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Welcome to the panotools knowledge base. If you are new, read this introduction. To find your ways around this knowledge base, see the FAQ.
Panoramas are an exciting creative application of photography and, recently, computing. Panoramas offer a unique, immersive perspective to the viewer. To the photographer, panoramas present an interesting artistic and technical challenge. If you want to enjoy the challenge, this site is for you. It is a more or less structured collection of knowledge contributed by the community. And maybe also by you? Editing this knowledge base is as easy as reading it, just do it! Thank you for being with us.
As a start, you will need some photographic equipment. Camera, lenses, filters, accessories.
The holy grail of the panorama photographer is the nodal point. Since no lens can yet "see" a whole spherical panorama in one shot, we have to take a number of pictures and stitch them together. To make sure the individual pictures fit together is a mix of art and science. You will need these mechanical equipment to control the orientation and position of the camera while shooting the individual frames that will eventually become your panorama.
Once you have finished shooting, hard work start. In case you have not yet converted to digital photography, it's time for scanning. In the past, panoramic images where the result of the patient work of precisely sticking negatives. With the help of computers and advanced software stitching has become an almost trivial taks of clicking around with the mouse. With the right tools and a few mouse clicks everybody can make a panorama today!
These tutorials, written by passionate users like you, will guide you step by step in the techniques and details of this amazing world. Just add your creativity and you will soon produce panoramic art! The people in the community would like to hear from you and your experience. If you enjoy this site, please let us know. Publish your art and contribute to the success of the community and of this site by adding your experience to it. You might even write the next tutorial or the next piece of software!
Welcome, and thank you for sharing with us the passion for panoramic photography.
P.S.: you might hear some weird terms and acronyms around this site. This glossary might help.
License
The license for the content in this wiki can be found here soon. Firstly, an apropriate one must be found. It's currently discussed.
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