Using PTGui to add nadir cap

[360edge]

Hi All,

I would like some advice - due to some tight IT constraints on an
upcoming project I would like to do everything in PTGui PRO, including
patching a nadir cap.

I have looked through the procedure :- 5.33. I need to align/overlay
an image to an already stitched panorama. How can I do this? on the
support page and made some headway.

However, I want to output in jpeg and am not sure how to output
without blending the cap with the main equi (I want the nadir cap to
have sharp edges).

My main question is - is this a recommended way to add a cap or should
I avoid at all costs.

Normally, I just use Photoshop and place the warped cap to the equi in
a batch action but it is looking like I will not have access to
Photoshop on this project.

Thanks,

Dave Staunton-Lambert

[John Houghton]

Dave, Adding a logo is possible provided you use the alternative
stitcher nona.exe that's supplied in the Hugin package (Open Source)
or PTStitcher.exe from the Panorama Tools package. These two programs
can stitch images that butt together and preserve the sharp edge where
they join. This is what I did:

1. Output the main panorama equirectangular image with the nadir area
masked out.
2. Output another full equirectangular panorama containing only the
logo at the nadir, with the rest of the image area masked out.
3. Input both equirectangular images in a new PTGui project and stitch
together with the alternative stitcher selected.

For a simple circular disc logo, the two required masks can easily
created in Photoshop: black & red tiff files having dimensions of the
panorama, and type "Indexed Color" instead of RGB. Each mask is
exactly the inverse of the other. (If you Save a mask to a file, you
will see exactly what's required). The masks are applied via the Load
Mask buttons on the Mask tab of PTGUI.

John

[360edge]

Many many thanks John, that is a good challenge for me to work through
- I have been using PTGui PRO on a Mac for a few years so have yet to
play with different stitchers - the project will be PC-based though so
no worries.

Thanks again, i will let you know how I get on.

Regards,

Dave Staunton-Lambert

[360edge]

Hi John,

I am a bit wary about loading PanoTools or Hugin as the documentation
is not really available - this is a bit beyond my knowledge but I
thought that PTGui was a user-friendly gui for panotools.  My concern
is that I do not want to start installing libraries without knowing
what I am doing - I think I could break PTGui in the process due to
my
amateurishness.

Is there anywhere that I can simply download just ptstitcher.exe file
or the nano version so that I can simply put them in a directory and
select it for the second part of the workflow?
On another note - I am assuming that using either of these stitchers
DOES NOT strip out the GPS data in the exif?  This is handled nicely
by PTGui
PRO and I would not want to interfere with it.

Sorry, as you can probably tell I am a more of a photographer rather
than a programmer.

Regards,
Dave Staunton-Lambert

[zarl]

Hi Dave,

On Oct 5, 12:00 pm, 360edge wrote:
>
> I am a bit wary about loading PanoTools or Hugin as the documentation
> is not really available

Maybe not in printed form in your bookshelf...

http://wiki.panotools.org/Hugin
This is the official manual

> Is there anywhere that I can simply download just ptstitcher.exe file
> or the nano version so that I can simply put them in a directory and
> select it for the second part of the workflow?
> On another note - I am assuming that using either of these stitchers
> DOES NOT strip out the GPS data in the exif?  This is handled nicely
> by PTGui
> PRO and I would not want to interfere with it.

Hugin uses exiftool to copy metadata from input images to the stitched
result. Just try it, it works.

> Sorry, as you can probably tell I am a more of a photographer rather
> than a programmer.

No need to be a programmer to switch between (related)
applications...
I'd say using both PTGui and Hugin is so much more fun than trying to
cope with e.g. InDesign and QuarkXPress at the same time.