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GigaPan EPIC User Manual

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C 2010 GigaPan. All rights reserved.
GigaPan is a registered trade and service mark of Carnegie Mellon University licensed by GigaPix Systems, LLC.

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Summary of Contents for GigaPan EPIC

  • Page 1 C 2010 GigaPan. All rights reserved. GigaPan is a registered trade and service mark of Carnegie Mellon University licensed by GigaPix Systems, LLC.
  • Page 2 GigaPan User Guide...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    In this guide... Please Note: This manual applies to both the EPIC and EPIC 100 robotic camera mounts. Both models will be referred to as the EPIC, unless otherwise noted. 1. Introduction 1.1 What is the GigaPan System? 1.2 GigaPan EPIC Parts 1.3 GigaPan EPIC 100 Parts...

  • Page 4: Introduction

    GigaPan Viewer. Join GigaPan.com to view and share with friends, take snapshots and embed panoramas on your own website. Here is an overview of how easy and fun it is to use the GigaPan System, in 4 simple steps: 1. Pick a scene The GigaPan EPIC automates the panorama-taking process by taking hundreds of images of the selected scene.
  • Page 5 GigaPan Stitch software assembles, aligns and blends the individual images into one large panorama. 4. Share GigaPan Stitch software then uploads your panorama to GigaPan.com to share with friends and the GigaPan community. You also have the ability to embed your uploaded panorama on any website.

  • Page 6: Gigapan Epic Parts

    GigaPan User Guide 1.2 GigaPan EPIC Parts Camera Mounting Screw Arm Scale Button-Pusher Arm Platform Thumbscrew Button-Pusher Camera Mounting Plate Bubble Level Cancel (X) Power/OK Directional Keys Button-Pusher Arm Platform Thumbscrew Battery Chamber...

  • Page 7: Gigapan Epic 100 Parts

    Introduction 1.3 GigaPan EPIC 100 Parts Camera Mounting Screw Arm Scale Button-Pusher Arm Platform Thumbscrew Button-Pusher Camera Mounting Plate (extends) Bubble Level Cancel (X) Power/OK Directional Keys Button-Pusher Arm Platform Thumbscrew Battery Chamber Camera Mounting Plate Adjustment Screws...

  • Page 8: Epic Special Features

    EPIC) allowing for greater holding torque and finer precision movements Multiple Shutter - Setting allows GigaPan EPIC 100 to take up to 9 pictures at each image location (See Chapter 3.4 for more information) Digital Remote Shutter - EPIC 100 supports remote shutter actuation through the remote...

  • Page 9: Setting Up The Gigapan Epic

    2. Setting up the GigaPan EPIC Carefully follow the steps below to capture the highest quality panoramas. 2.1 Get your equipment ready To start shooting panoramas with your GigaPan EPIC, you will need: set of batteries, especially if using alkaline) www.GigaPanSystems.com)

  • Page 10: Mount The Gigapan Epic On A Tripod

    GigaPan User Guide 2.3 Mount the GigaPan EPIC on a tripod To ensure a steady series of images, use the EPIC with a sturdy tripod fitted with a standard 1/4- 20 tripod screw. 1. Set up the tripod. Make sure that the legs have a solid footing on the ground and the tripod’s adjustment screws are not loose.

  • Page 11: Mount Your Camera

    2. Loosely attach the camera to the EPIC using the camera mounting screw in the long slot in the bottom of the camera mounting plate.

  • Page 12: Align Your Camera To The Gigapan Epic

    4. When this is done, press the OK button. Now, taking that same object and using the up button move it to the bottom of the screen. 5. When this is done press the OK button. The EPIC will now give you a reading of the ‘Field Of View’ in degrees.
  • Page 13 Setting up the GigaPan EPIC 8. Aim your camera at the most important part of your scene, or find an average exposure. 9. Depending on your camera’s abilities, either a) lock or b) set your camera’s focus and exposure. (For circumstances when you may not want to lock/set the focus, please see Chapter 7.2)

  • Page 14: Finding Your Camera's Nodal Point

    Using this concept, you can eliminate parallax from your camera. 1. Mount your camera on the EPIC. 2. Select a scene that is similar to the above thumb experiment - one object in the fore- ground, and another in the distant background, being obscured by the foreground object.
  • Page 15 Setting up the GigaPan EPIC 5. Rotate the EPIC so that the foreground object is now at the right edge of the screen. You’ll probably see part of the background object appear behind the foreground object. If you’re looking at a row of pillars, the last pillar in the row might move significantly.

  • Page 16: Using The Gigapan Epic

    While you’re doing this, you’ll be able to see how many horizontal and vertical pictures the EPIC is going to take. 6. The EPIC will let you preview the panorama before it begins. Press OK if you want it to, or press X to continue without a preview.

  • Page 17: Repeat Your Last Panorama

    3.2 Repeat your last panorama The EPIC saves the data for your last panorama until you switch it off, so you can repeat it and correct it if something went wrong with your first try, or if you just want to try the same panorama with a different camera setting.

  • Page 18: Navigating The Epic Menu

    Options – Contains submenus that allow you to change more settings. Time per Pic - The amount of time that the EPIC will wait until it moves the camera. It is important to allow enough time for the camera to process the current photograph and move the data to flash memory.
  • Page 19 If the row–down setting is chosen, the EPIC will take the panorama as a set of rows. The EPIC will start at the top row and photograph from left to right. When the EPIC reaches the right side it will move downwards to the next row. If the row–up setting is chosen the EPIC will shoot rows from the left side of the bottom row and move upwards to the next row until it has photographed all of the rows in the panorama.

  • Page 20: Using The Epic 100 Extra Features

    The remote shutter is an option called ‘Remote Port’ under the ‘Shutter Method’ menu item, which you will find under ‘Expert Options’. ‘Remote Port‘ uses a cable to connect your camera to the EPIC instead of using the button pusher. Using the ‘Remote Port’ method can allow for faster image capture, and less vibration when the pictures are taken.

  • Page 21: Stitching And Uploading Panoramas

    The more powerful your computer, the less time required to stitch panoramas. To upload to the GigaPan.com site, your panorama must be at least 50 megapixels (or an average of 35 or more pictures have been stitched together in a single panorama).
  • Page 22 10. To save this panorama as another file type, select ‘File’ > ‘Export stitched image to’ > ‘TIFF or Adobe RAW’. 11. If your panorama is larger than 50 megapixels, you can upload it to GigaPan.com where you can share, explore and take snapshots.
  • Page 23 Your options are columns - right, columns - left, rows - down, or rows - up. The EPIC and stitching software default is columns - right; remember to change it in the stitching software if you change your shooting order in the EPIC.

  • Page 24: Share Your Panoramas Online

    To share your panoramas with the GigaPan community, please join www.GigaPan.com and then upload. 1. Join GigaPan.com Become a member of the GigaPan community! Join GigaPan.com where you can explore thousands of panoramas from around the world. Visit today to share, explore and discover.
  • Page 25 URL to can view it. 4. Enter your GigaPan.com user name and password, and click on ‘Upload now’. 5. Once you have uploaded your panorama, it’ll give you a URL to view it online. People can now view your panorama, zoom in and out, take snapshots of parts that they like and things they find.
  • Page 26 If you used a third-party tool to create your panoramas, you can upload them using the GigaPan Uploader, which also installs when you install GigaPan Stitch software. 1. Start the GigaPan Uploader (‘Start’ > ‘Programs’ > ‘GigaPan Uploader’ in Windows, or under ‘Applications’ on a Mac) The interface of the Uploader is identical to the Upload screen in the stitching software.

  • Page 27: Exploring Gigapan.com

    Enjoy thousands of brilliant gigapixel panoramas from around the world. Share, discuss, snapshot and more. 5.1 View and Share At GigaPan.com, you can: Explore thousands of GigaPans from around the world, take snapshots, comment and share. Discover amazing ways GigaPans are being used to communicate, promote, docu- ment and provide an amazing new vision.

  • Page 28: Embed Your Panorama

    GigaPan.com) displayed above the GigaPan Viewer. The title also serves as a link to your panorama’s URL on GigaPan.com. If you choose not to display the title, the ‘GigaPan’ watermark is also a link to GigaPan.com.

  • Page 29: Place Your Panorama On Google Earth

    2. Save gigapan_placement.kml to your hard disk. 3. Open gigapan_placement.kml in Google Earth. You will most likely see your GigaPan hover in mid-air. 4. Leave Google Earth open, and go back to your browser window. 5. Choose ‘Share this Gigapan with others using Google Earth’.
  • Page 30 GigaPan User Guide 7. There are three ways for you to specify the location of your panorama: a. If you recorded your coordinates using a GPS receiver, enter them in the text boxes below the map. b. If you know the address that you took the panorama from, click on the ‘Have an address?’...
  • Page 31 Exploring Gigapan.com 10. Drag the ‘Heading’ slider to change the orientation of the panorama. For accurate results, try to match elements in your panorama with corresponding elements on the ground in Google Earth. 11. If your panorama still doesn’t look right, click on ‘advanced placement options’.

  • Page 32: Troubleshooting

    GigaPan User Guide 6. Troubleshooting Read on to find out how to fix common problems with the GigaPan EPIC. If you don’t find your solution here, contact technical support at GigaPan.com. 6.1 My photos are blurry There could be several causes for blurry photos: 1.

  • Page 33: My Panoramas Are Distorted Or Misaligned

    If you’re taking macro panoramas (that is, really close to the subject), you’ll need to adjust the position of the platform, so that the EPIC rotates your camera about its “nodal point”). a. Turn to Chapter 2.8: Finding your camera’s nodal point. Note: This is a time-consuming process, and should only be used when necessary.

  • Page 34: Tips And Tricks

    Another good idea is to set your lower-right corner so that it’s just after the point when the number of horizontal and vertical photos increases. For example, if the EPIC shows you 20 horizontal and 10 vertical images, move it lower and to the right so that it reads 21 horizontal and 11 vertical.

  • Page 35: Shooting In Different Environments

    4. Make sure that the sun is behind you. If this isn’t possible, hide the sun behind an object. The EPIC’s default settings will work fine for outdoor scenes. 2. Indoors With indoor scenes, you may experience poor lighting, and/or objects that will be quite close to your camera.

  • Page 36: Night Shots

    Here are a few tips for shooting panoramas at night. The key is to Increase the exposure time for each photo and make sure that the EPIC and your camera are free from vibrations. 1. If your camera has Image Stabilization, turn the feature off.

  • Page 37: City Scenes

    Tips and Tricks 4. City scenes Capture panoramas of your hometown city or vacation destinations. In cities, you need to be more aware of objects in motion—specifically vehicles and people. You may also find that buildings can get distorted when you stitch your panorama. your shots - pause the panorama before they do and resume the panorama after they have left the frame, or pause go back and resume where you left off.
  • Page 38 Just follow these instructions when you are uploading your panorama to turn it into a fun hide & seek game: 1. When you upload your panorama to GigaPan.com, click on ‘Edit’. 2. Check the ‘Is a Game’ box. 3. List the objects you’ve hidden in your panorama comments.
  • Page 39 Taking a 360 degree panorama is easy and is similar to shooting any other panorama. Instead of setting the EPIC to the upper left and lower right corners of the panorama, you just have to set it to the top and bottom.

This manual is also suitable for:

Epic 100

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