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How to Make Stunning Panoramic Landscape Images
How to Make Stunning Panoramic Landscape Images
by Keenan Hursh
When it comes to capturing a wide-open scene in all its detail, one of the best and most popular approaches is to create a panorama. A panoramic photo captures a wide, sweeping view that extends far beyond the typical aspect ratio or field of view in a standard photograph. These breathtaking images can showcase expansive landscapes, city skylines, or really any scene that demands a wider perspective.
But how can you create a panorama with your camera and computer? What are the necessary steps involved? In this in-depth guide, we will explore the process of creating stunning panoramic landscape photos by combining multiple images together into one cohesive composition. From capturing the photographs on your camera to stitching them together with software on your computer we’ll cover all the basics and show you how to make stunning panoramic landscape images.
It's also worth noting that BCJ guide Russell Graves put together an excellent video on creating panoramic images that covers all this information. Definitely give that a watch! Alright, without further ado, Let’s get into it!
But how can you create a panorama with your camera and computer? What are the necessary steps involved? In this in-depth guide, we will explore the process of creating stunning panoramic landscape photos by combining multiple images together into one cohesive composition. From capturing the photographs on your camera to stitching them together with software on your computer we’ll cover all the basics and show you how to make stunning panoramic landscape images.
It's also worth noting that BCJ guide Russell Graves put together an excellent video on creating panoramic images that covers all this information. Definitely give that a watch! Alright, without further ado, Let’s get into it!
What is a Panoramic Image?
Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is a Panorama? You can easily make one on any smartphone by panning or rotating it but what is actually happening behind the scenes?
A panoramic image is essentially an elongated image, made by combining multiple photographs together, that covers a wider field of view than a traditional photo. By keeping your camera level and capturing multiple photos that slightly overlap while rotating it you can then combine those images into one super wide, high-resolution composition. This is exactly what is happening when you capture a panorama on your smartphone but in that case, your phone seamlessly combines the images together automatically. With DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, you’ll have to do this part yourself after taking the photos.
I often shoot panoramas when I want to capture a very high-resolution image, expand my field of view, or create an image with a very elongated aspect ratio.
Panoramas allow photographers to capture and convey the grandeur of vast landscapes, seascapes, or urban cityscapes in a single frame. The allure of panoramic photography lies in its ability to encapsulate the feeling of being immersed in the scene, drawing viewers into a breathtaking world they can explore without limitations. Panoramas are a beautiful form of photography that I believe every photographer should at least try out.
Now that we’ve established what a panoramic image is, let’s discuss the steps you’ll need to take to create one
Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is a Panorama? You can easily make one on any smartphone by panning or rotating it but what is actually happening behind the scenes?
A panoramic image is essentially an elongated image, made by combining multiple photographs together, that covers a wider field of view than a traditional photo. By keeping your camera level and capturing multiple photos that slightly overlap while rotating it you can then combine those images into one super wide, high-resolution composition. This is exactly what is happening when you capture a panorama on your smartphone but in that case, your phone seamlessly combines the images together automatically. With DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, you’ll have to do this part yourself after taking the photos.
I often shoot panoramas when I want to capture a very high-resolution image, expand my field of view, or create an image with a very elongated aspect ratio.
Panoramas allow photographers to capture and convey the grandeur of vast landscapes, seascapes, or urban cityscapes in a single frame. The allure of panoramic photography lies in its ability to encapsulate the feeling of being immersed in the scene, drawing viewers into a breathtaking world they can explore without limitations. Panoramas are a beautiful form of photography that I believe every photographer should at least try out.
Now that we’ve established what a panoramic image is, let’s discuss the steps you’ll need to take to create one
Capturing the Photographs
In order to create a panoramic image, the first step is, of course, capturing a series of images that you will later combine. This may sound straightforward, and for the most part, it is, but there are a few key factors to take into consideration.
To start out you’ll want to capture a series of images that encompass the scene you’re photographing. Let’s say you want to create an image of a mountain sunset that stretches from one end of the sky to the other. This is the perfect opportunity for a panorama as you’re trying to capture a very wide field of view. To achieve this, you would aim your camera at one end of the scene and capture the first image in the sequence. You would then slowly rotate or pan your camera across the entire scene while capturing images throughout.
These images will need to overlap, ideally by about 20-30% of the frame, so that the software will know how to stitch them together. Your camera will also have to be in manual mode so that the settings don’t change as your panning across your scene. If the exposure changes between images they won’t look good when you go to stitch them together. Another very useful tool is a tripod, which will allow you to keep your camera level throughout the series of images and will make the process of combining them much easier and cleaner. You can shoot panoramas handheld, but you might have to distort or crop the final image to end up with clean edges.
And that’s really all there is to it. Of course, it’s always a good idea to review your images once you’ve captured them to make sure everything looks good and that there are no gaps. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to take them over to the computer and stitch them together.
In order to create a panoramic image, the first step is, of course, capturing a series of images that you will later combine. This may sound straightforward, and for the most part, it is, but there are a few key factors to take into consideration.
To start out you’ll want to capture a series of images that encompass the scene you’re photographing. Let’s say you want to create an image of a mountain sunset that stretches from one end of the sky to the other. This is the perfect opportunity for a panorama as you’re trying to capture a very wide field of view. To achieve this, you would aim your camera at one end of the scene and capture the first image in the sequence. You would then slowly rotate or pan your camera across the entire scene while capturing images throughout.
These images will need to overlap, ideally by about 20-30% of the frame, so that the software will know how to stitch them together. Your camera will also have to be in manual mode so that the settings don’t change as your panning across your scene. If the exposure changes between images they won’t look good when you go to stitch them together. Another very useful tool is a tripod, which will allow you to keep your camera level throughout the series of images and will make the process of combining them much easier and cleaner. You can shoot panoramas handheld, but you might have to distort or crop the final image to end up with clean edges.
And that’s really all there is to it. Of course, it’s always a good idea to review your images once you’ve captured them to make sure everything looks good and that there are no gaps. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to take them over to the computer and stitch them together.
Stitching Your Images Together
So, now that you have a series of stunning images how exactly do you combine them? As it turns out there are many options but for today’s article, we’re going to focus on one of the easiest, most popular, and most widely used: Adobe Lightroom. This photo editing software seems to do just about everything you need it to and it’s a great tool for creating panoramic images as well.
So, now that you have a series of stunning images how exactly do you combine them? As it turns out there are many options but for today’s article, we’re going to focus on one of the easiest, most popular, and most widely used: Adobe Lightroom. This photo editing software seems to do just about everything you need it to and it’s a great tool for creating panoramic images as well.
To start you’ll import your selected images into Lightroom. Once imported, you should then choose one image in the sequence and edit it to your liking. Once you have edited an image select the “Copy” button in the bottom lefthand corner of your Lightroom window and copy all the preselected settings. You can then paste these settings to the other images in the sequence. You can do this by selecting all the images in the sequence and right-clicking on them. Then click “Develop Settings” and “Paste Settings” to apply the edit to all the images.
Now it’s time for the magic. Select all the images in your sequence and again right-click on them. You’ll then click “Photomerge” and “Panorama…” which will trigger a pop-up preview window to appear. This window will have several options to choose from. The first three buttons titled “Spherical, Cylindrical, and Perspective” determine how the software stitches the images together and how they are portrayed. You can click on each of these to see how their respective projections differ from one another.
The next option is a slider titled “Boundary Warp:” which will determine how much Lightroom will warp or distort the edges of your image to create a clean and straight border. If you slide the slider all the way to 100 the image will now fully fill the area and have straight edges and 90-degree corners, but you might notice some severe distortions in the image. You’ll have to decide what looks best as this is a personal preference. I like to distort my image as little as possible and ideally can crop the panorama to get nice clean edges. This isn’t always possible so you’ll have to decide what’s best for the given scenario.
Below the slider is a button titled “Fill Edges” which will attempt to fill the empty/white space around the edges by drawing information from the image. I almost never use this as the results usually don’t look great, especially if you’re attempting to fill a large area. But feel free to experiment with it yourself. If you’re just filling a tiny sliver on the edge, it may work great.
Below this are the “Auto Crop” and “Auto Settings” buttons. The crop option will automatically crop your image to get rid of empty space around the edges and the settings option will automatically change the settings of your image based on what Lightroom thinks looks the best. I rarely click either of these but they can be handy if you’re trying to save some time. And the last button titled “Create Stack” will simply stack both the new panoramic image and the original images together.
Once the preview looks good and you have the desired settings you can click the merge button at the bottom right-hand corner of the pop-up window and you now have a stitched together panoramic image. It’s worth noting that the new Panoramic image is now a DNG file instead of a RAW or JPEG file. This really isn’t a concern as this file type retains all the data and still allows you to edit as you normally would.
Below the slider is a button titled “Fill Edges” which will attempt to fill the empty/white space around the edges by drawing information from the image. I almost never use this as the results usually don’t look great, especially if you’re attempting to fill a large area. But feel free to experiment with it yourself. If you’re just filling a tiny sliver on the edge, it may work great.
Below this are the “Auto Crop” and “Auto Settings” buttons. The crop option will automatically crop your image to get rid of empty space around the edges and the settings option will automatically change the settings of your image based on what Lightroom thinks looks the best. I rarely click either of these but they can be handy if you’re trying to save some time. And the last button titled “Create Stack” will simply stack both the new panoramic image and the original images together.
Once the preview looks good and you have the desired settings you can click the merge button at the bottom right-hand corner of the pop-up window and you now have a stitched together panoramic image. It’s worth noting that the new Panoramic image is now a DNG file instead of a RAW or JPEG file. This really isn’t a concern as this file type retains all the data and still allows you to edit as you normally would.
And that’s it! You now have a panoramic image that is ready to go. I hope this article has been informative and has inspired some of you to get out there and create some panoramas of your own. I capture and create panoramas all the time and it’s a great skill to have in your arsenal.
And definitely watch this short video with Russell Graves covering this exact topic if you haven't already.
Until next time!
And definitely watch this short video with Russell Graves covering this exact topic if you haven't already.
Until next time!
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AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Keenan Hursh is a Photographer, visual designer, and creative story teller based out of Bozeman, Montana. He draws inspiration from his frequent excursions into the natural world and always brings his camera along to capture whatever adventures he finds himself in. Keenan is passionate about documenting and sharing fleeting moments from the natural world and focuses primarily on wildlife, landscape, and adventure photography.
When it comes to gear, he primarily shoots digital with his Canon EOS R5 and EOS 6D mark ii but also has several 35mm film cameras that get out every now and then.
At a very young age, Keenan started bringing a camera along on his excursions and immediately fell in love with the art of photography. He started out with his parent’s cheap point and shoot and has continuously improved his craft and gear refining his shooting style and producing more compelling and intriguing images.
Growing up in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, surrounded by mountains and wilderness, Keenan has developed a deep passion for many outdoor activities. When he’s not out on a shoot or using his camera, Keenan enjoys skiing, climbing, hiking, backpacking, cycling, whitewater rafting, and paragliding. If he’s outside, away from the distractions of society and civilization, he’s in his happy place.
Keenan studied Emergent Digital Practices at the University of Denver while minoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Since earning his degree in 2019 he was worked with a wide range of clients, companies, and organizations throughout his career. Apart from photography he specializes in content creation, writing, brand development, and graphic design.
You can view Keenan’s portfolio on his website at www.keenanhurshphoto.com
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
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Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.