This document is a condensed version of the complete PanoTouch manual that is part of the PanoTouch 1.0 product. Sections of this document are:
- Introduction to PanoTouch
- System requirements and memory guidelines
- Installing PanoTouch demo
- Using PanoTouch
PanoTouch Demo has all the functionality of PanoTouch except that it puts a notice across each image you import. PanoTouch 1.0 has additional samples, complete printed documentation, support, and does not put any notice across the images you import. Please visit www.adessosoft.com to purchase PanoTouch 1.0.
INTRODUCTION TO PANOTOUCH
PanoTouch is for enhancing and editing your stitched, cylindrically warped panoramic PICT images in Adobe Photoshop™ before converting them to playable QuickTime™ VR movie files.
The PanoTouch Importer plug-in allows you to open a panoramic image into a preview window within Photoshop. In the preview window you can select an area of the panoramic image for editing and then import that area into Photoshop. A new image window with the selected panoramic content in dewarped form will be opened in Photoshop for editing. You can actually edit "normal-looking" images from within your panoramic image files!
In Photoshop, you can: add new content to the image, including text and graphics; replace parts of the image, such as a sign or a picture on a wall, with new content; correct problems such as reflections, blurred or warped areas, blurred or warped people, etc.; and otherwise edit the image normally. Once you are happy with the image, use the PanoTouch Exporter plug-in to export it. PanoTouch will insert the changed image back into the panorama from whence it came, or create a new panorama with the edited content.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND MEMORY GUIDELINES
PanoTouch requires the following:
- A PowerPC-based Macintosh system with MacOS Version 7.5 or higher.
- 32 MB of RAM minimum, 64 MB or more of RAM recommended.
- About 1 MB of hard disk space.
- QuickTime 3.0 for the Macintosh. (QuickTime 3 Pro included with PanoTouch 1.0. For the demo version of PanoTouch, download QuickTime 3.0 free from www.apple.com/quicktime.)
- Adobe Photoshop 4.0 or greater.
PanoTouch may work with some non-Photoshop programs that support Adobe Photoshop plug-ins and with some non-QuickTime panoramic virtual reality programs. However, it has not been tested with these alternative programs, and we do not support running PanoTouch except with Adobe Photoshop 4.0 or greater and QuickTime 3.0 or greater.
We have found the following guidelines to be helpful in getting the best performance from both Photoshop and PanoTouch:
- All systems: Quit other applications besides Photoshop.
- Systems with less than 72 MB of RAM: Set Photoshop memory to the recommended RAM setting. If PanoTouch still needs more memory, turn virtual memory on.
- Systems with 72 MB or more of RAM: Set Photoshop memory to 32 MB. If PanoTouch still needs more memory, turn virtual memory on.
- All systems: If you frequently need to turn on virtual memory to run PanoTouch, consider purchasing more RAM to improve PanoTouch performance.
Note: Virtual memory
To turn on virtual memory, quit open applications, open the Memory control panel, turn virtual memory on, set the total amount of space (RAM plus hard disk) that you want to set aside as memory, then restart your computer. Your Macintosh will now use a mix of RAM and working space on your hard disk as if it actually had that much RAM, improving your ability to run multiple applications at once. However, your computer will run more slowly whenever it retrieves something from virtual memory that is actually stored in working space on the hard disk. For more information on virtual memory, see the documentation that came with your computer and operating system.
Note: PanoTouch, QuickTime, and memory
PanoTouch uses QuickTime to do most of its work on both import and export. QuickTime uses some Photoshop application memory and also uses memory outside of Photoshop.
Note: Image size and memory
One common size range for panoramas is 700 to 800 pixels wide and 2000 to 3000 pixels in height. Such panoramas typically appear in Photoshop as requiring 4 MB to 7 MB of RAM. PanoTouch typically requires 9 MB to 16 MB of non-Photoshop system memory to import panoramas of this size.
INSTALLING PANOTOUCH DEMO
Installing PanoTouch is easy; the trickiest part is identifying the Adobe Photoshop Plug-Ins folder.
1. If Photoshop is running, quit Photoshop. (Otherwise the PanoTouch plug-ins will not appear in your plug-ins folder until you quit and restart Photoshop.)
2. Double-click on the folder, PanoTouch Installer.
3. Double-click on the file, Install PanoTouch.
4. The installer will begin. Follow the prompts in the installer through viewing the license agreement.
5. When prompted, use the Install Location pull-down menu and the Switch Disks button to select the Adobe Photoshop Plug-Ins folder. Click on this folder; do not double-click it. Choose Select.
Tip: Selecting the folder
If you go into the Plug-Ins folder by accident, go up a level in the folder hierarchy and single-click the Plug-Ins folder to select it.
6. Click Install. The PanoTouch Plug-Ins folder will be installed into the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder.
7. Click Quit.
Note: The PanoTouch plug-ins folder
The PanoTouch plug-ins folder must reside in the folder where you place other Photoshop plug-ins. You choose this directory during PanoTouch installation. By default, this is the Plug-Ins folder in the Adobe Photoshop folder, but you can change which folder is used for plug-ins from within Photoshop.
Tip: Redundant PanoTouch Importer and Exporter plug-ins
If you install several versions of PanoTouch you may end up with multiple PanoTouch Importer and Exporter plug-ins in Photoshop. If this occurs, remove all but one version of the PanoTouch plug-ins folder from the Photoshop plug-ins folder.
USING PANOTOUCH
The basic cycle for using PanoTouch is significantly different from most other Photoshop plug-ins, which allow you to apply a filter or special effect to an image. In PanoTouch you follow seven steps:
1. Within Photoshop, choose File->Import->PanoTouch Importer.
2. Use the standard file dialog to open a warped panoramic image for selection. (You can use the images from the Sample Content folder to try PanoTouch.)
3. In the PanoTouch Importer dialog, use the dialog's controls to select an area of the image to import.
4. Click Import to import the selected area into Photoshop.
5. Edit the selected area in Photoshop.
6. Choose File->Export->PanoTouch Exporter to export the edited image back into its original panorama (default) or into a different panorama (if you change the file name).
7. Save or dispose of the edited image.
Additionally, if you want to view how the final QuickTime VR panorama will look with your edits, you can re-open it in the PanoTouch Importer dialog to view the changes.
While these steps describe the basic editing cycle when using PanoTouch, there are some details described in the printed manual that comes with PanoTouch 1.0 that may help you get even more out of PanoTouch.
Note: PhotoVista™ images
PhotoVista produces several kinds of images, including cylindrical JPEG-compressed images that are horizontal, not rotated. To use these images with PanoTouch, rotate them 90 degrees counterclockwise in Photoshop, then save the rotated image. Use PanoTouch to edit the rotated image. When your edits are complete, rotate the edited image clockwise 90 degrees to restore it to its original horizontal orientation for use in PhotoVista.
