Compose Panorama View Automatically in Photoshop

Merging images into a panorama view is a time consuming task, if you’ve been creating panorama views by manually stitching them together using the good old copy and paste technique, then it is time to pick up this ‘old’ technique in photoshop.

Its called Photomerge, all you need to do is select the images and hit the ‘ok’ button. An indepth step by step tutorial:

Step 01 – Command

Go to ‘File’, ‘Automate’, and then select ‘Photomerge’.

Step 02 – Selecting the source files

A new window will appear, choose the source file by selecting ‘Browse’, when you’re done, hit ‘Ok’. Please note that you need not rotate the original file, photoshop will automatically tilt it accordingly depending on the camera angle.

The default setting for Photoshop CS2 is ‘interactive layout’. In Photoshop CS3, the dialog box is slightly different, you have a variety of choices like ‘auto’, ‘perspective’, ‘cylindrical’, ‘reposition only’, and ‘interactive layout’. The image below is a screen shot of the dialog box in Photoshop CS3, note the difference in CS2 with the additional settings on the left.

Step 03 – Composing the image

Hit the ‘OK’ button when you’re done, a new window will pop out (default in Photoshop CS2, in Photoshop CS3 you’ve been given a variety of options) with the newly composed panorama view, its automatic. Relax, take a seat and make yourself a cup of coffee, while photoshop is busy composing the panorama view.

Satisfied with the overall composition? Crop it!

Note (Photoshop CS2)

Amendments are allowed after the image is fully composed, simply drag and drop or reposition the image. Photoshop will automatically merge the new image with the existing panorama.

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