Canon PhotoStitch 3.1 - panorama creation software

[mclbruce]

Canon PhotoStitch 3.1 is a great product for those interested in making panoramic images or QuickTime VR movies. You will not get professional quality panoramas such as those seen here:

http://panoramas.dk/

What you will get is fast results from typical consumer digital camera images. The software is about is automatic as is possible with good manual overrides available. You supply the images, tell the software what focal length of lens was used, arrange the pictures in the order you want them stitched, and tell the software what kind of output you want. Press a few buttons and bingo, there's your panorama. You can review and correct the stitching decisions on a stitch by stitch basis before final file output.

Figuring out the 35mm equivalent of your camera's focal length can be a bit tricky. You need your camera lens specifications, the ability to read the EXIF data on your images, and mathematics skills to make the conversion. Once you figure this out you can enter and save the focal length data in PhotoStitch for future panos.

As far as I know, Canon does not sell this software by itself. The only way to get it is to buy a Canon camera. However it works on JPEG files from any camera.

[AKcrab]

Photoshop Elements has a similar feature.

Here are a couple sample files I've made with my Canon and Photostitch:

Sample 1 (http://homepage.mac.com/benton_bruce/.Movies/Hawaii%20Panoramas/Lava%20Panorama2.mov)
Sample 2 (http://homepage.mac.com/benton_bruce/.Movies/Eklutna%20Panoramas/Eklutna%20Panorama2.mov)
(I have spaces in the file names for some reason.. Hope the links work.)

[mclbruce]

Very nice, AKCrab. I can appreciate the time and effort that went into making those.

The new Photoshop CS has the same photo stitching feature as Photoshop Elements. It's called Photomerge. I played around with it some and to me PhotoStitch seems easier to use. Can you make QTVRs directly from Photomerge or do you use another program?

Here's one I made with PhotoStitch.

http://home.comcast.net/~mclbruce/park.mov

[AKcrab]

I actually always use photostitch.
My camera has a "panorama help" mode, that fixes the focal length, and displays the last 1/3 of the previous frame, to help with alignment as you do your 360. Photostich talks to my canon much better than photoshop.

[afletch]

My panoramic QTVRs from Canon's PhotoStich are not continuous. They "stop" at the "ends" of the flat panoramic image. Why?

[mauriziots]

Do you know the link of PhotoStich for mac OS X? Can you tell me it?

[rusto]

I believe you can only get Canon's PhotoStitch by purchasing one of their PowerShot digital cameras.

[mauriziots]

I bought PowerShot S40 but includes the Photostich version for Mac OS 9 only.

[rusto]

I bought PowerShot S40 but includes the Photostich version for Mac OS 9 only.

Have you tried emailing Canon support to see if you can upgrade to the OS X version?

[robarmo]

As far as I know, Canon will want you to purchase a more recent version of their 'Solutions Disc' in order to get the OS X version of Photostitch.
I looked into this a while ago for my IXUSv.

You can download the OS X versions of Canon ImageBrowser and Remote Capture (I believe its a combined app now?) for free, you just need to insert the original CD that shipped with your camera before they will install.
Not sure why they didn't do the same for PhotoStitch.

I just use Image Capture these days.

Rob.

PS. Did they make an OS X version of the plugin that used to let you import directly into Photoshop? (It looked like a filmstrip)
I used to find that really useful.

[reykjavik]

My panoramic QTVRs from Canon's PhotoStich are not continuous. They "stop" at the "ends" of the flat panoramic image. Why?


This same exact thing is happening to me as well. Have you found a solution to it yet?

[mephishto]

If you guys are still having trouble with your Photostitch VR movies
(stopping at either end of the panorama image),
I HAVE THE ANSWER.

Hallelujah. This one took my entire day away from me and you know
what? It was just as simple as I thought it had to be.
The PS software is so smooth and fast, I thought that there MUST be a way
to make QTVR movies that are continuous. Surely the makers of this great of software wouldn't leave us hanging with an incomplete QTVR file.
and they didn't....

So...all you have to do is:
Go to the first segment (1. Selection and arrangement),
Right click or Control-Click (for mac) on the "Arrange" button,

Select 360 degrees.
That's it!

Don't you feel dumb, I sure did. Like I said, that took a day to figure out.
I guess that Canon forgot to make that the default setting. DUH.

Again,
awesome software.
M

[reykjavik]

If you guys are still having trouble with your Photostitch VR movies
(stopping at either end of the panorama image),
I HAVE THE ANSWER.

Hallelujah. This one took my entire day away from me and you know
what? It was just as simple as I thought it had to be.
The PS software is so smooth and fast, I thought that there MUST be a way
to make QTVR movies that are continuous. Surely the makers of this great of software wouldn't leave us hanging with an incomplete QTVR file.
and they didn't....

So...all you have to do is:
Go to the first segment (1. Selection and arrangement),
Right click or Control-Click (for mac) on the "Arrange" button,

Select 360 degrees.
That's it!

Don't you feel dumb, I sure did. Like I said, that took a day to figure out.
I guess that Canon forgot to make that the default setting. DUH.

Again,
awesome software.
M
yup, that did it! Thanks :)