Photoshop CS5 "Content Aware": Sunwapta Falls Revisited

In my last post I showed the following image and lamented about how unfortunate it was that the top tree across the gorge ran right through the middle of the image.  This is Sunwapta Falls in Alberta, Canada.



Of course, it is not the tree's fault that it bisects the image.  Unfortunately, it also runs right through the bottom of the waterfall.

My solution in the last post was to try a bit of cropping off the bottom so as to move the trees down from the middle of the image.  This was accomplished by cropping with a 4:3 aspect ratio instead of 3:2.  But the fact remains that the top tree runs through the bottom of the waterfall.

Since I have little proficiency in photoshop, I figured this was the best I could do.  But I tried using "Content Aware" in PS5.  It was amazing.  In a total of 10 minutes I was able to remove the tree in question plus another small fallen tree on the right, near the top of the waterfall.  I even removed much of the chain link fence that is at the top of the waterfall on the left.

I like the result much better:



Now I need to decide if cropping at the bottom as shown in the image below, strengthens the image. 

What do you think?



More Panoramas with CS5: Two shot panos from the Canadian Rockies

I've been working on my Canadian Rockies images and have been very pleased with the panorama shots taken.  This is really very easy.  My cameras are set up to show the 1/3 viewfinder grid.  Basically, the grid looks like  tic-tac-toe lines on the viewfinder that divide the view into horizontal and vertical thirds. 

All my panos are stitched from hand-held shots, typically shot in in P-mode.  With today's advanced software (like Photoshop CS5), auto-mode will work fine, also. 

As I move the camera from left to right (you can also do a vertical pano by moving from bottom up) I merely overlap each picture by one-third of the frame.  In other words, the right 1/3 of the first picture needs to appear in the left 1/3 of the second picture.

The pictures are then exported to Photoshop CS5.  See screenshot below.  I always check "vignette removal" and "geometric distortion correction".  The other items are pre-selected.  Then, click on "OK".  You'll need to do a little cropping on the final result, to even up the edges.  But that is all there is to it.

Here are several samples of two images panos:

From Sulphur Mountain, Banff, Alberta

Bayview, Idaho

Athabasca Glacier from the Columbia Icefields Parkway

From Sulphur Mountain, Banff, Alberta

View of Banff and the Bow River from Sulphur Mountain