One-shot images
PhotoWarp accepts several different types of images and panoramic media as sources, which can be unwarped into any of PhotoWarp's output formats. In this chapter we will discuss the source types supported by PhotoWarp.
Do not use PhotoWarp to decode copyrighted materials without the author's permission. Copyright infringement is illegal.
The most common source format for most users is a one-shot image source. This is a standard image file (TIFF, JPEG, etc.) photographed with a one-shot optical attachment. These images are sometimes referred to as "donuts" because of their characteristic shape.
PhotoWarp can interpret one-shot images from the most popular optics available commercially. These optics include:
PhotoWarp assumes that images are one-shot sources if they have an aspect ratio (pixel width / pixel height) of 3:2 or less, which is typical of most standard cameras. You can also manually select a one-shot format by selecting it from the source format popup menu.
One-shot images
Each of the one-shot source types is calibrated specifically for that optic design. Using the wrong one-shot format for an image will result in a distorted output image. You can choose the default format for one-shot images from Preferences → Source → Default Source Type.
A solid target line indicates the edge of the mirror. A colored mask shows the area of the image that will be cropped from the output.
Adjust the color of the mask by choosing "Source → Mask Color..." Use the color panel to select the color and opacity. Results are shown immediately.
PhotoWarp uses a target detection technique to automatically center for the target. Target detection is performed automatically when one-shot source images are added to a job. While target detection is running on an image, the target line pulsates until the target has been detected. Once finished, the line will change to one of several colors depending upon the confidence of the match:
The position of the target may change slightly as images in a batch are processed. PhotoWarp automatically groups source images in a batch to apply the best results to the entire group.
Target detection works best on properly framed one-shot images with good lighting. Properly framed
images have the mirror fill the frame vertically, without cropping the mirror.
Images zoomed too far in, properly framed, and zoomed too far out.
The target mask can be dragged around manually to indicate the proper location of the mirror in the image. Start dragging the mask at any time; it isn't necessary to wait for the target to be detected. The target line will turn black to indicate a custom selection. Dragging on the line itself will change its diameter. You can use the arrow keys to position the mask precisely, and the < and > keys or the mouse scroll wheel to adjust the diameter.
A view knob appears on the image which denotes the center of the view of any generated panorama files. Click and drag on this knob to change the initial viewing angle for generated panoramas. A horizon line appears while dragging as a guide. The knob will stick
to the horizon while dragging. Use the [ and ] keys to rotate the view knob from the keyboard.
Directly opposite the view knob, the split line indicates where cylindrical and spherical images will be split. The part of the image on one side of this line will make the left of the cylindrical image, and the other will end up on the right side.
Click on the Settings...
button to show additional settings for one-shot images. Choose the Source
tab in the pane that appears, if it's not shown.
Settings pane for 360 One VR.
Shooting Direction
provides for images where the camera is shot down onto the optic (e.g., when resting the optic on a table). This will flip the resulting panorama so it appears correctly.
Target Selection
reflects the use of target detection on this image. Automatic
uses the detected position for the target. Manual is used to override this value. The detected location can be restored after dragging the target by clicking "Automatic".
Mirror Distance
appears for 360 One VR images. You can enter the distance in millimeters between the tip of the mirror and the focal point of the camera to unwarp images with more accurate geometry. This value is set automatically from your preferences (or the setup assistant), so you only need to change this if your camera setup has changed.
The Apply to All
button is useful to apply the same settings to all the images in a job at once. Position the target for any source image. Then click on the "Apply to All" button under Target Selection
. The remaining 360 One VR sources in the job will turn off target detection and set the same position as the current source.
PhotoWarp accepts panoramic images using cylindrical or spherical (equirectangular) projections as well. These might have been generated by another program (perhaps a stitching program, or an image generated by a rotating slit device), or by PhotoWarp itself as the result of a previously unwarped source.
Images that are very wide (greater than 3:2 aspect ratio) are assumed to have a cylindrical projection. If the aspect ratio is exactly 2:1, the image is assumed to be a full spherical panorama. Additionally, PhotoWarp identifies TIFF and JPEG images generated by PhotoWarp 2 automatically, along with the appropriate settings.
Spherical source image
With either of these source types, a horizon line appears over the image. This line denotes a tilt angle of 0 degrees in the image. This line appears on or slightly above the horizon of the image. Drag the horizon line to align with an object at the same height as the mirror in the original shot. This is important to ensure the resulting panorama will not be distorted when unwarping. With cylindrical or spherical images generated by PhotoWarp, the proper position is extracted from the file itself.
Like other sources, the view knob will appear on top of the horizon line to indicate the initial view of resulting panoramas. Drag this knob to choose an appropriate initial view.
Normally the pan range for a cylindrical or spherical input image is from 0 to 360 degrees. For partial panoramas, set these numbers appropriately.
Tilt settings allow the lower and upper tilt bounds to be specified explicitly. These are set graphically by dragging the horizon line, but for precise settings or for non-square pixels, values can be entered numerically in the Source tab.
The pan and tilt range shown under the Source settings tab are different than the ranges shown in the View tab. In the Source tab, you are specifying the geometry of the image. In the View tab, you are effectively cropping the source to the desired constraints
Vertical cylinders are rotated for display in PhotoWarp to appear normally. If an image appears rotated, toggle the orientation setting so it appears correctly. The orientation setting appears only for cylindrical images, not spherical.
PhotoWarp also accepts cylindrical QuickTime VR movies as a source. These sources will appear similarly to a cylindrical image source, but all the parameters are encoded within the movie. PhotoWarp can read both horizontal and vertical VRs that use QTVR 2.0 encoding. Some very old panoramas that use the QTVR 1.0 encoding cannot be read.
QuickTime VR cylinder sources can be useful to convert a collection of QuickTime VR movies for other viewers; for instance, to provide a Java version of the panorama for display.
Whenever possible, use the original image as a source rather than a QuickTime VR. QuickTime VRs are typically compressed for delivery. Unwarping will degrade image quality further when re-compressed by PhotoWarp.
Like the cylindrical image source, a view knob appears on top of the image to allow selection of the initial view for generated panoramas. Drag the knob to choose a suitable view.
No settings can be changed on a QuickTime VR panorama since all the important details are encoded within the movie. The Settings pane displays the pan and tilt constraints defined by the panorama for reference.
You can customize the pan, tilt and field-of-view constraints for a source in the Settings panel. Click the Settings...
button in the source tray, then switch to the View
tab:
Constraints tab
The numerical values for the default view are shown first. The values will change if you use the view knob or the preview window to adjust the view.
Auto Rotate will cause the panorama to rotate automatically when it is first viewed and sitting idle. You can control the direction and rate of this rotation by dragging the Auto Rotate
slider to that direction. If the preview window is visible, you will see the view rotate at the selected rate.
Clicking Apply to All
will copy the default view or auto rotate settings to the other sources in the job, replacing their current settings.
The range of allowable pan, tilt, and field-of-view values is indicated here. The number in the left box is the minimum value, the maximum is on the right. There is a checkbox next to each of these fields to allow that value to be edited. If the box is unchecked, PhotoWarp will automatically calculate the appropriate value for that constraint.
Constraints limit the portion of the panoramic image the viewer can see. Limits that appear in the Settings pane control the geometry of the image, and should not be changed to limit the view. Constraints are analogous to cropping the image.
Clicking Apply to All
will copy the customized constraints to the other sources in the job.
Also available in the source settings is the Notes tab. Text annotations can be recorded for each source in a job. Annotations are recorded within the meta data of output files, but are most often used when creating web pages with Web Scripts.
Annotations tab
The Author is typically the photographer of this panorama. As a convenience, the Author field is applied to every source in the job.
Similarly, Copyright is the copyright statement to be displayed along with the panorama. It also is applied to all sources in the job.
Comments are usually intended for taking personal notes about the source, e.g. conditions at the shoot, touch-ups to perform, etc. They are recorded with the source but typically aren't displayed to the viewer.
The Description is typically listed with the panorama in generated web pages. This can be as simple as a caption, or a more detailed discussion of the scene.