Special offer

Photo-Stitched Panoramas - The Poor Man's Wide-Angle

By
Real Estate Agent with Georgia Elite Realty

As an Atlanta Real Estate Photographer, one of my favorite (and useful) techniques in real estate photography is photo-stitching.  The great thing about it is almost anyone can utilize this as it does not require any special features on a camera to use.  Using the free software sold with most modern digital cameras, taking multiple pictures and stitching them into one panoramic image is simple, if not automatic.

Here are the six separate shots I took out of our hotel room in Fortaleza, Brazil on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago.  These shots are hand-held as I didn't bring the tripod.  I did use the "stitch assist" function on my Canon P&S, but if your camera doesn't have that feature don't worry.  I have taken many photo-stitched pictures just by eyeballing it and they turned out great.  Practice makes perfect! 

pic 1  pic 2  pic 3     pic 5  pic 6 

 

... and here is the result from the software's auto-stitch. 

photostitch rough

 

Now with just a little cropping and post work, I got this...

Atlanta Real Estate Photographer Iran Watson Panoramic View

 

With some practice, it becomes very easy to get some great shots that would otherwise be impossible to capture with a standard cameras field of view.  This technique is especially useful when trying to get large, expansive spaces like a backyard.  In fact, you can also get a good bit of mileage out of this shooting interiors as well.  Just go a little slower on the interior stitching as it does take some skill to get the photo to not looked "warped".  Here is a link for FREE software and great info you can start using today.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/panoramic-software.htm

ILW

Billnulls Blog Florida Realty Professional
Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL
AHWD
that looks fantastic! great job!!!
Nov 02, 2007 02:31 AM
Lanette Branch
Taylor Properties - Bel Air, MD
Bel Air, MD Real Estate Agent

Christmas Eve in Brazil. Go, You!

Great post and great job with the photos. It's amazing that it came out so well without a tripod. I've got to check this out...

 

Nov 02, 2007 02:31 AM
Ted Baker
Carmody and Associates LLC - Winter Haven, FL
MidFloridaMediation.com

Thanks Lee for the input - and welcome to Active Rain

Incidentally, the new version of Photoshop Elements (v6) has an improved panorama stitch program.

Nov 02, 2007 02:35 AM
Lonnie Good
L. J. Good Real Estate - Okanogan, WA
Great information... I marked the link and look forward to "get stitching"
Nov 02, 2007 02:39 AM
Brandon Causey
Coastal Palmetto Realty LLC - Loris, SC
Realtor, Coastal Palmetto Realty LLC
I've heard of doing this just scared of jumping in thanks so much for the info.  I think I'll practice over the weekend.
Nov 02, 2007 02:40 AM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate
I've never worked with stitching software before, but your results are encouraging. Thanks for the tip!
Nov 02, 2007 03:19 AM
Mehmet Met Dilsiz
FND Photography / M2 Real Estate Solutions - Midvale, UT
Wow, Iran... Great work...  the final image looks perfect
Nov 04, 2007 08:26 AM
Iran Watson
Georgia Elite Realty - Marietta, GA
Marietta Real Estate Agent - Photographer

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

@Mehmet- Unfortunately the camera I shot this with only shot in JPEG and not RAW.  Had I been able to correct in RAW I think it would have turned out even better.  The cool thing was there was virtually zero vignetteing so I didn't have to crop each photo. 

While I'm on the subject, I will crop the edges of the individual photos to avoid those grey lines where the photos overlap if there is noticable vignetteing.  Although this means you have to take more photos and space them closer together, it does yield superior results.  This is especially useful for interior panos.

Nov 04, 2007 08:41 AM
Vicki Burton
Southport Realty-Southport, North Carolina - Southport, NC
A local Buyer's Agent - Southport NC Real Estate

Ahh Iran, you have given me something new to try. I'll have to look at my settings and see how best to do it. I'd heard of photo stitching...this is a great example. Thanks!

 

Nov 04, 2007 09:09 AM
Crystal Freeman
Willow Creek Creative - Eugene, OR
Good job with the stitching! I am impressed that these were hand held shots because of how well they stitched together. Canons are awesome for stitching. Have you ever used the 9 image feature (3 rows of 3 images)?  Excellent for sunsets.  You just have to be fast.
Nov 06, 2007 03:10 AM