How can I take panorama shots?
The Stitch Assist mode may be a supplementary feature of some digital cameras and is used for shooting panoramas. If your camera features the Stitch Assist mode option, select it and choose the direction of the image series (left to right or top to bottom, depending upon the capabilities of your camera model) and shoot the first frame.
Half the captured image will appear in the LCD monitor as a guide for lining up the next frame. You can continue to shoot more images in the series as you like. You can also create a 360 degree panorama if you shoot the separate frames in a complete circle.
It is important to consider that when using this mode, focus, exposure and white balance settings are all fixed to the values set for the first frame. Therefore, in order to obtain optimal exposure for the entire panorama, first aim the camera at a portion of the scene with what you consider the average brightness and then push the shutter button halfway to lock the exposure and other pertinent settings. Keep the shutter button pressed halfway and aim it at the spot you would like to shoot as the first frame.
You should also try to maintain your position if you are floating off the bottom. Be careful not to rise or sink, which would change the composition, lighting and focus. Your series of frames shot in Stitch Assist mode can be merged into panorama orientation with the corresponding software supplied with the camera.
Although most images shot on land can be automatically merged, sometimes the overlapping edges of underwater photos are difficult to detect automatically. It may be necessary to manually indicate those overlapping areas.
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