PTAssembler

Introduction. PTAssembler is a Windows helper program for Panorama Tools, powerful panoramic image stitching software. Despite (perhaps because of) its numerous features and capabilities, Panorama Tools can be challenging to use. It requires a lot of time and effort to create the "scripts" needed by Panorama Tools to stitch multiple images into a larger panorama. PTAssembler is designed to make this task as easy as possible. No knowledge of Panorama Tools or its script syntax is needed in order to operate PTAssembler.

I've been using Panorama Tools for several years to create my high resolution images, and believe it to be the most powerful, fully featured, panoramic stitching software available. However, many people (myself included) found Panorama Tools extremely difficult to learn and use. I decided to write PTAssembler to make it easier to use Panorama Tools, eliminating the need for new users to learn how to write the complex scripts needed by Panorama Tools. Even with a "helper" program like PTAssembler, the vast array of features offered by Panorama Tools means that it is more complex than many popular "automatic" stitching programs. But the results are worth it. With a little time, perfectly stitched panoramas can be created every time.

4 source images (arranged in a 2x2 grid), before and after stitching

Overview of panorama creation using Panorama Tools. Stitching images together with PTAssembler gives you complete control over the process. You can choose to "auto-create" a stitched image with little or no manual intervention. Alternatively, you can choose a more manual approach to ensure the absolute highest quality result. And, the two approaches can be also be combined.

PTAssembler can output a final image in JPEG, TIFF (and other) formats, or "layered" image file(s) (PSD or multiple TIFF files) that allows the user to perform the final blending between adjacent images manually. PTAssembler can also invoke specialized "blending" plugin programs (Enblend, Smartblend) that use advanced blending techniques to create seamless images.

PTAssembler 4.0 (released February 2008) adds the ability to perform "image stacking", in addition to panorama creation. Multiple images can be stacked to create focus-blended and/or exposure-blended images, and these can be further combined into a panorama. Here are some examples. PTAssembler comes with its own Image Stacking program, called TuFuse, but can optionally be configured to work with others (Enfuse, CombineZM).

Screenshots. This screenshot shows PTAssembler's control point selection screen. Many more screenshots can be found in the on-line documentation and PTAssembler Tutorial.

This screenshot shows PTAssembler's internal viewer/editor screen.

How to create a Panorama with PTAssembler. For a beginners guide to creating a stitched image using PTAssembler, please refer to the on-line PTAssembler Tutorial. Also, complete documentation is included with PTAssembler, but is also available on-line.

Features. As a (almost daily) user of PTAssembler, my goal is to make the process of creating a panoramic or stitched image as simple as possible, by adding features such as the following:

• Autocreate a final panorama with little or no manual intervention.
• Allow complete manual control over all aspects of panorama creation, as needed.
• Support for control point picker (Autopano, Autopano-SIFT) plugins.
• Support for image blending (Smartblend, Enblend) plugins.
• Support for image stacking (TuFuse, Enfuse, CombineZM) plugins to perform exposure blending and/or focus blending.
• Support for pre-processing (noise reduction) plugins.
• Graphical selection of yaw, pitch and roll parameters and manipulation of panorama via preview viewer.
• A "wizard" is included to guide beginners through the process of manually creating a panorama.
• Ability to read EXIF data from JPEG and TIFF files.
• No need to manually set yaw, pitch or roll for any images.
• Built-in "auto-optimization" logic to determine best positioning of image files.
• Optimized results are analyzed and suggestions are made for how to correct any problems.
• Batch processing -- run multiple projects in sequence.
• Store retrieve parameters quickly via lens presets.
• Work with 'linked' or 'unlinked' lens parameters for maximum flexibility.
• Drag and Drop interface.
• Most features are accessible via keyboard commands.

System Requirements. PTAssembler is now distributed with the necessary files from the Panorama Tools distribution. If you want to use the Autocreate feature of PTAssembler, then you will also need to download optional helper programs (consult documentation for complete details). PTAssembler also requires that the Visual Basic 6 runtime files be installed on your system. You almost certainly already have these files on your computer, but if you get an error when starting PTAssembler you'll need to install them (See the download section below).

Final Thoughts. Panorama Tools is a very complex set of software tools. My constant challenge in creating PTAssembler is to achieve a balance between making the program (relatively) easy to understand and operate, while at the same time allowing access to the important features in Panorama Tools. I believe that PTAssembler is a good compromise, but if you need to access a feature of Panorama Tools directly, you can always edit the scripts that are created by PTAssembler to achieve the results you want.

As easy as I've tried to make PTAssembler to use, I recognize that Panorama Tools may not be for everyone. It can be difficult to use, and there is a steeper learning curve than most "auto-magic" stitching programs. However, there are many excellent resources on the web for help:

1. On-line PTAssembler discussion forum.
2. My own on-line PTAssembler Tutorial | French Language Version in PDF format.
3. Examples of creating exposure and focus blended panoramas with PTAssembler.
4. Detailed information about Tufuse, PTAssembler's image stacking plugin program.
5. The complete on-line documentation for PTAssembler | French Language Version in PDF format.
6. Joe Beda's introductory tutorial for PTAssembler, Getting Started with Digital Panoramas.
7. Andre Gunther's brief tutorial on PTAssembler.
8. PanoTools Panorama Tools Yahoo Group.
9. Ben Kreunen's site.
10. Try a Google search.
11. Official Panorama Tools web site which sadly no longer distributes Pano Tools.

Downloads

PTAssembler. (You need this) Sample project with images. (Don't have any images? Try these to get started). Visual Basic 6 runtimes. (You may not need this...PTAssembler requires these files, but your computer probably already has them.                    Download and install these only if you get an error)

Distribution Status. PTAssembler is shareware...meaning you are expected to "register" it (i.e. pay a small amount) to purchase the program. PTAssembler will operate for 30 days without restriction, but some features will be restricted if not registered after 30 days. You can register PTAssembler on-line using the Kagi payment processing service.

Special Offer on Panosaurus Panoramic Tripod Head. Registered users of PTAssembler are entitled to a $20 discount on the price of a Panosaurus Panoramic Tripod Head. If you are serious about panoramic photography, the best single investment you can make is a tripod with a panoramic head. Using a panoramic tripod head eliminates all parallax errors from your images, which results in dramatically improved stitched results. I've written a short review of the Panosaurus, and I now use it for all my panoramic images. If you decide to register PTAssembler or are already a registered user of PTAssembler, click here to take advantage of this offer.

Disclaimer. PTAssembler comes with no warranty and TawbaWare and the author take no responsibility for any damages caused by the use of this program.

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