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How to align images for timelapse

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How to align images for timelapse

Postby Ron Hunter » Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:24 pm

I want to align multiple images that were photographed from the same location. This is for a "seasons change" timelapse. I understand that Photoshop has this feature but Photoshop Elements doesn't.

Bob once suggested using PSE's "Photomerge>Panorama" function to achieve this effect. I tried it with 6 images and the resulting "panorama" was a blend of those images. The blend had 6 different layers. If I could export those layers as individual picture files, I would be "there" but I don't know how to do that. Is there a simple way to do that?

I'm using a trial version of Lightroom and didn't see such a "align images" feature. Also checked out Gimp, didn't see it there either. It seems that aligning images is prevalent in HDR but I'm not doing that.

Thanks!
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Bob » Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:40 pm

Photoshop has a script to export layers to files, but I don't think Photoshop Elements has that feature. Don't know for sure since I haven't had Elements since many versions ago. But, you can always turn off the visibility of all but one of the layers and "save as" to a file -- repeat for each layer. That's tedious if you have a lot of layers, but doable.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby momoffduty » Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:31 pm

That is one feature I love in PS! If you do export each layer in PSE as a separate file as Bob suggested, be sure to export as a Jpg. If you export as a PSD you will have big files with all those unneeded layers.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Gerlinde » Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:02 pm

If I'm not completely mistaken, I think you are able to run an Action in PS Elements. You won't be able to record a script. Which version of PSE do you have? I could look into that. Maybe Cheryl would be willing to create the action for you. Or I could do it do...
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Ron Hunter » Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:47 am

I'm using Photoshop Elements 12.

Bob, I just tried your technique. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but when I turn off visibility of the other layers and select "Save As" for the visible layer, the resulting JPG is mostly white with a few spots of photo showing. Apparently the layer mask is determining what portion of that image is visible. And when I unlink that image/layer combination and re-save, the results are the same.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Gerlinde » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:22 am

Hi Ron, I was right, you can run actions in PSE! I don't have vers.12, but I think it will work there too. Here is a link to a video for a tutorial on how to load and use actions in PSE 11:

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-photosh ... g-actions/

I'm not completely clear on which steps are necessary to export your pictures in the right way, I have never done a timelapse like that. Hopefully Cheryl could record the action or give me instruction on how to do it. I have Photoshop and will be able to create the action for you.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby momoffduty » Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:01 pm

Gerlinde wrote:
I'm not completely clear on which steps are necessary to export your pictures in the right way, I have never done a timelapse like that. Hopefully Cheryl could record the action or give me instruction on how to do it. I have Photoshop and will be able to create the action for you.


I've never recorded any actions. At a loss on where to start. :-8
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby momoffduty » Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:09 pm

Found this old thread on Adobe that has an action to use PSE

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/958730
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Gerlinde » Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:12 pm

Cheryl, the process is very easy. Here is aquick tut:

http://video.about.com/graphicssoft/Qui ... op-CS6.htm

You could also write the steps down for me and I will create the action.

The link to that zip file containing the action is not working any more.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Bob » Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:37 pm

OK, Ron,

Yes, the layer mask determines what portion of the layer is visible. The part that is hidden has transparency. If you save to a jpg file, which doesn't support transparency, the transparent areas will be filled with a solid color. If you want to maintain the transparency, you will need to save to a file format that supports transparency such as png or psd.

Normally, when you create a panorama, portions of each layer will be masked off by the routine in order to be able to blend the individual photos into one panorama. You aren't making a panorama, so you don't need the layer masks. Instead of unlinking the mask, you need to delete the mask. Do that for each layer and then save to files.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Gerlinde » Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:00 pm

I did some experimenting. I run the script to export multiple layers as single files and recoded the process at the same time as an action.
When I open the action in PSE11 to run it on an layer psd file, I get an error message right at the beginning: the command "Export Layers To Files" is not currently available.
I guess I would need to know more about scripts to deal with that. :conf:

Is there a utility to make an action from a script?
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Bob » Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:47 pm

Is there a utility to make an action from a script?


No. Actions are just recordings of manual steps that you can play back. Scripts are programs. Unlike actions, scripts have access to the properties of your photo; For example, how many layers there are, what their dimensions are, whether they are visible, what their opacity is, and so forth. And, scripts can do calculations and do conditional logic -- none of which can be done by actions.

If you know JavaScript, scripts aren't difficult to write. You mainly need to learn the Photoshop Document Object Model which defines how you interface with Photoshop. If you are interested, this article can give you a basic idea of what it's like: introduction-to-photoshop-scripting
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby momoffduty » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:58 pm

Ron, is this project where you take a photo every day of the same scene?

If so, I would create a master file in PSE and make the size what your video project will be or slightly larger if you plan on panning and zooming later. The first photo from Jan 1 will be your starting point and the master for all of the other photos of the year. Scale using transform. Next create guides, vertical & horizontal, on a few features that stand out such as trees or buildings or a bridge.

Each day bring in the photo and align using the guides and adjust opacity to get the scale & position etc. Maybe it would be better to work on this weekly instead of daily.

Keep the original photos in their own folder with the date as the name. The master file would be a psd and save in its own folder. At the end of the week export the 7 layers one by one to a new folder and name with a 3 series number + date. Example 001-01012014. This will keep them in order through out the year and you can go back to the original if needed later.

You may want to save as a copy of the psd for each month. That way you won't end up 365 layers at the end of the year. I would take Jan 31st and use that for the starting point in Feb. Just don't export Jan 31st twice.

You could bring in the folder of Jan to your video editor to test out the first 31 days to see if things are looking how you want them.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Gerlinde » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:04 pm

Thank you Bob, that is a great article to read. I always wanted to know how to write a script.

Cheryl, great suggestion for Ron's project. I was not sure what is really needed, but now I kind of get the idea.
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Re: How to align images for timelapse

Postby Ron Hunter » Fri Jan 31, 2014 2:10 pm

Thanks everyone! Yes Cheryl, this is the project where I photograph the same scene (my home from the street) every week. I'll try yours and Bob's ideas this weekend. Hopefully "I can get there from here" and it will be less painful than $50/mth for Adobe Creative Cloud and Photoshop (with its auto-align edges feature).
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
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