This spherical panorama captures the complete scene; from the zenith (above my head) to the complete horizon to the the nadir (under my feet). No photographic paraphernalia (camera, tripod, photographer) distracts the viewer from the scene. What kind of magical camera does this? Well, with the right know-how, software and technique any camera will do. This is because spherical panoramas are simply an amalgamation of many regular photographs. Here’s the kit I used to make my example panorama.

Tripod fitted with a Nodal Ninja 5 panoramic tripod head supporting a Canon 5D mark II with Canon 16 – 35mm f2.8L lens

To get started we need a sequence of regular photographs which cover the entire scene. Typically this involves taking several ‘rows’ of images, each containing a constant number of images (columns). The number of rows and columns required depends on the lens used but nevertheless the angle between rows should be consistent, as should that between each column (made easy by using a panoramic tripod head, e.g. Nodal Ninja 5). In addition, a zenith shot (directly up) and two (complimentary) ‘nadir’ shots (directly down) are required. Here’s the sequence of images I used to produce my sample panorama.

zenithsky rowhorizon rowground rownadir (taking two at opposites enables later removal of feet & shadows)

The rest of the spherical panorama creation process is all in software. I plan to cover the details in a future screen-cast, but for now here’s a quick overview:

1. Ensure ‘consistent colour’ across shots by correcting white-balance discrepancies (tip: remember to lock white-balance, exposure, shutter-speed, focal length and focus while shooting). Also correct any vignetting (dark edges) and chromatic aberration (coloured fringing on detail). For these tasks I use Canon’s bundled DPP software (if Lightroom‘s vignetting correction tools were better, I’d use it instead).
2. Import the corrected images into a stitching tool (after trying a few apps I finally ponied up for a copy of PTGui). By creating control-point pairs (i.e. locating similar features in different photographs) I give PTGui the necessary information to correctly align, warp, composite and blend the all images (except for the zenith and nadir) into a single ‘stitched’ equirectilinear result.
3. In photoshop I work a little magic to combine the two original nadir shots (which both contain my legs and feet) into a single feet-free nadir image
4. Using PTGui again I produce another equirectilinear image, this time containing only the warped ground (from the composited nadir) and sky (from the zenith shot)
5. Back in photoshop I combine both equirectilinear images into a single image (‘patching’) and apply any necessary retouching (e.g. making horizons dead-level and apply colour-corrections) to produce the pièce de résistance: the final (70+ megapixel) image.

patching the warped nadir and zenith onto the stitched panorama in photoshop

At first glance this appears to be a regular photo, but in fact it covers 360° horizontally and 180° vertically (i.e. the entire scene). So how does it justify the ‘spherical’ and ‘edge-less’ tags? Well, the most effective way to present such an image is to wrap the rectangular image around an imaginary sphere and give the viewer control of a virtual camera placed at the orb’s centre. Rotating the camera simulates ‘looking’ in the original scene. There are no limits on where the camera may look and no visible edges or seams.

the distortion in the equirectilinear image disappea
rs when the image is wrapped around a sphere (inside which the viewer’s virtual ‘camera’ rotates)

Spherical panoramas really take on a new dimension when combined with software like the PangeaVR iPhone app I’ve mentioned before. Wherever I am I can show friends exactly what my favourite places are like by handing them the phone and saying “drag the image with your finger”. No other explanation, instruction or intervention is required for me to show friends overseas what the beach I learned to surf at is “really like”. Of course, the panoramas can also be viewed in a web browser. Below are links to a few panoramas I’ve created in the past few months from images taken on my Christmas holiday back home.

Hopefully I’ll have more to add to my panoramas page soon.

Most curious onlookers are sold after a whistle-stop tour of SMS, Web and Google Maps. However some stubborn folks haughtily demand what makes ‘it so special anyway?’, so I do my solemn best to give them the personalised excuse they need to justify their inevitable purchase. Twitterific seems to be the killer app for folks on twitter (twits?) and the common craft intro to twitter video quickly converts the non-twits. Productivity obsessives (guilty) have trouble restraining themselves when they see remember the milk and reqall. Some nuts are tougher to crack.

The final trick I have up my sleeve (besides games, but that’s cheap) is PangeaVR (app-store link).

PangeaVR iPhone app displaying ‘boat house‘ panorama from panedia.com

It’s not the most snappily-named app, nor the most seductively dressed but it’s the app that’s come closest to eliciting an audible ‘wow’ from me. In short PangeaVR allows you to view immersive photographs by rubbing your finger on the touch-screen. Drag left to look left, up is up etc. Spin around, zoom in, stare at a foreign sky. See the world not as the photographer frames it, but as they saw it (there’s a big difference). Revisit the places of your youth. Take a peek at that fantasy vacation spot. Show your friends the home town you never shut up about.

PangeaVR is (amazingly) free, though I reckon that with a less imposing UI metaphor (PangeaVR’s current UI is based around an intimidatingly long list of ‘portfolios’) and a Koi Pond-like price tag, PangeaVR could be a major money spinner for Pangea software (should they choose to go that route). The coolest part about PangeaVR as it stands though is that publishing your own panoramas through the system is also free and (theoretically) within reach of anyone with a digital camera (preferably with a wide lens and a bracket head), a PC and time! Brian Greenstone and the Pangea software guys responsible for this app/system deserve major kudos for their open-handed approach.

Now I should point out that this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered panoramic photography, so my praise isn’t just that of the VR ingénue. I’ve toiled to stitch my own panoramas in the past only to have users unable to load the Quicktime/flash/java plug-in necessary to view them or confused that they must ‘click & drag’ the photo (to which they are unaccustomed) to ‘pan’ the image (some very unhelpful lingo). In the end I gave up and started outputting stitched images as static JPEGs. What makes PangeaVR worth mentioning is that it harnesses people’s natural tendency to touch screens (even when they really shouldn’t) and the ability of even the most timid digital immigrant to comprehend the ‘move the picture with your finger’ concept.

My next move is to devise a workflow for producing my own spherical panoramas without splashing out on any specialist equipment.