Get more widescreen drama into your digital photographs - not just those in the standard 3:2 proportions. Here's how: Shoot several panning shots - keeping the images on the same horizontal level - and then use a software program to stitch the images together.
Any digital camera, even the simplest model, will do. Tripods are useful, though not a prerequisite. For a start, pictures taken by a hand-held camera will do fine too. But make sure you have a steady hand. At the simplest level, all you need is to shoot overlapping pictures, using the same lens focal length, or 'zoom-factor'. For better results, try these:
Remember to shoot, pan to the right - or left, if you prefer - and shoot again. The idea is to get a series of photos that overlap each other, such that when you place them side-by-side they form a panoramic picture.
I used the Canon A70 camera and Canon's bundled Photostitch 3.1 software program.
If your camera does not come with panorama-stitching software, download it from the Web. (See box, right). Most panoramic software programs work similarly to Canon's Photostitch 3.1.
Import the pictures and arrange the sequence if necessary. Pictures taken in the portrait-orientation may have to be rotated first before importing.
You may need to enter data such as the focal length used to take the photos. Select 'panning' for general scenery taken from the same vantage point.
Press 'Start' and the program will do the rest. You may need to crop the scene to create the final panorama. Once you are satisfied with the results, save the file and you are done.
Mike Lee is a freelance IT writer.
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