Getting a pano into ACR

starky987 · April 20, 2008

I've taken a pano of Niagara Falls that is around 8 pictures long. After going into Photoshop CS3 and doing a photomerge with these DNG files I am left with an image that is unprocessed. I want to be able to take this pano into ACR to do some adjustments to it but have no idea how to. I've tried saving it as a .raw, .psd, and .jpg files and can't get it to open into ACR. Please help me!

Scott_Quier · April 20, 2008

Select the file in Bridge, Right click, select "Open in Adobe Camera Raw" - Should work if it's either RAW, DNG, or JPG. Don't know about other formats.

colourbox · April 20, 2008

One thing that might trip you up is that ACR and Lightroom cannot import an image more than 10,000 pixels on a side. If yours is longer than that, no go.

The release notes for the Lightroom 2 public beta say it can import up to 30,000 pixels on a side. Since it's supposed to share the same processing engine as ACR, the pixel limitation might go away in the next version.

starky987 · April 20, 2008

colourbox wrote:

One thing that might trip you up is that ACR and Lightroom cannot import an image more than 10,000 pixels on a side. If yours is longer than that, no go.

The release notes for the Lightroom 2 public beta say it can import up to 30,000 pixels on a side. Since it's supposed to share the same processing engine as ACR, the pixel limitation might go away in the next version.

Thats the problem I think. My image is 18,500x3,300. It's a 7ftx1ft pano of the entire falls. What can I do to make my basic edits like saturation, exposure, clarity, etc.??

colourbox · April 20, 2008

You may not be able to use Camera Raw but you can still use the tools we used for all of the above corrections before Camera Raw was invented, by using regular old Photoshop instead. Levels and Curves will do most of it, but you'll have to fake Clarity using the manual technique we used all the years before Clarity came out, like this technique which Clarity is based on.

pathfinder · April 22, 2008

My understanding of Clarity, suggests that its effect is limited to the mid-tones, while using USM at a low percentage 20% with a radius of 50, and a threshold of 0-2, is a local contrast enhancement technique that will effect the whole image unless done on copy of the image on an adjustment layer.

Mac Holbert had a technique for Clarity in Photoshop but I don't have the link handy on this computer. I am sure Andrew Rodney has it.

I like the linked technique of local contrast enhancement, and use it frequently. It can give a fringing along the horizon in the sky if not done judiciously. One can use the Blend If command to deny its effect in the blue channel.

arodney · April 22, 2008

pathfinder wrote:

Mac Holbert had a technique for Clarity in Photoshop but I don't have the link handy on this computer. I am sure Andrew Rodney has it.

http://photoshopnews.com/printacademy/downloads/MidtoneContrast.pdf

Bigmitch · April 22, 2008

Sorry Andrew, but that link needs a password.

arodney · April 22, 2008

Bigmitch wrote:

Sorry Andrew, but that link needs a password.

1. Highlight your top layer in your Layers Palette then:

2a. In CS I: Select Layer->New->Layer to create a new, blank layer at the top of your Layer Stack. Then, holding down
your Opt Key (Mac) / Alt Key (PC), select Merge Visible from the fly-down menu on the right side of your Layers Palette.
Be sure to keep the Opt/Alt depressed until you see the blank layer update. You should now have an additional layer at the
top of your layer stack. It represents how the image would appear if you had flattened your layers. Rename this layer
“Midtone Contrast”
-OR-
2b. In CS II: Holding down your Opt Key (Mac) / Alt Key (PC), select Merge Visible from the fly-down menu on the right
side of your Layers Palette. Be sure to keep the Opt / Alt depressed until you see the blank layer update. You should now
have an additional layer at the top of your layer stack. It represents how the image would appear if you had flattened your
layers. Rename this layer “Midtone Contrast”

3. Ne xt double-click on the Midtone Contrast layer icon to bring up the Layer Style Palette. Change the Blend Mode to
Overlay and lower the Blend Mode Opacity to 20%. Now move the left “This Layer” slider to 70. Now Split away the left
side of that slider by holding down the Opt / Alt key and move it to 50. Repeat the same process on the right “This Layer”
slider, moving the sliders to 185 and 205 respectively. Then select “OK”.

4. Now select Filter->Other->High Pass. In the High Pass Palette set the radius to 50 and select “OK”. Now select Image-
>Adjustments->Desaturate. The Midtone Contrast layer is now complete. At 20% opacity it should be very subtle, but
noticable. The effect can be decreased or increased by raising or lowering the Midtone Contrast Layer opacity. I’ve found
that the proper setting can usually be found between 20% and 40% opacity. Above 40% one risks creating “halo” artifacts
that are visually distracting.

Getting a pano into ACR

Comments