Joined dark area lines where vertical manual panoramas images are joined.

Forestjim · Jun 9, 2022

Hi,

I've been mucking around with this problem since I first got the Mini 3 P. When I take vertical shots and join them together in Lightroom. I'm getting this effect.
I have posted the first shot of the pano and the combined image.
I have tried lots of things like
Removing lens hood
Taking vertical pictures in 4:3 and 16:9
Taking shots in Auto & Manual
Overlapping images from 50 to75%
Cropping the individual images in post then stitching.
Adjusting the Vignetting in Lightroom
I'm not getting the same problem when I taking horizontal images.

Is anyone else getting this problem or know a fix I could try ?

neodraig · Jun 9, 2022

There is a big problem with the 12MP DNGs that show a huge vignetting.
The problem doesn't show on the JPEGs or the 48MP DNGs, so use them for your panoramas or try to apply a +75 correction in Lightroom to the DNGs.
You can read about that vignetting issue HERE, HERE, HERE and THERE.
I really hope DJI will fix that in a next firmware update.

Dale D · Jun 9, 2022

Forestjim said:
Hi,

I've been mucking around with this problem since I first got the Mini 3 P. When I take vertical shots and join them together in Lightroom. I'm getting this effect.
I have posted the first shot of the pano and the combined image.
I have tried lots of things like
Removing lens hood
Taking vertical pictures in 4:3 and 16:9
Taking shots in Auto & Manual
Overlapping images from 50 to75%
Cropping the individual images in post then stitching.
Adjusting the Vignetting in Lightroom
I'm not getting the same problem when I taking horizontal images.

Is anyone else getting this problem or know a fix I could try ?
View attachment 149686 View attachment 149688

I have no clue as to what this is happening but I can vouch for my technique, which never shows this.

1.With your controller screen having a grid, take 3-5 horizontal shots, with a 30% overlap.
2. Open your images in Lightroom. (I use Photoshop Camera RAW but the engine is the same)
3. with all images open in RAW , select all. (CTRL+A)
4. with all of the images selected, RIGHT click on any image, open the drop down menu and find Merge to Panorama.
5. Once the image is completed, use the dialogue box to select the next step.
6. Once the panorama is opened, you can edit it.

Forestjim said:
Hi,

I've been mucking around with this problem since I first got the Mini 3 P. When I take vertical shots and join them together in Lightroom. I'm getting this effect.
I have posted the first shot of the pano and the combined image.
I have tried lots of things like
Removing lens hood
Taking vertical pictures in 4:3 and 16:9
Taking shots in Auto & Manual
Overlapping images from 50 to75%
Cropping the individual images in post then stitching.
Adjusting the Vignetting in Lightroom
I'm not getting the same problem when I taking horizontal images.

Is anyone else getting this problem or know a fix I could try ?
View attachment 149686 View attachment 149688

Here is a 7 image pano (it is blurred because it was taken at 7x with M3 tele lens) and another 8 image pano. Both of these were done with the above technique using Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) in Photoshop.

Dale
Miami
Miami

KS-6 · Jun 9, 2022

Assuming you used a file other than raw, it makes sense you would see this, even if removing vignetting per image in LR.

You 100% have to stitch in RAW in order to overcome these light fall off bands, especially with wide angle lenses which tend to have smaller overall image circles, hence the bands.

I also overlap like a mo-fo to help keep the key stoning and barrel distortion down.

Forestjim · Jun 9, 2022

KS-6 said:
Assuming you used a file other than raw, it makes sense you would see this, even if removing vignetting per image in LR.

You 100% have to stitch in RAW in order to overcome these light fall off bands, especially with wide angle lenses which tend to have smaller overall image circles, hence the bands.

I also overlap like a mo-fo to help keep the key stoning and barrel distortion down.

All the images are RAW and I've tried heaps of different overlays from 25 to 50%. This only happens with Vertical shots, not Horizontal all good.
Do you have a mini 3 ? If so please could you check if you get the same?
Cheers
Marty

KS-6 · Jun 9, 2022

Forestjim said:
All the images are RAW and I've tried heaps of different overlays from 25 to 50%. This only happens with Vertical shots, not Horizontal all good.
Do you have a mini 3 ? If so please could you check if you get the same?
Cheers
Marty

I do have the Mini 3, I will check it out tomorrow.

Dale D · Jun 9, 2022

KS-6 said:
I do have the Mini 3, I will check it out tomorrow.

Here is an older video which I still use and follow too make panoramas with my DSLR. The techniques are more or less the same with drone images.

Forestjim · Jun 9, 2022

KS-6 said:
I do have the Mini 3, I will check it out tomorrow.

That would be great if you could. I went out this morning and tried AEB shots. It did the same. As you can see by today's image the darkening is where to overlay is. PS. This is my local racetrack Eagle Farm, Brisbane Australia

Forestjim · Jun 9, 2022

Dale D said:
Here is an older video which I still use and follow too make panoramas with my DSLR. The techniques are more or less the same with drone images.

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Hi Dale.... My problem is not doing Panoramas in lightroom. I have been using lightroom for 4 years now. My only problem is the Mini 3 Pro Vertical Raw multi images stitched together in Lightroom. Horizontal, JPG on Mini 3 stitch well fine.
Raw images with Mini 2, Mavic Air 2s &b M2P all stitch fine.
Do you have a mini 3 ? If so could you please test for me thanks Dale.

Dale D · Jun 9, 2022

Forestjim said:
Hi Dale.... My problem is not doing Panoramas in lightroom. I have been using lightroom for 4 years now. My only problem is the Mini 3 Pro Vertical Raw multi images stitched together in Lightroom. Horizontal, JPG on Mini 3 stitch well fine.
Raw images with Mini 2, Mavic Air 2s &b M2P all stitch fine.
Do you have a mini 3 ? If so could you please test for me thanks Dale.

Sorry but I don't have a Mini of any sort. I sold my only Mini (2), and only have my trusty Mavic 2 Pro (from which I get amazing shots) and my new M3 which I am still learning. I know absolutely nothing about the Mini 3 although I have watched lots of videos. But I am not really surprised that in the vertical camera mode, (and this is purely conjecture) there may not be enough side room for a 30% overlap. It might be possible to do TWO HORIZONTAL ROWS with 30% overlap in order to get more foreground. Try doing three (3) top rows (30% overlap horizontally and vertically), then 3 bottom rows, and overlap 30% horizontally and vertically. I know that sounds outlandish but it may be worth an exercise.
It's my bedtime now (10 PM Miami).

Dale

Robert Prior · Jun 9, 2022

This may be a silly suggestion, but try taking shots in JPEG and see if you get the same effect.

I found I was getting the same thing with my Mavic 2, but one day when I accidentally shot in JPEG I didn't have the problem. Turned out that my raw converter doesn't perfectly devignette the DJI images, so the JPEGs were actually better for stitching.

If JPEGs work better, that lets you know the problem is in the raw processing.

Forestjim · Jun 10, 2022

Robert Prior said:
This may be a silly suggestion, but try taking shots in JPEG and see if you get the same effect.

I found I was getting the same thing with my Mavic 2, but one day when I accidentally shot in JPEG I didn't have the problem. Turned out that my raw converter doesn't perfectly devignette the DJI images, so the JPEGs were actually better for stitching.

If JPEGs work better, that lets you know the problem is in the raw processing.

Hi Rob.... JPEG works fine with no dark lines when joined... Mind you so does raw horizontal images. It's only Mini 3 Vertical stitched Panos is the problem. I'll just have to go back to the old way of taking 9 to 15 manual horizontal shots and stitching together. Thanks for your ideas

Cymru · Jun 10, 2022

Its the vignette problem mentioned elsewhere.
Only real workaround would be to shoot a LOT more overlap and crop the images to remove the edges prior to the merge.
And remember when shooting panos to use manual or locked exposures.

scro · Jun 10, 2022

When you're saying that horizontal RAW photos don't show the dark areas what size panorama are you doing? 1 frame high, or multiple frames high? Am wondering if the dark bands are still there but are less easy to spot. They could be at the bottoms of the frames and blending in with the ground, which is typically darker anyway. Even with a pano that is 2 frames high the dark band could be obscured by the detail on the ground. When the camera is in portrait mode the dark band is vertical and passes thru the relatively uniformly bright sky which makes it very noticable.

Forestjim · Jun 10, 2022

scro said:
When you're saying that horizontal RAW photos don't show the dark areas what size panorama are you doing? 1 frame high, or multiple frames high? Am wondering if the dark bands are still there but are less easy to spot. They could be at the bottoms of the frames and blending in with the ground, which is typically darker anyway. Even with a pano that is 2 frames high the dark band could be obscured by the detail on the ground. When the camera is in portrait mode the dark band is vertical and passes thru the relatively uniformly bright sky which makes it very noticable.

Hi Scro... I'm not very technical, and I hope I explain adequately, but horizontal raw stitched pano images don't show or are not as noticeable as the dark band lines I'm getting when I stitch vertical raw shots.
I was mainly trying to ask if there was, is there something wrong with my camera or the raw files coming out of the mini3 ?
Am I not achieving this by just taking, say, 3 or 4 vertical shots, stitching them together to make a nice clear image?
Should I go back to my old ways of making panoramas by taking multiple horizontal shots of top, middle & bottom?
Cheers

Cymru · Jun 10, 2022

The issues are still present in horizontal images just not as noticeable as its not a vertical band in the sky any more - its horizontal.

They're not present in the drone auto panoramas it stitches itself as it IS apply the lens correction to the jpgs. (But the DNGs themselves still do).

scro · Jun 10, 2022

From what you're describing, my suspicions lie with the the lens correction information that gets put into the DNG. It's as if that is adding a dark band along the long edge of the frame (botton in landscape mode, side in portrait mode). If that's the case then there's hope that a future firmware update will fix it.

Forestjim · Jun 10, 2022

Cymru said:
The issues are still present in horizontal images just not as noticeable as its not a vertical band in the sky any more - its horizontal.

They're not present in the drone auto panoramas it stitches itself as it IS apply the lens correction to the jpgs. (But the DNGs themselves still do).

Thanks, Mate. I would prefer to use 9-shot auto Panos, but on mini 3 I'm finding them quite circular on the horizon most of the time.
With my M2P and MA2, they are nice and flat . Are you finding this with the 9 shot autos?

Cymru · Jun 10, 2022

Yeah the 9 shot unless you centre the horizon first produces slanted images which stitch as a curve.
Work around for that is to zero the horizon first OR use the 180 pano and just take the images from there (it centres gimbal first in that mode).

The vertical mode should be perfect for panos but the current lack of auto pano and the vignette mean its not that useful yet.

Cymru · Jun 10, 2022

scro said:
From what you're describing, my suspicions lie with the the lens correction information that gets put into the DNG. It's as if that is adding a dark band along the long edge of the frame (botton in landscape mode, side in portrait mode). If that's the case then there's hope that a future firmware update will fix it.

I suspect it is that - JPGs are fine (correction applied) and 48mp is fine (embedded correction applied).
But also the pre-release images i downloaded and played with were all fine. This is quite possibly a bug introduced with the 1.0 release firmware and SHOULD be a simple fix.