GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

Believe it or not, I somehow let Ole Yeller's registration expire :o at the end of March.  I finally got the inspection done ... only to learn that the bike didn't even need one this year.  :mad:  On the day after the bike was "legal" again (29 April) I went on a ~250-mile ride.

I thought you might enjoy the half-dozen "panoramas" I took during the day.  They're in the "Scenic Views" album of the Photo Gallery.  You can't miss 'em -- most of them are much wider than they are tall.  :)

Direct links, in chronological order (for captions, see the Gallery):

    Sundance Ski Resort (http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10047/SundanceSkiResort_CX7530_0496-0502_Reduced_Sharpened.jpg)

    Deer Creek Reservoir (http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10047/DeerCreekReservoir_CX7530_0503-0511_Reduced_Sharpened.jpg)

    Wallsburg Area (http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10047/Wallsburg_EndOfPavement_CX7530_0515-0516_Reduced_Sharpened.jpg)

    Heber Creeper station (http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10047/HeberCreeperStation_CX7530_0517-0520_Reduced_Sharpened.jpg)

    Near Daniels Summit (http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10047/NearDanielsSummit_Autostitch_CX7530_0535-0538_Cropped_Sharpened_Reduced.jpg)

    Near Red Narrows on US 6 (http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10047/NearRedNarrows_CX7530_0544-0548_Reduced_Sharpened.jpg)

Wow. Absolutely gorgeous photographs. What did you use to splice them together?

Good to see you back, as well.

wow. . . .those shots are HOT!!!!! those roads look like they are so nice to ride on, i hate living in the UK, we have the worst roads ever!!!!  :cry:

Andy

Magnificent scenery, roads and pics. I can see that those roads will not suffer fools gladly! Not much room to correct mistakes :o. When I was last in  Colorado, I was amazed and struck by the lack of runoffs, shoulders and guardrails that were NOT part of the highway system on the secondary roads through the high mountain passes. Darwinism at work there in the high country :icon_mrgreen: Freaked wifey out, though :o

Thanks for sharing, and good to see you post again :thumb:

Utah is better looking than I thought.  :icon_mrgreen:

Cool pics!  :thumb:

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 23, 2006, 10:41:33 AMWhat did you use to splice them together?

I spliced the images with Autostitch, which I first learned about from JetSwing - a fellow GStwinner.  It is a free download from
    http://www.autostitch.net (http://www.autostitch.net)

The program is super easy to use.  From File -> Open, just select all of the images that go together.  They can be "out of order" or whatever; Autostitch magically figures it all out somehow.

The only settings you might want to "tweak" (under Edit -> Options) are:

• Output Size (default is 10%, I use 50% unless I want a FULL sized original)


• JPEG Quality (default is 75, I always set it to 100)


• System Memory (you might want to allow Autostitch more than the default .25 GB of working memory if you're doing something BIG)

For cropping and reducing (necessary for web-sized images) and sharpening I use IrfanView, freely available at
    http://www.irfanview.com (http://www.irfanview.com)

Very nice Kerry...

I was so excited to see a post by you!! Welcome back.  8)

Nice pics Kerry, thought about you and the Utah landscape the other day when I travelled to St Louis for the SME tradeshow... I'll be in Denver next year and back in Salt Lake in '08.  Hope all is well. :thumb:

Quote from: RVertigo on May 23, 2006, 11:00:35 AM
Utah is better looking than I thought.  :icon_mrgreen:

+1  :thumb: I did not realize it was so pictureesque, but then again, I never gave it much thought either. But either way, those are magnificant photos. Simply beautiful  :thumb:

I could just imagine riding my bike through such beautiful country.  Thanks for posting!


Chris

Gorgeous! Sundance Ski Resort!  :thumb: Ride to the snow, and then ski..perfect! :cheers:

stray needs to post up a few shots from the ride we did here in texas :) was fun ... i need a tank cam so i can show you guys how i ride on some of these roads here in texas :) there not allll flat !

kerry!!! we've missed u!

WOW that looks great I wish there were areas here that looked like that.... all I have to ride that are considered twisties is a place called scenic drive, McKilligan canyon and this  http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_transmountain.shtml Its called Trans Mountain and many many riders have gone down here  :cry:   

what stictching program do u use?

Quote from: Kerry on May 23, 2006, 11:15:40 AM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 23, 2006, 10:41:33 AMWhat did you use to splice them together?

I spliced the images with Autostitch, which I first learned about from JetSwing - a fellow GStwinner.  It is a free download from
    http://www.autostitch.net (http://www.autostitch.net)

The program is super easy to use.  From File -> Open, just select all of the images that go together.  They can be "out of order" or whatever; Autostitch magically figures it all out somehow.

The only settings you might want to "tweak" (under Edit -> Options) are:

• Output Size (default is 10%, I use 50% unless I want a FULL sized original)


• JPEG Quality (default is 75, I always set it to 100)


• System Memory (you might want to allow Autostitch more than the default .25 GB of working memory if you're doing something BIG)

For cropping and reducing (necessary for web-sized images) and sharpening I use IrfanView, freely available at
    http://www.irfanview.com (http://www.irfanview.com)

Autostitch

utah is under-rated. I have a friend that lives in utah, and he's constantly reminding me of their nice landscapes

Great pics! What camera do you have??

I like how you have the bike somewhere in the picture. Adds a nice touch to the landscape  :)

Quote from: weaselnoze on May 24, 2006, 06:33:43 AM
what stictching program do u use?

Quote from: Kerry on May 23, 2006, 11:15:40 AM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 23, 2006, 10:41:33 AMWhat did you use to splice them together?

I spliced the images with Autostitch, which I first learned about from JetSwing - a fellow GStwinner.  It is a free download from
    http://www.autostitch.net (http://www.autostitch.net)

The program is super easy to use.  From File -> Open, just select all of the images that go together.  They can be "out of order" or whatever; Autostitch magically figures it all out somehow.

The only settings you might want to "tweak" (under Edit -> Options) are:

• Output Size (default is 10%, I use 50% unless I want a FULL sized original)


• JPEG Quality (default is 75, I always set it to 100)


• System Memory (you might want to allow Autostitch more than the default .25 GB of working memory if you're doing something BIG)

For cropping and reducing (necessary for web-sized images) and sharpening I use IrfanView, freely available at
    http://www.irfanview.com (http://www.irfanview.com)

Quote from: dawei213 on May 24, 2006, 09:35:33 AMGreat pics! What camera do you have??

Those pictures were taken with a Kodak EasyShare CX7530, an inexpensive 5MP / 3x optical zoom unit.  If you look closely at some of the panoramas, you can tell that AutoStitch had a hard time making smooth transitions between images - especially where the sky goes from light blue to darker, etc.  This camera has no manual controls (shutter speed priority, aperture priority, nothing) and no built-in panorama mode.  As a result, when you swing the camera to a lighter/darker part of the landscape it automatically adjusts the exposure ... which may not match the exposure for the other picture(s) in the set.

On last weekend's trip I experimented with a Canon PowerShot A520 (similarly inexpensive, 4MP / 4x optical zoom), which has ALL of those manual & panorama modes.  Once I create the panoramas that I shot, you (and I) can compare how well each camera handles the task.

Is the camera resting on anything or are you just holding it?  I've found that whenever I try anything like this, the pictures aren't centered vertically when you look at them side by side.  Or is that something Autostich can fix?

As for the A520, I tried to buy one last week but Office Depot sold out in 3 hours nationwide (according to them).  Guess that's what happens when they're on sale for $120.  I ended up with the Canon SD450 which should do me just fine even without the 4x optical :)

I usually just hand-hold the camera.  Here are reduced images of the original results as output by Autostitch.  I crop out the "jaggies" before reducing, sharpening, etc.


(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/AutoStitch_Results/SundanceSkiResort_CX7530_0496-0502_Reduced.jpg)


(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/AutoStitch_Results/DeerCreekReservoir_CX7530_0503-0511_Reduced.jpg)


(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/AutoStitch_Results/Wallsburg_EndOfPavement_CX7530_0515-0516_Reduced.jpg)


(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/AutoStitch_Results/HeberCreeperStation_CX7530_0517-0520_Reduced.jpg)


(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/AutoStitch_Results/NearDanielsSummit_Autostitch_CX7530_0535-0538_Reduced.jpg)


(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/AutoStitch_Results/NearRedNarrows_CX7530_0544-0548_Reduced.jpg)


Except for the panorama at the dam, I'm getting better at keeping the camera level!

If I had NICE equipment, and plans to sell the panoramas (ala Max Lyons (http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/) and others) I would use a tripod with a special "pano" head, zoom all the way in, cover the subject with dozens of shots, use nicer processing software, etc.

But don't understimate AutoStitch!  It can indeed assemble random shots, as long as they overlap.  JetSwing told me that he and a friend went to an event in a large stadium and took about 30 overlapping shots of the crowd ... and Autostitch pulled them together just great!

Since I mostly share my stuff on the web just for fun, my low-budget route has worked OK so far.  The fanciest I have gotten was a couple of 2-row panoramas that you can see in this old thread (http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=20856.0).

Kerry - that is exactly what I needed to see.  Makes so much more sense to me now.  I'll check it out this weekend.

Thanks!!!

(btw - which are 2-row?  the Snowbird Opposite?)

Quote from: MrDan on May 24, 2006, 02:29:55 PMwhich are 2-row?  the Snowbird Opposite?)

The 1st and 4th panoramas.  (Listed as "14 images" and "15 images".)

ahhhhh, the famous Kerry panoramic pictures!

Welcome back!   :thumb:

Kerry that last pic of yours is awesome.

I tried autostitch out yesterday, thanks for the inspiration.  Heres my test run from using it:

http://www.nickbargovic.com/bike4.jpg

Nice!  :thumb:

Wasn't that easy?  Tell the people how easy that was.  :icon_mrgreen:

I played with it last night too.  Unfortunately, all I had was a series of "burst" photos (10 shots in 5 seconds) that I took of my sister graduating med school.  Looks kind of funny to have a basically static background with her walking across.  Very freaky.  I'll see if I can post them later today.

But even though it turned out kinda weird, it was VERY easy to use.

Kudos to Kerry (again).

Quote from: Kerry on May 26, 2006, 08:19:22 AM
Nice!  :thumb:

Wasn't that easy?  Tell the people how easy that was.  :icon_mrgreen:

I remember using AutoStitch back before my hard drive crashed. I'm fairly certain I got it from the suggestion of a board member here, too. Mk1inCali, possibly? I dunno, don't want to search either.

Here's my go with it:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/AlphaFire_X5/GSTwin/pano-b.jpg

It really was super-duper easy.

Quote from: MrDan on May 26, 2006, 08:50:02 AMLooks kind of funny to have a basically static background with her walking across.  Very freaky.

I'd like to see it!  It sounds like something I've been thinking of doing on purpose: maybe a "self portrait" with several copies of myself (or some other person or object) in the same background.

I first got the idea from the following "Oops!" - a very small section of this panorama (http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/I-70RestStop_SanRafaelSwell_G6_0720-0729.jpg), taken on I-70 in Utah, somewhere between Salina and Green River (pack lots of water!):

(http://www.bbburma.net/Scenery/Panoramas/I-70RestStop_SanRafaelSwell_G6_0720-0729_DoubleTake!.jpg)

Quote from: Kerry on May 26, 2006, 10:16:13 AM
I first got the idea from the following "Oops!" ... that I caught in

Twins!  :laugh:

I just emailed the smaller copies to you Kerry.  I can't host anything while at work and yahoo photos don't seem to show up here.

Edit: Kerry is hosting the pictures for me :)  Here are links in case anyone wants to see.  They're still rather large to just throw in here.

http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/GStwinMembers/MrDan/AlexisSpooky-sm.JPG
http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/GStwinMembers/MrDan/AlexisSpookyOutside-sm.JPG

Someone should take a shot of the same location, but with their bike parked in like 10 diff spots, then it will look like theres a group of 10 GS's there.

Quote from: bargovic on May 26, 2006, 01:19:52 PM
Someone should take a shot of the same location, but with their bike parked in like 10 diff spots, then it will look like theres a group of 10 GS's there.

It would work, but the bikes would have to be in seperate frames, not close together. I just did a test of the same location but with me in different spots. I ended up ghosted in every single location.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 26, 2006, 08:51:08 AMHere's my go with it:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/AlphaFire_X5/GSTwin/pano-b.jpg

I forgot to comment on your nice shot.  It makes me feel like an unsuspecting Frodo, looking toward the West as the approaching gloom from Mordor blocks out the sun behind me....

(No, not a total LOTR nut.  Just a "connection maker".  :icon_rolleyes:)

Quote from: Kerry on May 26, 2006, 02:24:55 PM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 26, 2006, 08:51:08 AMHere's my go with it:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/AlphaFire_X5/GSTwin/pano-b.jpg

I forgot to comment on your nice shot.  It makes me feel like an unsuspecting Frodo, looking toward the West as the approaching gloom from Mordor blocks out the sun behind me....

(No, not a total LOTR nut.  Just a "connection maker".  :icon_rolleyes:)

:laugh: :laugh:

Nerd.

By the way, I have no clue what all that meant. I feel awesome.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 26, 2006, 01:29:11 PMI just did a test of the same location but with me in different spots. I ended up ghosted in every single location.

If you left enough space between your various positions, you might still get this to work.

Try cropping overlapping vertical strips out of the various exposures, and submitting those to AutoStitch.

Cool shots Kerry, I like the one with the ski resort in the background.  Looks like your trip was a success!   :thumb:

Never used AutoStitch, my camera came with a software called Panorama Maker and it's worked great, very easy to use too.  Dunno if it's normally free though.  :dunno_white: