Panoramic mode not as good as doing it manually or with Litchi

[karlblessing]

Apparently the Panoramic feature is kind of a downgrade from doing it manually (or automatically in the Litchi Beta app for the Mini)

The two main issue I noticed :

1. It will only save each frame as jpeg (not jpeg + raw) regardless of setting.
2. Each frame is only captured at 3 megapixels ( 2,000 x 1,500 ) So the resulting wide shot panoramic for example, ends up being a 9 Megapixel image (as opposed to a single not-as-wide view at 12MP)\

Regarding Raw, I'm aware that if I'm letting the app do the stitching for me in download, it's always going to be jpeg especially as it won't import the raw files to the app.
But if it did Jpeg+Raw for each frame (as it does save each frame into its own panoramic folder on the card), adobe camera raw can merge the DNGs into a single Panoramic DNG raw file.

The main reasoning I can think of is that since many consumers are most likely going to take the stitching straight from the phone, the app doesn't want to have to deal with a bunch of 12MP+ files in the creation of its stitching especially on the bare minimum phones that will work with the app.

I'm guessing if the goal for me is to produce a larger resolution image, I either have to capture each frame manually (which I was doing early on and as I've done for years with my still cameras) but now with the advantage of raw files.

or

I'm going to have to wait for either DJI Fly to change it to where the files are larger (or provide that option at the loss of in-phone stitching if they can't do either or), or wait for Litchi to include Mini 2 in its future beta releases.

But for now, based on my intended purpose of a higher resolution image, the Mini 2 doesn't deliver the frame capture automatically for me.

Edit: In my first higher up (~320ft, winds at 9mph with 17mph gust at 300ft) panoramic shot this morning, selecting 180° the DJI Fly app crashed on me as it got to the very far left of the panoramic capture. The Mini 2 was on its way back down (RTH) as I got the app opened again and connected. It seems like based on the files on the card, the drone itself continued to capture the other 3 frames after the app crash to complete the 180 degree panorama.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Apparently the Panoramic feature is kind of a downgrade from doing it manually (or automatically in the Litchi Beta app for the Mini)

The two main issue I noticed :

1. It will only save each frame as jpeg (not jpeg + raw) regardless of setting.
2. Each frame is only captured at 3 megapixels ( 2,000 x 1,500 ) So the resulting wide shot panoramic for example, ends up being a 9 Megapixel image (as opposed to a single not-as-wide view at 12MP)\

Regarding Raw, I'm aware that if I'm letting the app do the stitching for me in download, it's always going to be jpeg especially as it won't import the raw files to the app.
But if it did Jpeg+Raw for each frame (as it does save each frame into its own panoramic folder on the card), adobe camera raw can merge the DNGs into a single Panoramic DNG raw file.

The main reasoning I can think of is that since many consumers are most likely going to take the stitching straight from the phone, the app doesn't want to have to deal with a bunch of 12MP+ files in the creation of its stitching especially on the bare minimum phones that will work with the app.

I'm guessing if the goal for me is to produce a larger resolution image, I either have to capture each frame manually (which I was doing early on and as I've done for years with my still cameras) but now with the advantage of raw files.

or

I'm going to have to wait for either DJI Fly to change it to where the files are larger (or provide that option at the loss of in-phone stitching if they can't do either or), or wait for Litchi to include Mini 2 in its future beta releases.

But for now, based on my intended purpose of a higher resolution image, the Mini 2 doesn't deliver the frame capture automatically for me.

Edit: In my first higher up (~320ft, winds at 9mph with 17mph gust at 300ft) panoramic shot this morning, selecting 180° the DJI Fly app crashed on me as it got to the very far left of the panoramic capture. The Mini 2 was on its way back down (RTH) as I got the app opened again and connected. It seems like based on the files on the card, the drone itself continued to capture the other 3 frames after the app crash to complete the 180 degree panorama.

If the Mini 2 works the same as the MA2, which uses the same Fly app, while in the air, after selecting to shoot a panorama, go into the camera settings menu, and select save original files, and you also have the option to select DNG instead of JPG. It is a separate setting from normal photo settings. The JPG's will only be 3MP in size because of compression, even though they are 12MP images. Let me know if this works. I have the Mini 2 as well, and intend to use it for spherical panos, too, but can't fly from home to test! I'm in an Authorization Zone and the manual unlock won't accept entering the unlock code!

 

[Youser]

If the Mini 2 works the same as the MA2, which uses the same Fly app, while in the air, after selecting to shoot a panorama, go into the camera settings menu, and select save original files, and you also have the option to select DNG instead of JPG. It is a separate setting from normal photo settings. The JPG's will only be 3MP in size because of compression, even though they are 12MP images. Let me know if this works. I have the Mini 2 as well, and intend to use it for spherical panos, too, but can't fly from home to test! I'm in an Authorization Zone and the manual unlock won't accept entering the unlock code!

I’m new to panos and spherical panos. Took a spherical pano the other day. How do you export it as a sphere? I can only see it as a sphere within the app.

 

[PaulDoneDrone]

Apparently the Panoramic feature is kind of a downgrade from doing it manually (or automatically in the Litchi Beta app for the Mini)

The two main issue I noticed :

1. It will only save each frame as jpeg (not jpeg + raw) regardless of setting.
2. Each frame is only captured at 3 megapixels ( 2,000 x 1,500 ) So the resulting wide shot panoramic for example, ends up being a 9 Megapixel image (as opposed to a single not-as-wide view at 12MP)\

Regarding Raw, I'm aware that if I'm letting the app do the stitching for me in download, it's always going to be jpeg especially as it won't import the raw files to the app.
But if it did Jpeg+Raw for each frame (as it does save each frame into its own panoramic folder on the card), adobe camera raw can merge the DNGs into a single Panoramic DNG raw file.

The main reasoning I can think of is that since many consumers are most likely going to take the stitching straight from the phone, the app doesn't want to have to deal with a bunch of 12MP+ files in the creation of its stitching especially on the bare minimum phones that will work with the app.

I'm guessing if the goal for me is to produce a larger resolution image, I either have to capture each frame manually (which I was doing early on and as I've done for years with my still cameras) but now with the advantage of raw files.

or

I'm going to have to wait for either DJI Fly to change it to where the files are larger (or provide that option at the loss of in-phone stitching if they can't do either or), or wait for Litchi to include Mini 2 in its future beta releases.

But for now, based on my intended purpose of a higher resolution image, the Mini 2 doesn't deliver the frame capture automatically for me.

Edit: In my first higher up (~320ft, winds at 9mph with 17mph gust at 300ft) panoramic shot this morning, selecting 180° the DJI Fly app crashed on me as it got to the very far left of the panoramic capture. The Mini 2 was on its way back down (RTH) as I got the app opened again and connected. It seems like based on the files on the card, the drone itself continued to capture the other 3 frames after the app crash to complete the 180 degree panorama.

you can capture DNG 360 pano just go to setting while in pano mode and set to jpeg and DNG.

I'm really happy with MM2 pano mode, beats Litchi on slower phones like iPhone XR. for DNS stitching you will need some serious processing power and specialized apps like PTGui, it works really well. I did some really cool night Panos in very strong wind last night, they would be impossible to take with MM1. The only caveat is that the gimbal might get stuck when shooting up photo against the wind.

 

[karlblessing]

I’m new to panos and spherical panos. Took a spherical pano the other day. How do you export it as a sphere? I can only see it as a sphere within the app.

For a free way to do it, get Microsoft Image Composite Editor, select those images, and when you get to the stitching part choose Stereographic, change the pitch to -90 , and can zoom out a little to see the whole sphere.

You can also drag along the lines to change the perspective of the stitching. Skip the crop (for the sphere type) and go to the export, and adjust from there.

 

[karlblessing]

If the Mini 2 works the same as the MA2, which uses the same Fly app, while in the air, after selecting to shoot a panorama, go into the camera settings menu, and select save original files, and you also have the option to select DNG instead of JPG. It is a separate setting from normal photo settings. The JPG's will only be 3MP in size because of compression, even though they are 12MP images. Let me know if this works. I have the Mini 2 as well, and intend to use it for spherical panos, too, but can't fly from home to test! I'm in an Authorization Zone and the manual unlock won't accept entering the unlock code!

K, on the mini 2 there's no "save original file" (it already saves each frame it used to stitch), however it does have the Jpeg+raw option available, and will stay if I land, lift off again, and choose pano, and check camera setting again.

It feels kind of stupid if not very UI-intuitive to have the camera settings change between the modes (not to mention not allowing you to select those options while not in flight), but alas it does let you set after it's in the air, switched to pano, and so forth.

Also when I said 3MP I wasn't talking about megabytes I was talking about actual megapixels (the HxW dimension). Because even in single-shot mode the Jpeg are 12MPixel, but wasn't with the pano. I suspect they reduce the resolution of the Jpeg to aid in the in-camera/phone stitching for the app. But least with DNG added I can use those for original resolution, so thanks for that.

 

[Youser]

For a free way to do it, get Microsoft Image Composite Editor, select those images, and when you get to the stitching part choose Stereographic, change the pitch to -90 , and can zoom out a little to see the whole sphere.

You can also drag along the lines to change the perspective of the stitching. Skip the crop (for the sphere type) and go to the export, and adjust from there.

Thanks. Are there any apps that will do this on a phone?

 

[karlblessing]

Thanks. Are there any apps that will do this on a phone?

I'm sure there has to be one, but I haven't really researched it, and typically it's not something that is made for stitching pre-existing images (but rather making you capture each frame with your phone). While I do occasionally like to share off to instagram/etc (usually after a quick video edit in InShot on the phone), anything I capture is not primarily going to be done with the phone, but rather it gets processed on the computer 99.9% of the time.

 

[Frosty Of The North]

If the Mini 2 works the same as the MA2, which uses the same Fly app, while in the air, after selecting to shoot a panorama, go into the camera settings menu, and select save original files, and you also have the option to select DNG instead of JPG. It is a separate setting from normal photo settings. The JPG's will only be 3MP in size because of compression, even though they are 12MP images. Let me know if this works. I have the Mini 2 as well, and intend to use it for spherical panos, too, but can't fly from home to test! I'm in an Authorization Zone and the manual unlock won't accept entering the unlock code!

I'm very interested in shooting spherical panos. (See my post here.) I'll be interested in hearing of your results once you've tried it.

 

[Frosty Of The North]

For a free way to do it, get Microsoft Image Composite Editor, select those images, and when you get to the stitching part choose Stereographic, change the pitch to -90 , and can zoom out a little to see the whole sphere.

You can also drag along the lines to change the perspective of the stitching. Skip the crop (for the sphere type) and go to the export, and adjust from there.

What settings do you use at the import step? I've tried ICE with mixed results.

 

[karlblessing]

What settings do you use at the import step? I've tried ICE with mixed results.

I leave the import step to automatic.

Also there appears to be a bug in the DNG capture in panoramic mode. While you can turn on Jpeg+DNG in pano, the dng files are pretty much useless. Every single frame has the upper left corner as a different color/exposure than the rest of the image. Basically the upper left corner looks like the same color as the processed 3 megapixel jpeg (which happens to be 1/4th of the full resolution)

 

[Frosty Of The North]

Ah, you're not doing a 360 photo sphere, just a large scale pano?

 

[karlblessing]

Ah, you're not doing a 360 photo sphere, just a large scale pano?

That was a 360, least the frames of it. But that problem shows up in all the pano modes.

 

[karlblessing]

DJI responded to me trying to claim it's an exposure issue. I'm wondering if they didn't read my email clearly enough to understand this is an issue with every single frame of the DNG capture, not a result of a stitching.

 

[jos A]

first best way to shoot pano is, turn to the sun and adjust EV, then lock AE, turn to your object and shoot pano.
shoot in 4:3, take you dng files put it on your PC and use kolor auto pano giga.
This program adjust correct EV.

http://download.kolor.com/apg/stable/history
Shareware version:

name:[email protected]
code: KAPG9-FWNBR-QTIZS-S296M-FF54X-DD7U2

 

[PaulDoneDrone]

I'm not a pano expert I have to say I experience similar differences in exposure to yours, I was told it is normal and I need to blend the photos, seems like a lot of work.

I have seen some good Panos taken with MM, I was shooting with one guy last week, I like his night work, he said sometimes he shoots twice once starts pointing at the sun and the second time the opposite way.

again not my work but I would like to give it a shoot, I tried a few times and the app could not even stitch my photos

Toronto

 

[karlblessing]

DJI doesn't seem to be understanding the problem :


AGAIN the image showing the problem is NOT A COMPOSITE it is a single DNG frame, there is NEVER a reason for a single dng that is not a composite to have a 25% sharp corner of it being a different look as the rest of the image for every single frame of the capture. That is clearly a bug.

 

[TDZHDTV]

DJI doesn't seem to be understanding the problem :
View attachment 117266

AGAIN the image showing the problem is NOT A COMPOSITE it is a single DNG frame, there is NEVER a reason for a single dng that is not a composite to have a 25% sharp corner of it being a different look as the rest of the image for every single frame of the capture. That is clearly a bug.

Hi, you need to post it on the official DJI forum, DJI don’t monitor this site ?

 

[Youser]

That was a 360, least the frames of it. But that problem shows up in all the pano modes.

View attachment 117252

How do you export the spheres in that form?

 

[karlblessing]

Hi, you need to post it on the official DJI forum, DJI don’t monitor this site ?

That's a direct support email with DJI. So I'm just relaying what the DJI Support themselves said.