Sometimes, it feels like our cameras and wide-angle lenses can’t really capture the immensity and beauty of a landscape. One easy way to overcome this limitation is to create a panorama (and print it in large format!).
Creating a panorama isn’t as hard as it sounds, especially with Lightroom. Sure, we have smartphones that can do the job easily, but it won’t have the scale and details of a proper panorama created with a DSLR.
The idea is simple: take a number of photos and then stitch them together in a software. Previously, it was a pain to stitch photos because you had to use Photoshop or a third-party software, import your images, stitch them, and then export them back in Lightroom. But since Lightroom CC (as well as LR 6), you can actually stitch your images directly into Lightroom with just a couple of clicks.
So here’s a quick tutorial on:
- How to properly shoot your images for a panorama
- How to stitch them in Lightroom
I – How to shoot for a panorama:
Shooting a panorama with your DLSR is easy, but you need to follow a few important steps if you want to get the best results and not end up with a patchwork of different images.
You need:
- A DSLR/Mirrorless or any camera that allows a full manual control of all your settings.
- A Tripod (for best results, but could be optional if it’s a bright sunny day).
- A remote trigger (or setting the timer on your camera can work too).
You can shoot as wide as you want: 90º, 180º angle, or even 360º full circle panorama.
II – How to stitch in Lightroom:
Once your images are in Lightroom, select all of the necessary images for your panorama. (If you don’t know how, click on the first image of the panorama, hold Shift and click on the last image. It will select them all at once.
And now comes the REALLY difficult part. Hang on!
Once the images are selected, right click on any of them and go to Photo Merge > Panorama. Or just click Ctrl+M (Cmd+M on Mac).
How to
A new window will open and Lightroom will start stitching your images together and create a preview. Now THAT was hard…
Sit back for a second and admire your panorama preview. Lightroom usually does a great job stitching all the images seamlessly. On the top right corner, you will have a few “Projection” options. You can click on them to see what looks best for your particular panorama and LR will recreate a preview each time.
Now you might notice, like in my example, that there are white empty spaces around the frame (especially if shot handheld). There are a couple of ways to get rid of that.
First option is to use the Auto-Crop tool on the right bar. If you check the box, Lightroom will automatically crop the image, removing all the white parts. You can also do it manually later in the develop module if you prefer.
The second option is a recent feature that Lightroom added a few months ago (in Lightroom CC, not sure about Lightroom 6): The Boundary Warp slider.
By pushing this slider to the right side, Lightroom is going to do a fantastic job and basically warp your image to cover all the white blank spaces. It’s seriously an impressive tool.
The biggest advantage of having Lightroom create a panorama, is that the final image is a RAW (DNG format) file. All your RAW image details are still included and your processing will be so much more efficient.
And that’s all! You now know how to easily create a panorama in Lightroom. And here’s a bonus tip for you: your panoramas don’t have to be all horizontal. You can also create vertical panoramas which work great, especially when indoors in huge buildings.
Pin it for later!
If you liked this tutorial, feel free to share, comment and ask questions and I’ll be happy to help.
The biggest advantage of having Lightroom create a panorama, is that the final image is a RAW (DNG format) file. All your RAW image details are still included and your processing will be so much more efficient.
