# Can Images be Aligned Manually to Form a Panoramic in Photoshop



## bluenoser1993 (Feb 12, 2016)

Hi, I'm trialling Lr and Ps and so far I'm impressed. In making a 14 image pano from a beach looking out to two points of land there is a gap at about centre with an image containing no land, only horizon and clouds to align with. Ps won't join the image at this point and I end up with two panos. I've worked with this in PTGUI and managed to work with it manually, I can't find a way to do it manually in Ps, is there a way? I really hope so, I can't believe how much better the resolution is in the Ps merge over the PTGUI. It isn't even close. This will save the picture of a location that I won't likely ever visit again.


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## unfocused (Feb 12, 2016)

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking.

Here are a couple of ideas. 

If it is just a matter of aligning the images take the two layers that have a gap and reduce the opacity of the top layer and manually slide it over until it aligns with the layer below and then slide the opacity back to 100 percent. If it isn't perfect you can copy the two layers and merge only them and then use some of the tools (healing brushes, clone stamp, etc. to fix any imperfections)

If there is an actual gap where nothing exists you can take the two layers, align them as best you can, copy them and merge the new copies onto a single layer and then use content aware fill to fill the gap. You will probably need to use the healing brushes to fine tune the image.


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## pwp (Feb 12, 2016)

What you have described could probably be easily tidied up with Content Aware Fill, Patch Tool, Clone Tool, Liquify etc. A lot of panos need a bit of manual tidying up after the initial auto stitch. 

The www is loaded with practical info & tutorials. Just fiddle with your search term till you get what you want. It will be quicker than waiting for replies here.

First four hits with "Photoshop Panorama Tutorial"
http://photofocus.com/2013/11/09/how-to-stitch-panoramic-photos-with-adobe-photoshop/
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/how-to/photoshop-panorama.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/create-panoramic-images-photomerge.html
http://digital-photography-school.com/creating-a-panorama-with-photoshop-and-photomerge/
...and so on.

If you sign up for the free forums over Luminous Landscape there are a lot of guys there who will devote hours of their time to questions like yours. It feels by and large like it's populated by clever rich old white guys who have manners, spell properly and use correct grammar, but don't let that put you off. They tend to know their stuff.

-pw


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## Valvebounce (Feb 12, 2016)

Hi. 
Just to clarify, you have all the images for the stitch, including 1 or more that is between two prominent points of land but it has only sea and sky in the shot, is this correct? If so I'm sure you should be able to do the same in PS as you have done in PTGUI. I can't tell you how as I'm not a PS user, just trying to clarify the situation. 

Cheers, Graham. 



bluenoser1993 said:


> Hi, I'm trialling Lr and Ps and so far I'm impressed. In making a 14 image pano from a beach looking out to two points of land there is a gap at about centre with an image containing no land, only horizon and clouds to align with. Ps won't join the image at this point and I end up with two panos. I've worked with this in PTGUI and managed to work with it manually, I can't find a way to do it manually in Ps, is there a way? I really hope so, I can't believe how much better the resolution is in the Ps merge over the PTGUI. It isn't even close. This will save the picture of a location that I won't likely ever visit again.


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## bluenoser1993 (Feb 12, 2016)

To clarify I attached a screen shot of the top of the 2 images causing the problem (bottom has internet shy family members ). There is about 40% overlap, just no land marks that are physical. In PTGUI you can manually apply points to things like the white mooring ball and points on the clouds. Not perfect, but good enough to get the horizon straight and blend any imperfections. Ps doesn't appear to have that functionality, but as mentioned above, an image can be moved around to line up with the other (then merge the two layers?), then let Ps take care of the rest. Now I know it is possible, I'll keep trying.

My problem is I'm currently on a ship with very slow internet. Video just doesn't work, so it's a lot of searching for help that includes text and pictures. 

I'm finding that a lot of the time the instruction makes it look very easy, the challenge is finding the tool bar they already have on the screen that is absent on mine. Big learning curve, but very worth it based on my limited results so far.


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## PhotographyFirst (Feb 12, 2016)

I sent you a PM with instructions of how to make the panorama work for you. At least I am fairly sure it address your issues. 

I run into this all the time with my own landscape work and with people I am teaching in workshops. You already have the two best tools in the industry for creating panoramas, it just takes a couple of additional steps to make it work.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 12, 2016)

In the future, try to add more overlap so that the software can find common points of reference. You can do it manually by selecting the layers and moving them until they align as others have mentioned.


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## bluenoser1993 (Feb 13, 2016)

So... still struggling a little. I selected the two photos in Lr, clicked "edit in", then "open as layers in photoshop". All was going well, reduced a layer to 50% opacity, selected the move tool and grabbed the layer. Trouble is that the max image visible was one picture width, so as I slid the layer side ways and made the alignment, it disappeared off the edge into blackness (sorry for the lame description). I don't know how to expand the work space (grey/white checkerboard) so that as I move the layer sideways the full frame remains visible. I merged the layers and I'll be able to clean the seam with the patch/clone fairly easy, I just didn't end up getting the full image. Click of a button I'm sure, but what one.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, trying the all Adobe approach before bringing in the PTGui/Ps combo.


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## bluenoser1993 (Feb 13, 2016)

The attached is why I would prefer to stay all Adobe. On the left is the far left of the pano created in PTGui from RAW files and unedited. On the right is the same section of the Ps pano created from the same RAW files and still no editing. The screen shot doesn't do it justice, there is quite a difference. In another portion Ps has rendered breaking waves on the horizon with some sharpness and sparkle, the PTGui version is pretty well white fuzz. Of course PTGui is the only one that I've managed to merge the complete pano with, but I'm sure I'll get there.


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## Busted Knuckles (Feb 13, 2016)

Interesting challenge - I have used PTGui quite a bit and do notice that I really like the 100% quality setting vs. 95%. Don't know if that would help your situation w/ PTGUi and the breaking waves


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## privatebydesign (Feb 13, 2016)

bluenoser1993 said:


> So... still struggling a little. I selected the two photos in Lr, clicked "edit in", then "open as layers in photoshop". All was going well, reduced a layer to 50% opacity, selected the move tool and grabbed the layer. Trouble is that the max image visible was one picture width, so as I slid the layer side ways and made the alignment, it disappeared off the edge into blackness (sorry for the lame description). I don't know how to expand the work space (grey/white checkerboard) so that as I move the layer sideways the full frame remains visible. I merged the layers and I'll be able to clean the seam with the patch/clone fairly easy, I just didn't end up getting the full image. Click of a button I'm sure, but what one.
> 
> Thanks for the advice so far everyone, trying the all Adobe approach before bringing in the PTGui/Ps combo.



Make the image you move the second one to bigger first, go edit:canvas size, put the arrow in the orientation of where you want the base image to be and increase the size enough to contain the second image.


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## bluenoser1993 (Feb 13, 2016)

privatebydesign said:


> bluenoser1993 said:
> 
> 
> > So... still struggling a little. I selected the two photos in Lr, clicked "edit in", then "open as layers in photoshop". All was going well, reduced a layer to 50% opacity, selected the move tool and grabbed the layer. Trouble is that the max image visible was one picture width, so as I slid the layer side ways and made the alignment, it disappeared off the edge into blackness (sorry for the lame description). I don't know how to expand the work space (grey/white checkerboard) so that as I move the layer sideways the full frame remains visible. I merged the layers and I'll be able to clean the seam with the patch/clone fairly easy, I just didn't end up getting the full image. Click of a button I'm sure, but what one.
> ...



Thanks, that helps a lot and I'll give it a try. The only draw back I find is that the merging of the layers doesn't use content aware to make a nice blend of the water texture like it does when generating a pano. It does get me out of the situation were the full pano won't generate though.

PhotographyFirst sent me a great work flow in a PM for aligning the layers in PTGui and doing the blend in Ps. Seems to be the best of both worlds and I look forward to having the chance to try that option.


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## RGF (Feb 15, 2016)

If the images are perfectly matched and you rotated around the nodal point, then you can use difference to align them. If you need to adjust the image (scale, distort) that is much harder.


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## tolusina (Feb 15, 2016)

Have you tried Microsoft ICE?
Free!
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/ice/


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