Free Image Composite Editor by Microsoft

June 13th, 2016 in Uncategorized

Greetings from Greece!

A major part of my dissertation data collection involves photographing viewsheds with my DSLR. Unfortunately, the Nikon DSLR is not equipped to automatically stitch together photographs, unlike some point and shoots. I decided to test several free panoramic image programs today, after my work in the field.

Using the Free Image Composite Editor, I have been able to stitch together up to thirty images at a time. The program will auto detect the overlapping edges, or allow you to select a variety of settings to manually create the panorama. I ran the program about twenty times, and had no issues with the auto detect feature. Most helpful are the projection settings, allowing you to warp the panoramic shot with complex options like orthographic and planar views. Here is an example of an image I created this afternoon at the Kalaureia Sanctuary of Poseidon:

These projections are an excellent resource for those interested in conveying the visual effects of a particular location. Why present a flattened image when you can project it for a three dimensional perspective, as we do with geographic data?

Try the Image Composite Editor here.