Taking multiple overlapping photos in order to create a larger single panoramic photo is a great way to enhance the quality and impact of your Virtual Tour. The objective of a Virtual Tour should be to show the viewer - as close as possible - what they would see if they were actually at the home.
Single photos that show only a part of a room or scene (backyard) makes the room or scene seem smaller than it actually is. Being able to see the whole room or scene (wall to wall and floor to ceiling) is much more impressive to the viewer. The objective of creating a Virtual Tour is to impress the viewer so they will contact you for a showing.
Taking overlapping photos for a panoramic is relatively simple but you have to do it correctly in order to create a good panoramic. Here are some simple tips for taking good overlapping photos that will result in a high quality panoramic scene.
- Sequence and Overlap - Shoot the photos in sequence from left to right in a level circular motion. Overlap each photo with the previous photo by at least 25% (pick an object in the right hand part of the LCD/Viewfinder and have that object be in the left hand side of the LCD/Viewfinder in the next picture).
The more overlap you have between each photo, the less loss of height you will have in the panoramic (think of each picture as a circle. The lowest points where each photo overlaps will be the overall height of the panoramic).
- Number of Photos 2-4 overlapping pictures are usually enough to get a good panoramic photo. If you take more, you should consider using a tripod. The more free standing photos you take for a panoramic the more difficult it is to maintain a level plane. This could result in the photos not being able to be stitched together.
- Level Plane - It is important to take the overlapping photos on a level plane. You want to mimic the effect of having the camera on a tripod. Keep the camera as close to your eye as possible and keep your body in a single position while shooting the sequence of pictures. As you shoot each picture rotate only your head. Do not tilt your head up or down.
- Horizontal vs Vertical - Overlapping vertical shots work better for a panoramic scene than horizontal shots because with each successive picture the final panoramic will shrink in height. 4 horizontal pictures result in a narrow and wide panoramic whereas 4 veritical shots creates a nice tall and wide panoramic.
- Insurance - It is possible that, even if you think you did everything right, the overlapping photos will not stitch into a panoramic. So in addition to taking the overlapping photos for a panoramic, take a single photo of the best part of the room or scene. That way if the stitching doesn't work you will still have a usable photo without having to go back to the home to take another photo.
- Scenes that work better with a panoramic:
- Front Exterior - You want to be able to take a property line to property line photo of the front of the house. Using a single photo, you often have to step so far back that you lose the detail of the house and make it look small. Stay close but take overlapping photos for a panoramic and get the full visual without losing the detail.
- 2 Story Entryways or High Ceilings - Capture the full height of these scenes by turning your camera vertically and then taking several overlapping photos to capture the width of the scene.
- Small Rooms or Bathrooms - When taking photos in small areas there is not enough distance for the lens to capture all or most of the scene. Not only does it cut off the sides of the room, it will also cut the top and bottom off, making the room appear very small. Hold the camera vertically and take a series of overlapping photos for the panoramic.
- Backyard - Seldom can you capture the full backyard in a single photo, so this is a great scene to use a panoramic in.
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