6 Top Panorama Problems
and How to Solve Them
Number 3 in a series of 6 free articles on panorama troubleshooting.
By Denis Knight, author of The Absolute Step-by-Step Guide to the Perfect Panorama.
Top Panorama Problem #3: Ghosting
Here's a problem that often occurs in panoramic photography when the scene you've captured contains some movement, like people, clouds, waves, or boats on a river.
After stitching your panorama you might see some 'ghosts' or transparent double images in the areas of the panoramic photo where two adjacent pictures overlap.
In this example, the people who've moved between shots have ghosts:
Example panorama with ghosting where people have moved between frames.
In another example, the boats on the river have unwelcome ghostly doubles:
Example panorama with ghosting caused by moving boats.
The Cause
The main cause of this problem is movement between frames. In other words, when an object in the overlap zone (the area where two frames overlap) has moved position between shooting one frame and the next.
But does this mean you can only successfully create panoramas with no moving objects? Not at all! That's because some panorama software packages are far more prone to ghosting than others.
It all depends on the technique the software uses to 'blend' the frames together. Some panorama software simply defines a rectangular 'blend area' and merges the pixels from the two images inside the blend area. This method is very crude by today's standards and can cause some extreme ghosting problems, where the slightest movement in the overlap zone results in transparent double images in the finished panoramic photo.
Other, smarter photo stitching software packages calculate a 'blend path' which is like a meandering line where the two images can be joined together with the least possible variations from one side of the line to the other.In most cases you can adjust the blend path to improve the result if the software doesn't quite get it right.
The Solution
So how can you solve your panorama ghosting problems?
Firstly, you need to be aware of movement when shooting. Don't be put off, though — you can still shoot great panoramas with some movement. Just be aware of it and try to plan around it.
For example, in a scene with slow-moving clouds, try to minimize the delay between your shots.
The same applies to people shots. If you can shoot quickly enough, hopefully most of the people won't have moved enough to spoil your result. If you're shooting a group scene you can ask your subjects to hold still for a minute or so while you get your shots off.
But what if you're shooting in a public place with a lot of people passing by? You can't just ask them all to hold still for a minute! In this case, instead of trying to shoot quickly, try the opposite approach. By carefully watching each group of people passing by, you might be able to time your shots until each group has moved out of your frame.
Or, if you're shooting a beach scene with breakers coming in, try to shoot each frame with a wave at about the same spot.
Remember — it's movement in the overlap zone between shots that is critical. If you're organizing people for a wide group shot, consider leaving a gap in the middle to simplify the join between the photos.
Secondly, if you're still getting a lot of ghosting problems, you might want to reconsider your choice of photo stitching software. By switching from a panoramic photo software package that uses a very basic blending method, to a more sophisticated package, you'll probably be able to get rid of those pesky ghosts.
Here's the exact same pair of photos stitched together using different software. Check it out: no ghosts!
People panorama created using different software.
Boat panorama created using different software.
So don't let ghosting get you down! Just choose the right software and take a few basic precautions when shooting, and your ghosts will be a thing of the past.
In next article we'll be exploring a problem that some panorama software packages are much more prone to than others: Stitching Errors. After reading tomorrow's article, you'll learn the four main causes of stitching errors, and I'll share the one simple secret that can eliminate most of your stitching problems in a single stroke.
See you tomorrow.
Kind Regards
Denis Knight
Learn More...
If you've found this article useful, I invite you to learn more in my brand new e-Book, The Absolute Step-by-Step Guide to the Perfect Panorama.
With my easy to follow, fully illustrated instructions, you'll quickly master the basics of creating stunning panoramic images like the ones featured in this article.
Get it now at www.ThePerfectPanorama.com
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