How to Scan a Long Panoramic Group Photo
By ImgHeal · Updated
Capture a photograph wider than a scanner in overlapping sections without losing people at the joins.
Plan the capture
Keep the panoramic print flat only if it can rest safely. Plan overlapping sections that include recognizable faces or objects on both sides of every join. Avoid placing a join through the only clear face of a person.
Make a complete digital master
Lock the scanner or camera settings for the whole sequence. Keep the print square, include generous overlap, and number captures from left to right. Save all uncropped sections before stitching a working copy.
Prepare the working copy
After alignment, inspect repeated people, clipped hats, bent horizons, and exposure seams. Keep the section files with the stitched master so a questionable join can be reviewed later.
Check before you finish
- Use generous overlap.
- Keep capture settings consistent.
- Inspect every join across faces.
Further reading
- Library of Congress: Care, Handling, and Storage of PhotographsSafe handling guidance for photographic originals; a digital edit does not conserve the physical object.
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