Anyone using MS ICE for stitching compare it to other solutions

[harvey_edelstein1]

<p>I would like to find a user friendly stitching program that can auto line up images and adjust range and blend well. I see MS Ice listed can anyone tell me how it compares to other stitching programs?</p>

[cabbiinc]

<p>Well, I just tried it and pit it against Canon's PhotoStitch. I can't actually say if it works better since Canon's PhotoStitch didn't want to open the Canon files from my 40D even though it's the latest version of PhotoStitch. It gives the error of something like 'one of your shots used a short focal length, remove it and try again'. All of my shots were shot at 11mm. This is something I think Canon should reconsider.</p>

<p>Heres what MS ICE gave me. I'd show you what Canon's software gave me but I can't. Notice the definite line going through the sink and counter top.</p>

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[cabbiinc]

<p>I admit that this probably isn't the type of use your were planning, but it does show the raw output. It has horizon correction which Canon's doesn't have as well. You can also crop with ICE. One thing Canon has that ICE doesn't is the option to help line up the shots. In PhotoStitch you can click on all of the seams and adjust them until it looks better, and it does seam to work.</p>

<p>I've used PhotoShop Elements 3.0 and it was better than both of these from what I can tell.</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>PTGui - do google search...somewhat pricey but very, very good; examples:</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photo/8348724</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photo/8026406</p>

<p>What can I say? the Bronx is a land of contrasts.</p>

[harvey_edelstein1]

<p>MS ICE is free but another for fee program panorama factory I heard is good and has an easier interface than the Gui programs. <br>

Can anyone comment on panorama factory?</p>

[john_houghton]

<p>Stitchers vary quite a bit in tems of ease of use, versatility, manual control, and quality of results. All will perform best with images taken with care to ensure that the camera rotates about the entrance pupil of the lens (to avoid the affects of parallax). I've used PTGui as my stitcher of choice since 2000 and haven't found anything better for my purposes. It will do simple single row panoramas with a standard rectilinear lens through to multiple row 360x180 degree virtual reality panoramas using fisheye lenses. It will also accept input images in cylindrical and equirectangular formats, and any mixture of formats from 1 image upwards. In short, it will stitch virtually anything - though you may have to exercise more manual control than is possible or necessary with the fully automatic stitchers.<br>

Microsoft ICE works very well, and its blending is excellent. Stitching accuracy isn't quite up to PTGui standards, though, nor is there much opportunity for manual intervention when things don't work as well as expected.<br>

Panorama Factory is limited to single row stitching. It can give quite good results, though ghosting at the seams is not uncommon (as in the landscape above from Les).<br>

Autostitch is a simple and easy to use free automatic stitcher that gives very good results within its limitations. It was the forerunner of Autopano Pro - an excellent automatic stitcher that produces results comparable to PTGui, but isn't as versatile.<br>

An example of PTGui stitching is available at <a href="http://www.johnhpanos.com/wimpole2-large.jpg">http://www.johnhpanos.com/wimpole2-large.jpg</a> . It's a big download: 5.5MB (7800x3000 pixels from 3 rows of 7 images from a Canon 40D + 50mm f/1.8 lens), but only half the dimensions of the full size stitch.<br>

John</p>

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[john_houghton]

<p>I cannot be sure without the original photos, but the Notre Dame stitch does appear to show ghosting at the seams - on the sides of the figures at the RH seam and the two small arches above, for example. I would guess that the camera was not mounted on a panoramic head and these are due to parallax effects.</p>