Has anyone printed any of their panoramic photos?

[sdewenter]

My husband and I just got back from a little trip to Duluth, MN. We had gorgous weather and I got some great shots of the Split Rock Lighthouse, and a wonderful panorama using the "stich assist" feature in my Canon. I was able to create a panoramic photo of the Duluth harbor and canal park including the arial lift bridge. I would love to print it out...but it is 90 inches wide! Only 7 inches tall! Anyone know of a place I could get something like this printed? I was thinking about breaking it into 3 and making a 20x30 document and cut it apart and reassemble...but a single print would be so cool! Any suggestions?

Thanks much!
Susan D

[Chuck S.]

Susan, wow! That certainly took a lot of snaps to create! It's fortunate also that you used Canon's Stitch Assist, which freezes the exposure values and largely prevents you from having to edit individual shots.

It all depends on what you want to do with the panorama after it's printed. Unless you're planning to hang your creation on a 10 ft wall....I'd be inclined to break it up into sections. I'm sure there's a professional lab out there that can handle the job, but I don't suppose it'll be cheap...

[TonyW]

You might want to check what your printer will handle. I know my ageing Epson R300 will handle up to 44" long by 8.5" wide. I did one once using roll paper and it came out fine.

Tony

[PaulH]

FWIW - I was juts in a local Staples and they had a VERY large printer (they are now in select stores). I'd think they could do it and trim all the excess off.

http://www.northernimages.com/webgallery/index.php?groupid=7&ee_lang=eng

Has some of the best Duluth area photos including panos - might see who he uses.

I'd love to see them if you ever post to the web.

I was just thinking about panos yesterday and wish I had done one when I was in Duluth - harbor and from up on the hills would be great.

Split Rock is still one of MY favorite sites.

[Chuck S.]

One approach to panoramas that gives you more pixels to work with when everything is stitched together: mount the camera on the tripod in portrait orientation instead of landscape. It requires more individual shots, but at the end you have something that's maybe 3600 pixels high instead of 2400 pixels. That would allow a 300 ppi resolution print that was 12 inches high by however many feet wide; that would be a bold statement!

[sdewenter]

One approach to panoramas that gives you more pixels to work with when everything is stitched together: mount the camera on the tripod in portrait orientation instead of landscape. It requires more individual shots, but at the end you have something that's maybe 3600 pixels high instead of 2400 pixels. That would allow a 300 ppi resolution print that was 12 inches high by however many feet wide; that would be a bold statement!

I never thought of that Chuck...great idea. It was my first time using the stich assist feature, but it sure did make it easy. I did find a printer, and they charge 1.25 per 6 inches of a 6 inch high print, so it would be under $20. I think i might just attach to foam core and spray it with a UV protector. I would love to hang it on sheetrocked area above my kitchen cupboards. I will try to post something when I get it done.

Thanks for all the input everyone!
Susan D

[chas3stix]

Susan,
Epson used to package panorama paper but no longer....:( They were a little bigger than 8"X24". Red River Paper in Texas will custom cut many of their fine papers for an extra ten dollars per order.
Chas

[Dee H.]

Chuck that is a great idea about using the portrait mode. I just got back from colorado and made a pano of Independance Pass. It ended up being 12 x 36" I just ordered some prints from the photopipe. I ordered the same print 12 x 36 and 8 x 24. So in a few days I will be able to give an opinon on their service.
Its so hot here this week I am ready to go back.
Dee

[BillandCat]

I have posted a pano in my gallery. The actual pixel size and print size is 120 inches. The photo merge is unbelievable in pse4! BillandCat

[sdewenter]

I have posted a pano in my gallery. The actual pixel size and print size is 120 inches. The photo merge is unbelievable in pse4! BillandCat]

OH MY GOSH...that is stunning! Where did you print it? I found ezprints.com has great pricing, but I have never used their services.

Great shot, thanks for sharing!
Susan D

[BillandCat]

I tried to post a reply but I must have done something wrong, not unusual for me. I am sorry to have misled you on the printing. This panorama was done as an experiment and when it was finished I just printed it the standard 8x10. The thing is if I wanted to, I could have printed it up to 120 inches without losing quality. Try it out---take the shots you want-- go to open>new> photomerge. Follow instructions by selecting your pics--click ok and pse does the rest. When you frame the 1st shot, note the exposure -set the camera for that exposure for all the rest of the shots. This makes the color blending of the sky much better. Try it, it is fun and costs nothing---BillandCat

[chas3stix]

Bill and Cat,
Love the pano! Great stitch job.
Chas

[Dee H.]

I got my pano prints back from photopipe. They were 8x24 and 12x36.
I must say they were beautiful. The largest print was $17. Shipping was quick and photo's were very well protected. I will use this service again. I will also be more willing to take some shots just for pano prints. There are ready made frames in those sizes. Everyone give it a try, the results may surprise you.