan Zoom Viewer

Viewing parameters (size and style of the overview window, control panel, navigation features) of generated virtual panoramas are fully customizable.