180 Pano shots not level at the horizon

[Captain744]

Just took a couple of pics and i am seeing that the horizon and clouds are not matching up in a couple of places. The 1st pic taken about 4am yesterday morning, just to the right and below of the moon you can also see that a cloud or plane vapour trail is broken. The 2nd pic taken after sunset also showing a few stitching errors on the horizon and also the train tracks. Is this to be expected with this level of drone Tech?

 

[akdrone]

I don't use the built in software to stitch so I'm not sure. You might put the stills through a program like PTGui or simply Lightroom and see if the problem is the software or if, perhaps there was enough wind to shift the drone in a manner that prevented perfect stitching. It could be either.

 

[Lister]

Captain744: first, amazing images. I'm a (retired) Hollywood cameraman and I gotta tell you, those are definitely worth getting up early for. Superb!

I've done a lot of stitching and the errors you see can be caused by insufficient overlap and/or inadequate stitching software. If those panos are stitched by the drone, I'm amazed it'll do that well.

You'll see a substantial improvement if you stitch the images in Photoshop, Lightroom, Affinity Photo or any of the other commonly available tools. Ensuring that the horizon is level in each of the source images will reduce the wavy horizon effect.

That said, errors like that can persist, even with perfect conditions. That's where some clever post production hand-work comes in.

Please keep getting up early and making those images!

 

[SpinItUp]

I get the same results

 

[Captain744]

Thanks for the kind words Lister! Im a complete noob and love the beauty and lighting that dawn and dusk provides. Truly magical brief moments in time. I hope to master this drone and improve my photos.

 

[Captain744]

I get the same results

Thanks for confirming, i thought there might of been an issue with my drone. Or should I say a fault.

 

[Robert Prior]

Thanks for confirming, i thought there might of been an issue with my drone.

Well, it kinda is, in that the drone doesn't have the processing power of a desktop so won't be using as advanced algorithms…

 

[Dale D]

Just took a couple of pics and i am seeing that the horizon and clouds are not matching up in a couple of places. The 1st pic taken about 4am yesterday morning, just to the right and below of the moon you can also see that a cloud or plane vapour trail is broken. The 2nd pic taken after sunset also showing a few stitching errors on the horizon and also the train tracks. Is this to be expected with this level of drone Tech?

It's a beautiful shot. As in all drone shots with the sun or moon, there is always underexposure of the foreground. I handle this using Adobe masking tool. I opened the shadows, removed the white streak (airplane?), darkened the sky a bit, painted and masked the darker arena on the left side. See attachments of before and after.

Dale

 

[Captain744]

That’s nice Dale!
I didn’t think you could edit jpeg photos. I haven’t delved into photo editing yet. Are you using Adobe lightroom? Would the free version of DaVinci Resolve suffice for editing photos and videos While I gain knowledge and experience.

 

[Dale D]

That’s nice Dale!
I didn’t think you could edit jpeg photos. I haven’t delved into photo editing yet. Are you using Adobe lightroom? Would the free version of DaVinci Resolve suffice for editing photos and videos While I gain knowledge and experience.

Thanks Captain744. Yes, it is possible to edit jpg images but you are dealing with less data, pixels, etc. On my drone I save every image as a RAW file. I hardly every shoot in JPG. These edits are done in Adobe Photoshop but the same exact tools and editing engine is available in Lightroom LrC (Lightroom Classic). When Adobe released the new masking tool earlier this year it was a game changer for me as is should be for everyone of us who shoot from the sky. Unless you are shooting an evenly lit image, the drone sensor will be exposing for the brightest part of the image (sky, sun, moon), leaving the foreground darkened in shadows. These shadows can be opened up now, easily with the masking tools.

Dale
Miami

Watch this very important video by my favorite Adobe instructor Colin Smith

 

[MS Coast]

That’s nice Dale!
I didn’t think you could edit jpeg photos. I haven’t delved into photo editing yet. Are you using Adobe lightroom? Would the free version of DaVinci Resolve suffice for editing photos and videos While I gain knowledge and experience.

For a powerful no-cost photo editing package, look at GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program.

It's a Photoshop look-alike that's available for download here: GIMP

The name isn't great, but the software is.

 

[Dale D]

For a powerful no-cost photo editing package, look at GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program.

It's a Photoshop look-alike that's available for download here: GIMP

The name isn't great, but the software is.

I do not always like coming to the defense of Adobe but for my $9.99 USD a month for Photoshop and Lightroom, I get an amazing product with full real human support. Panoramas are one of the easiest processes for these two programs. Just load you images and several clicks later, the magic happens. It is one of the small things I treat myself to. Like Starbucks once a week costs more than Photoshop/Lightroom.

 

[MS Coast]

I'm seeing similar stitching glitches on 360-degree panoramas with my Mini 3. For many purposes, the images stitched in the drone are good enough. I've been tinkering with manual panoramas, too. It's been a surprise that Microsoft's retired Image Composite Editor, ICE, does a pretty good job. It's no longer supported, but it's easy to use, quick, and works just fine .

Microsoft Image Composite Editor

Create panoramas the easy way

microsoft-image-composite-editor.en.softonic.com

Even better results can be obtained with raw images and a more sophisticated stitching program, but shooting jpgs and stitching with ICE is a good step forward at no cost.

 

[MS Coast]

I do not always like coming to the defense of Adobe but for my $9.99 USD a month for Photoshop and Lightroom, I get an amazing product with full real human support. Panoramas are one of the easiest processes for these two programs. Just load you images and several clicks later, the magic happens. It is one of the small things I treat myself to. Like Starbucks once a week costs more than Photoshop/Lightroom.

You get some excellent results with them and it certainly looks like you're getting your money's worth from them.

I bought a perpetual license for Adobe Design Premium CS5 several years ago when I was working actively that I still rely on. The current subscription rates for Photoshop and Lightroom are reasonably priced for the power and new features they provide. But I realize that some folks are budget limited and GIMP and ICE might be a good solution. The Elements versions of Adobe are another option.

 

[Dale D]

You get some excellent results with them and it certainly looks like you're getting your money's worth from them.

I bought a perpetual license for Adobe Design Premium CS5 several years ago when I was working actively that I still rely on. The current subscription rates for Photoshop and Lightroom are reasonably priced for the power and new features they provide. But I realize that some folks are budget limited and GIMP and ICE might be a good solution. The Elements versions of Adobe are another option.

I do not think that Photoshop Elements has the masking too. I Googled it and only found that you have to open up the layer mask.

 

[Captain744]

Thanks Captain744. Yes, it is possible to edit jpg images but you are dealing with less data, pixels, etc. On my drone I save every image as a RAW file. I hardly every shoot in JPG. These edits are done in Adobe Photoshop but the same exact tools and editing engine is available in Lightroom LrC (Lightroom Classic). When Adobe released the new masking tool earlier this year it was a game changer for me as is should be for everyone of us who shoot from the sky. Unless you are shooting an evenly lit image, the drone sensor will be exposing for the brightest part of the image (sky, sun, moon), leaving the foreground darkened in shadows. These shadows can be opened up now, easily with the masking tools.

Dale
Miami

Watch this very important video by my favorite Adobe instructor Colin Smith

 

[Captain744]

WOW Thats an incredibly powerful tool!
Will be subscribing with this channel thanks Dale.

 

[Captain744]

For a powerful no-cost photo editing package, look at GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program.

It's a Photoshop look-alike that's available for download here: GIMP

The name isn't great, but the software is.

Will look at this, thanks.

 

[Captain744]

I'm seeing similar stitching glitches on 360-degree panoramas with my Mini 3. For many purposes, the images stitched in the drone are good enough. I've been tinkering with manual panoramas, too. It's been a surprise that Microsoft's retired Image Composite Editor, ICE, does a pretty good job. It's no longer supported, but it's easy to use, quick, and works just fine .

Microsoft Image Composite Editor

Create panoramas the easy way

microsoft-image-composite-editor.en.softonic.com

Even better results can be obtained with raw images and a more sophisticated stitching program, but shooting jpgs and stitching with ICE is a good step forward at no cost.

Will look at this thanks!

 

[Lister]

Photoshop is arguably as important as the camera itself.

I despise all subscription software plans, but am unwilling to deny myself Photoshop. As Dale D says, the masking tools are incredible time savers and the stitching tools are nearly perfect.

FWIW, the $9.95 per month "Photography" plan includes Lightroom, Bridge and some other tools including a portfolio app and some online storage.