PanoTools mailing list archive

Mailinglist:PanoTools NG
Sender:Neil Scott
Date/Time:13-Oct-2010 18:16:52 +0000
Subject:Re: Anaglyph / Stereoscopic Panos

Thread:


Hi I have a fuji W1 and have not yet tried it on a 360, will try and give it a go over the next few days. The resolution quality will be an issue though.

For single camera 3d panos you should take a look at this article by Wim Kornneef taken from the forum General Dicusssions/everything else on nodalnija.com. For more info join nodalninja.com, and fuji3d and photo-3d here on yahoo groups, there are plenty of 3d experts on the all of the forums who are more than happy to help.

works well.

Neil

tutorial follows.....

 Hello Forum,
This is a revised version of the tutorial "How to make a spherical 3D panorama with a single camera and a fisheye lens".
In the initial tutorial that I wrote in 2009 I described how to use the application StereoPhoto Maker for connecting strips together to make a 3D panorama and while this is a good method it is now much easier to get the same results with PTGui Pro 9.
 
In this tutorial I will explain step by step how to shoot the images, how to process them to create a left and right eye panorama and how to make a 3D anaglyph panorama.
I suggest that you read all steps of the workflow and download the tutorial with screenshots (Links section at the end of the tutorial) before you start making your own 3D panorama.
 
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General instructions:
 
Take care that there are no objects in the scene closer then 1 m to the lens.
Only shoot outdoors when there is no wind at all.
Avoid dynamic scenes, you really need a static or "frozen" scene.
Use a sturdy tripod, a good panohead and level the panohead carefully.
If your rotator has a little wobble then the tilt and roll can vary between shots and then you can't use this method, this is because the method is based on a linked tilt and roll for all images for optimizing.
 
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The workflow in 13 steps:
 
1) Set the upper rail of your panohead in the horizontal position (zero tilt) and shift your camera forwards on the upper rail out of the proper no parallax point of the lens.
When shooting in a room with objects relatively close by then shift approx. 30 mm forwards, when shooting in a larger space then shift between 30 and 60 mm and when shooting outside then shift 60 mm or more.
 
I suggest that you start with a small shift to get familiar how to make 3D panoramas and try out larger shifts later when you are more experienced.
The more shift you use the more 3D depth you will get in your panorama. Having to much 3D depth in a panorama is always a bad thing, on the opposite, when having not as much as is possible 3D depth this will be accepted by most people.
 
2) Set your rotator to the proper number of images.
Use the table below as a guide for the -minimum- number of shots needed for a given shift, keep in mind that more images will always result in less stitching errors.
When shooting closer then 2 meter to objects you really need more images then stated in the table, how much more depends on the distance, for a distance of 1 m you need to double the numbers.
 
shift 2 cm > at least 15 images and at least 2 meter distance to objects.
" 3 cm " 20 "
" 4 cm " 25 "
" 5 cm " 30 "
" 6 cm " 35 "
" 7 cm " 40 "
" 8 cm " 45 "
" 9 cm " 50 "
" 10 cm " 55 "
 
3) Set the camera in M mode for a fixed exposure of all images, set the white balance to a fixed setting and the focus of the lens to Manual with a fixed distance setting.
Shoot all images around and take care that you don't move the gear by accident (use a remote control !).
 
4) In PTGui Pro 9 you load all images, apply a lens calibrated template and setup your template for advanced use.
Let PTGui automatically place the cp's.
 
Optimize for lens shift parameters "d" and "e" and image parameters yaw, pitch and roll in steps with linked roll and pitch for all images and remove all cp's with errors of 8 px or higher.
Avoid optimizing for the image parameter pitch and the vertical lens shift parameter "e" in the same step when you start optimizing as it will give issues with high and wrong values.
When the cp errors are all below 8 px and the pitch and the vertical lens shift parameter are more or less normal then the optimizing is done.
 
5) Open the Mask window and the Panorama Editor window, select the first image in the Mask window and draw a red mask with a large unmasked part that looks like a half ball in the right half of the fisheye image.
You can see the result of your drawing in real time in the Panorama Editor, please keep in mind that the shape of the mask is more important then fine tuning of the edges of the mask.
Instead of drawing your own mask from scratch you can also download the mask that I used for this tutorial (Links section at the end of the tutorial), resize it to the image size of your camera and modify the shape of the mask in a graphic application (f.e. Photoshop) and then load the mask in the first image.
When the mask looks fine in the Panorama Editor then save the mask as "left_mask"
 
6) Open to the Source Images tab.
Control-click (right mouse click) on the first image and copy the mask with the mouse menu.
Select all images and paste the mask to all images with the mouse menu.
Check the blended result of the masking in the Panorama Editor.
 
7) Go to the Create Panorama tab and set the settings just as you normally do for your camera and lens.
Now save the template and name it whatever you like as long as the word "left" is in it.
Create the panorama, this will be the left eye image.
 
8) Open the mask that you saved earlier in step 5 in a graphic application, flip the mask horizontal and save the mask as "right_mask" in PNG format.
BTW, you can re-use the masks for other 3D projects as long as you use the same camera and lens (and the same zoom setting if you are using a zoom fisheye lens).
 
9) Go back to PTGui's Mask window, select the first image again and load the "right_mask" image.
Repeat step 6 and 7 but this time you save the template and the image with the word "right" in it.
The output will be your right eye image.
 
10) To make an anaglyph, or to make another stereo format from the left and right eye images, you can use the application StereoPhoto Maker (free) or ColorCode 3D Editor (not free).
Both versions are "Windows only" but are running fine in OSX when using an emulator.
StereoPhoto Maker can run with Wine for OSX (free and easy to install) but for ColorCode 3D Editor in OSX you need a emulator, f.e. Parallels or Bootcamp.
 
You can download a trial version of the ColorCode 3D Editor (watermarked output) and get a pair of free viewers after registering at the website of ColorCode 3D.
 
For making an anaglyph the left and right eye images must be to set to the proper zero parallax point, this is the point where you will not see a colored edge at the left and right side of an object when viewing the anaglyph without a viewer.
 
The setting of the zero parallax point is done by aligning the left and right eye images to objects in the foreground of the scene, the procedure for this is different for StereoPhoto Maker and ColorCode 3D Editor.
Step 11 is for ColorCode 3D Editor and step 12 is for StereoPhoto Maker.
 
11) Aligning and making of a amber/blue anaglyph with ColorCode 3D Editor.
 
When using ColorCode 3D Editor you have to align the left and right eye images in a graphic application, this is because ColorCode 3D Editor is designed to work with rectangular images and can not wrap-shift images over the 0/360 border when aligning a 360 degree panorama.
 
When you use Photoshop for aligning then open the left and right images, copy one of the images on top of the other one in a separate layer and reduce the Opacity of the new layer to get both layers visible.
Select the background layer (make sure that it is highlighted !) and with the menu option "Filter", the option "Others" and the sub menu "Offset" you align the background layer in such a way that objects close to nadir are on top of each other (only shift in a horizontal direction !).
After deleting the copied layer and after flatten the image you save the shifted panorama.
 
In ColorCode 3D Editor you open the aligned left and right eye images and set the gamma (try 1.2 for a start).
Don't use any other option unless you know what you are doing, the reason for this is that most options of ColorCode 3D Editor can't be used for making 360 degree anaglyph's !
Inspect the anaglyph with your ColorCode 3D viewer on and save the output as stereo image when you are happy with the result.
Continue with step 13.
 
12) Aligning and making of a red/cyan anaglyph with StereoPhoto Maker.
In StereoPhoto Maker you open the left and right eye images with the File menu option "Open left/right images, choose in the View menu the option "Panorama Mode (360 degree)" and the option "Fit panorama height to screen".
The left and right stereo images are now displayed side by side.
With the menu option "Stereo", the option "Color Anaglyph" and the submenu "color(red/cyan)" you get an anaglyph.
 
Now the images must aligned in such a way that objects close to nadir are on top of each other (only shift in a horizontal direction !).
This can be done with the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.
In case the anaglyph need some color correction then you can do this with the menu Adjust and option Color adjustment?
Often only the gamma needs a small correction to compensate for the loss of brightness due to the filters of the anaglyph viewer.
When this is done you can save the anaglyph panorama with the "File" menu option "Save Stereo Image ...".
 
StereoPhoto Maker has several options for creating 3D images in many more formats then just red/cyan anaglyph but it is outside the scope of this tutorial to describe all options in detail.
 
13) Convert the anaglyph panorama in red/cyan or amber/blue to an interactive panorama (Flash, HTML5) just as you do with any other panorama.
When you view the 3D panorama make sure that your monitor is calibrated, that there is not to much ambient light and that your viewer is clean.
Enjoy your first and self made interactive 3D panorama. If you are happy with it, and if possible, then please share it here.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
A last word about masks.
 
If you are willing to accept small errors then the shape of the default mask (Links section at the end of the tutorial) will do fine in a lot of situations, if not then a smart mask that is shaped for a certain purpose can sometimes help to tackle issues.
When to use and how to make smart masks are subjects outside the scope of this tutorial that is aimed at the novice maker of spherical 3D panoramas so I will just explain a little about it.
 
With a smart mask it is possible to control the 3D depth, to reduce stitching errors or to make a 3D panorama with a flat 2D view in zenith and nadir and a smooth transition from 2D to full 3D at the horizon.
With the links at the end of the tutorial you can download 4 different types of masks to use as a base or to get inspiration for creating your own masks.
 
Unfortunately there are a few drawbacks when using smart masks, especially when they are shaped with small parts.
First the making, testing and fine tuning of a smart mask can take a lot of time.
Second a smart mask can introduce nasty issues like stains, brightness and contrast errors in the output, if this will happen or not depends on the shape of the mask and the type of blender, double check the Panorama Editor to make sure that the issues are not visible.
 
To tackle blender issues with smart masks it is best to output the panorama as layered Photoshop image (ignore the 2 or 4 GB warning of PTGui), open the image in Photoshop, enlarge the canvas approx. 10% at one side, copy and shift the layers to the enlarged part to get a seamless image, blend the panorama with Auto-blend, flatten the image, reduce the canvas to the original size and shift the image if you want to get the original position (see step 11 if you need help to shift over the 0/360 border).
The enlarging of the canvas and and the copying of the layers is needed to avoid a visible 0/360 seem as Auto-blend is not capable to wrap-blend over the 0/360 degree borders of the image.
 
Although the result with Auto-blend is most times very good even then it can happen that the output has blender artifacts, if this is the case then you have to modify your masks or manually retouch the output.
 
Bottom line, most issues you ever encounter with your 3D panorama can be solved with smart masks but the extra time and efforts it takes to solve the issues are most times not worth the gain in quality because most people won't see or bother the difference between the output of a simple mask and a smart mask.
 
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Links
 
The 3D panorama I used for this tutorial
red/cyan http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...image_001.html
amber/blue (ColorCode 3D) http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...image_002.html
 
Photos of the setup
overview http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...image_003.html
closeup http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...image_004.html
 
The tutorial in screenshots of PTGui and StereoPhoto Maker (PDF 2,9 MB)
http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...d_panorama.pdf
 
The mask of the left eye image of the tutorial
http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised.../left_mask.png
 
Modified mask with more 3D depth
http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...e_3d_depth.png
 
Modified mask for less 3D depth
http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...s_3d_depth.png
 
Smart mask for a 3D panorama with a 2D part in zenith and nadir
http://www.dmmdh.nl/panos/3D_revised...nith_nadir.png
 
ColorCode 3D
http://www.colorcode3d.com
 
StereoPhoto Maker
http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/stphmkr
 
Wine with Winebotler for OSX (Wine works only for StereoPhoto Maker, not for ColorCode 3D)
http://winebottler.kronenberg.org
 
The first and now obsolete tutorial is perhaps of any interest if you like to read more about the method of creating a 3D panorama with a singe camera and a fisheyelens.
http://www.nodalninja.com/forum/show...light=tutorial
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the moment of writing this tutorial (September 2010) PTGui Pro 9 is still in beta, if new options in the final version require a modification I will adapt this tutorial.
 
I appreciate your feedback about this tutorial, if anything is unclear, if it helped you (or not), then just let me know.
 
Success,
 
Wim.Koornneef

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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