Sunset Panorama

[98kotart]

Hey everyone, Haven't posted here in awhile but i need some input. I put this together with 4-5 images but meeting up colors didn't work out too great. I shot in raw so I could fool around and try to match up colors coming in but it didnt work very well up top. Can anyone give me any input as for what to do and how to fix this problem to make it look crisp as one merged image? It is really noticeable when I shoot directly at the sun in image 2

[navcom]

Sunsets (sunrises) are hard to get a good, consistent exposure when doing multi-shot panos. The light changes so quickly. First question...Did you shoot in manual mode with the same exposure/aperture for all shots or did you let the camera decide the exposure?

[98kotart]

hmm, I shot in shutter priority. That usually keeps it the same though doesn't it? I can try it in all manuel again. That might give me more control

[navcom]

Shutter priority won't work very effectively. It will change either the aperature or the ISO to get the exposure (depending on your camera). And it will change according to what the camera's meter thinks it should be for each shot. It will be impossible to get all the images at exactly the same exposure as the meter will make changes based on what it sees in the field of view. And since there is such a huge difference in contrast between shots, especially in a sunrise, your end result will be several different pictures all with slightly different exposures.

It's important that you keep the same settings (all three...aperture, ISO, and shutter) for every pano shot. The trick is to find the exposure that will make the pano work, not the individual picture. To do this, use manual mode and set everything manually and then leave it at the chosen settings for every shot. I usually check the meter ahead of time for several different shots and then average them to get the final exposure setting.

Another trick is to initially install a wide angle lens and get the darkest and the lightest spot in the pano range in the viewfinder and take a reading to use.

It's a bit more work with a sunset or sunrise as there is a huge difference in contrast throughout the entire finished pano image. You have to think in terms of the final pano shot, not in terms of individual photos. You also don't have very much time.

Hope that helps!

[inkista]

Don't forget white balance needs to be consistent for all the shots as well: leaving it in auto will cause color shifts between member shots.

I'd also advocate getting a stitching package that can use enblend to blend over the seams, rather than trying to do this manually. Hugin is open source (read: free) and can automatically call enblend. Autostitch is another free package to consider, if you prefer more of a push-button solution.