Photoshop

Create a photomerge interactively

Choose the Interactive Layout option in the main Photomerge dialog box to open the Photomerge interactive dialog box, where you can manually rearrange your source images to create a panorama.

With Reposition Only and Snap to Image selected, Photoshop will preserve alignment at overlapping image areas, and apply blending to even out differences of exposure between the images. In Perspective mode, Photoshop selects one of the source images to supply a vanishing point, and stretches or skews the other images to create a wraparound effect. Use the Vanishing Point tool to change the vanishing point and reorient the perspective.

  • After arranging the composition, click OK to generate the panorama as a new Photoshop file. The composition then opens in Photoshop.

  • Click Save Composition As to save the composition and open it again at a later time.

Photomerge dialog box

A.
Lightbox

B.
Navigator view box

C.
Toolbox

D.
Work area

E.
Status bar

For a video about using Photomerge, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0013.

Navigate in the dialog box

 Do one of the following:

  • Select the Hand tool and drag in the work area to move the view.

  • Drag the view box or the scroll bars in the Navigator thumbnail. The view box represents the boundaries of the work area.

Zoom in the dialog box

 Do one of the following:

  • Use the Zoom tool  to zoom in.

  • Click the Zoom Out icon  below the Navigator.

  • Click the Zoom In icon  below the Navigator.

  • Press Ctrl + + (Windows) or Command + + (Mac OS) to zoom in.

  • Press Ctrl + - (Windows) or Command + - (Mac OS) to zoom out.

Rearrange images in the lightbox

 You can use the lightbox to rearrange images in the Photomerge composition. To use the lightbox, select the Select Image tool , and then do one or more of the following:

  • Drag an image from the lightbox to the work area to add it to the composition.

  • Drag an image from the work area to the lightbox to remove it from the composition.

  • Double-click an image in the lightbox to add it to the composition.

    Make sure Snap To Image is selected to automatically snap overlapping images into place when a commonality is detected.

Rotate images

 Select the Select Image tool , and click the image you want to rotate. Select the Rotate tool , and then click near the edge of the image and drag in a circular motion around the center of the image.

Change the vanishing point of a composition

The Vanishing Point tool selects the vanishing point image, which changes the perspective of the composition. By default, the middle image contains the vanishing point (it has a blue border around it when selected). There can only be one vanishing point.

  1. Select Perspective in the Settings area of the Photomerge dialog box.
  2. Select the Vanishing Point tool , and click an image in the work area to place the vanishing point there.
  3. If necessary, use the Select Image tool  to adjust the position of the remaining images. A red border indicates that the selected image does not contain the vanishing point.

    When you apply perspective correction to a composition, the images without the vanishing point are linked to the image that contains the vanishing point. You can break this link by clicking the Reposition Only button, by separating the images in the work area, or by dragging the image with the vanishing point back to the lightbox. When the link is broken, images return to their original shapes.

    The perspective correction works only up to a 120° angle of view, approximately. For a wider angle of view, deselect the Perspective option.

    To change the perspective of a composition, select the Vanishing Point tool, and click an image in the work area. Notice how the perspective of the composition changes according to which image contains the vanishing point.