Create Photo Planets: Panoramic Photography Guide
Creating Miniature Planets from Panoramic Photos
It's a common observation that some locations feel entirely separate from the rest of the world. Now, through a fascinating photo manipulation technique, you can visually represent this idea.
This method allows you to transform a standard panoramic photograph into a convincing miniature planet.
How It Works
The process involves skillfully editing a panoramic image to give the illusion of a small, spherical world. Whether your panorama depicts an urban landscape, a lush botanical garden, or a bustling marina, the result is a captivating "planet" image.
Essentially, the panoramic view is warped and blended to create a circular form, mimicking the appearance of a globe.
Image Sources
The composite image illustrating this technique was created by the author.
The original photographs used in the creation were generously provided by Dominic Alves, Craig Conley, and Luis Argerich.
The Appeal of Photo Planets
Perhaps you've encountered captivating photo planets created by others and are inspired to design your own. It's also possible you'd like to present a friend or family member with a truly distinctive image of a location they cherish. Alternatively, you might have simply found yourself considering how to better utilize Photoshop's Polar Coordinates function.
Regardless of your reasoning, this guide offers a remarkably enjoyable – and efficiently completed – method for expanding your Photoshop skills beyond standard adjustments like color correction and retouching, and venturing into more imaginative and playful applications.
Exploring Creative Possibilities
This technique allows you to move beyond typical photo editing. It encourages experimentation with Photoshop’s features in unexpected ways.
The result is a visually striking image that’s far from ordinary. It’s a chance to showcase your creativity and technical abilities.
A Unique Gift Idea
Consider the impact of gifting a personalized photo planet. It’s a thoughtful and memorable present.
This approach transforms a familiar photograph into something extraordinary and unique. It demonstrates a level of effort and personalization that is highly valued.
Mastering a Photoshop Function
The process provides practical experience with Photoshop’s Polar Coordinates function. This expands your skillset and understanding of the software.
By applying this function creatively, you unlock new possibilities for image manipulation and artistic expression. It’s a valuable addition to any Photoshop user’s repertoire.
Essential Requirements
To follow this guide effectively, several items are necessary. These include:
- A high-resolution panoramic photo
- Installation of Adobe Photoshop
This tutorial utilizes Adobe Photoshop CS6; however, the methods described should remain applicable across various Photoshop versions.
Beyond the software, a panorama possessing particular characteristics, detailed in the subsequent section, will be required for optimal results.
Choosing the right panoramic photograph is a crucial first step in creating a compelling 360° virtual tour. The image serves as the foundation for the entire experience, influencing viewer immersion and overall quality.
Image Requirements & Considerations
Resolution and Dimensions
High resolution is paramount for a successful virtual tour. A minimum resolution of 8192x4096 pixels is generally recommended, though larger sizes (e.g., 16384x8192) can provide even greater detail.
The aspect ratio should ideally be 2:1. This ensures proper projection and minimizes distortion when converted into an equirectangular format.
File Format
JPEG is the most commonly used file format due to its balance of quality and file size. However, ensure the JPEG is saved with minimal compression to avoid artifacts.
Alternatives like TIFF can be used for lossless compression, but result in significantly larger file sizes.
Field of View (FOV)
A 360° panoramic image should capture a complete 360-degree horizontal view. Vertical coverage should ideally extend from +90° to -90° to encompass the entire spherical environment.
Images with limited vertical FOV may result in a restricted viewing experience.
Stitching Quality
If the panorama is created by stitching multiple images together, meticulous attention must be paid to the stitching process. Visible seams or inconsistencies can detract from the immersive quality.
Utilize specialized panoramic stitching software to ensure seamless blending and accurate alignment.
Lighting and Exposure
Consistent lighting and exposure are essential throughout the entire panorama. Avoid harsh shadows or blown-out highlights, as these can be distracting.
Employ techniques like HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography to capture a wider range of tones and maintain detail in both bright and dark areas.
Content Best Practices
Minimize Moving Objects
The presence of moving objects (people, cars, etc.) can create ghosting artifacts or distortions in the final virtual tour. It’s best to capture scenes with minimal movement.
If movement is unavoidable, consider using techniques like masking or cloning to remove or minimize the impact of these objects.
Remove Unwanted Elements
Before creating the virtual tour, carefully review the panorama for any distracting or unwanted elements. These could include tripods, reflections, or irrelevant objects.
Use image editing software to remove these elements and create a cleaner, more focused viewing experience.
Consider Composition
Thoughtful composition can significantly enhance the visual appeal of the virtual tour. Pay attention to leading lines, focal points, and overall balance.
A well-composed panorama will naturally draw the viewer's eye and encourage exploration.
Nadir and Zenith
The nadir (the point directly below the camera) and zenith (the point directly above the camera) often require special attention. These areas may contain the tripod or other unwanted elements.
Use image editing software to fill these areas with appropriate content, such as a blurred version of the surrounding environment or a custom graphic.
Preparing for Equirectangular Projection
Before uploading the panorama, it must be converted into an equirectangular projection. This is the standard format used by most virtual tour platforms.
Many panoramic stitching software packages include built-in equirectangular conversion tools. Alternatively, dedicated conversion software can be used.
A 360-degree panorama is highly recommended: The core principle behind this photographic effect involves seamlessly wrapping the edges of a panoramic image around to connect with one another.
Consequently, utilizing a true 360-degree panorama is crucial for achieving the most visually harmonious symmetry. If a panorama less than 360 degrees is used, elements like buildings or trees will fail to align, disrupting the illusion.
While not mandatory, working with a 360-degree panorama simplifies the process; narrower views require more extensive editing to ensure a smooth blend at the edges.
Photo by Dominic Alves.
Greater width yields better results: Regardless of whether it's a full 360-degree view, a wider photograph is preferable. The image should ideally be at least twice as wide as it is tall.
Increasing the width-to-height ratio will result in a more spherical photo planet. A longer image creates a circular planet, while a shorter image allows for more pronounced features extending outwards.
Examining the header image of this guide reveals three distinct photo planets. The first planet was created from a photo with a roughly 3:1 aspect ratio, including a tall object, resulting in a compact planet with a significant protrusion. The second planet’s source photo had an 8:1 ratio and a level horizon, yielding an exceptionally smooth result. The final planet, based on a 2:1 ratio photo with numerous tall structures, exhibits a unique, bulging appearance.
Choose images with clear skies and open foregrounds: The upper and lower portions of your image should ideally be less detailed than the center, as these areas will undergo the most distortion during editing.
For instance, a panoramic view of New York City captured from an open space in Central Park would be ideal, offering expansive skies above and grassy fields below, with the city skyline providing central detail.
If a choice must be made, prioritize a clearer upper region, such as a blue sky rather than dense clouds.
A level horizon is essential: When working with panoramas less than 360 degrees, utilize Photoshop’s guidelines to guarantee a perfectly level horizon.
Failure to carefully crop the image so the horizon edges align when wrapped will produce undesirable results, such as the mismatched edges shown in the image above, when transforming a mountain range into a planetary form.
You might be concerned at this stage, thinking you lack suitable images. However, numerous Creative Commons licensed photos are available on Flickr for use in this tutorial – and we are utilizing such images ourselves.
You can find CC-licensed 360 panoramas here.
Transforming Panoramas into Photo Planets
Having chosen your photograph – in this instance, a sweeping panorama of Saint Augustine harbor captured by Craig Conley – the process of creation can begin.
To ensure a centered and correctly formed planet, the image requires preparation to achieve optimal dimensions and orientation for the warping stage. Specifically, the image must be perfectly square.
Squaring the Image
Square your image: Access Image -> Image Size. Within the Image Size dialog, disable the "Constrain Proportions" option. Altering image size while maintaining proportions is generally discouraged, but this situation necessitates it.
Once unchecked, adjust the height to equal the width of the image. The precise values used are not critical.
For example, the large panorama was reduced to a width of 10,000 pixels, with the height subsequently adjusted to match. The key is to ensure width and height are identical.
The resulting image, as shown below, will appear somewhat distorted:
This juncture is ideal for editing any imperfections, such as color banding in the sky, or refining the upper portion of the image – as this area will be projected furthest from the planet’s surface.
We addressed the banding while preserving the existing clouds. The healing brush proves invaluable for smoothing out such inconsistencies.
Furthermore, enhancing the image with a gradient based on the sky’s dominant color will yield superior results. Using the gradient tool, select a representative shade of blue (or gray/black, depending on the sky’s color) with the eyedropper.
Apply a color-to-transparent gradient from the sky’s apex downwards towards the landscape. This creates a consistent color band that gradually fades into the clouds and other elevated features. The importance of this step will become clear shortly.
Image Inversion and Warping
Invert the image: After completing any desired touch-up editing, inverting the image is necessary for proper orientation during the warping process. Navigate to Image -> Image Rotation -> 180. This action completely flips the image vertically.
Warp the image: With the preparatory steps completed, the transformation can now occur. Navigate to Filter -> Distort -> Polar Coordinates. Select "Rectangular to Polar" and confirm with OK. The desired effect will begin to materialize:
Minor alignment issues at the sphere’s apex and slight color variations at the original image’s edges may be present. These can be easily corrected by zooming in and utilizing the healing brush and clone stamp tools to seamlessly blend the edges.
Let’s proceed with these refinements and then examine a close-up to verify the results:
Excellent! A few minutes of cleanup eliminates the jagged edge and color discrepancy. The entire process involves carefully selecting a suitable panorama, adjusting its dimensions, inverting it, warping it with the Polar Coordinates tool, and refining the image with tools like the healing brush to achieve a polished final product.