Assembling Panoramic Photos: A Designer's Notebook

4.6. Stage 6

4.6.1. The end of the day

The Workshop was finished; all I had to do was harmonize the overall image. Compared to my original concept, I had removed one character, who crowded the center of the scene.

The right side of the picture still seemed a little too green, so I did a few selective color balance corrections (Image→Adjustments →Color Balance). But I worked cautiously and carefully; the eye adapts quickly and it's very easy to overcorrect.

At times like this, it helps to ask someone who hasn't seen

the evolution of the montage and the lighting corrections for their opinion!

This final stage called for examining the picture's levels (Image→Adjustments→Levels) and making the appropriate corrections. A levels adjustment lets you see the current tonal range for each color channel (red, green, and blue) as well as for the composite image (all channels together).

At last, the picture was done. There are probably easier ways to create a panorama like this, but its workmanlike look is part of its charm. Now that I look at it, I'm sorry I didn't pull down the black plastic sheet hanging on the wall in the background. Oh well, there's always something you want to change or do over!

I want to thank Jean Chesneau for his patience and kindness in lending me his workshop and allowing me to take photographs there.