PS Action for S2/Sig8/PTools

Custom Action (made in Photoshop 6.01- Mac)
Using the Panorama Tools Plug-In to Create an Equirectangular Image and later a Cubic Panorama.

Thanks to Hans Nyberg and Keven Kratzke, among others, for their help, support and numbers.
And of course thanks to Helmut Dersch who gave the world these amazing tools.

The standard version of pano12.dll (or presumably, panotools.bundle) has to be replaced with a version supporting 180° FOV.

It's always wise to make backups of critical files before attempting to monkey with them in unfamiliar ways.

Download Archive contains:
1) mf_ptools.atn
2) Panorama Tools Correct Plug-In Preset 1
(Kratzke numbers for Radial Shift -- including chromatic abberation fix. And my Radial Luminance default.)
3) Panorama Tools Correct Plug-In Preset 2
(Kratzke numbers for Radial Shift. And my Radial Luminance default.)
*The action will take almost 3 times as long to complete using Preset 1, as the color channels are corrected individually.

Please use this action with your own images an let us know how they turn out!

Please write with questions, comments, or any type of feedback, suggestions, analysis, appraisal, or criticism.
If anyone has figured out the exact offset and size of the Sigma 8mm image circle, please pass it along.

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Raw Source Images

This action is based on images taken with a Sigma 8mm Fisheye Lens on a Fuji S2 Body.
The camera is positioned vertically with the grip side down/plugs side up.
Six (6) images are taken at 60° intervals.
The camera is set to "3024." (The "Fine" setting is also preferred, although not relevant here.)
Following are highly-compressed yet full-size images straight out of the camera. Yes, the color leaves something to be desired.

Preparation of the Source File

Bring 6 images into Photoshop.
Copy one image into the next until we are left with a 6-layer file.
Save As... a PSD file.
Rotate image 90° CW to make it right side up.
Change background layer to a regular layer named "layer 0".
Manipulate the layer order so the following is true:
- The 6-layer file should be contain -- from top to bottom -- source images 1,2,3,4,5,6.
- The 6 layers should be labeled -- from top to bottom -- layer 0, layer 1 ... layer 5, etc.
Save.

Whether the action is applied to the Source File while open in photoshop
or used to batch process other similar Source Files, the following happens:

A marquee is drawn. Width is width of image, height is from bottom to top of image circle.
Image is cropped.
Canvas width is altered to match canvas height (2898).
A Levels Adjustment Layer is created, then hidden.
Each of the six layers undergoes the following treatment:
- Layer is selected
- Layer is moved 13 px right
- Filter --> Panorama Tools --> Adjust
  
  The first time the action reaches this point,
  you must manually enter in the appropriate PTools values.
  After the first time, the action will apply the
  Adjust filter automatically according to the last settings.
  
  In the Adjust Opions dialogue box, select "Insert" and "Use Options"
  Click the [Set] button and adjust options to match this screenshot:
  
  Click the [Correct] button and load one of the presets provided in the download package.
  This will load settings into the Radial Shift and Radial Luminance fields.

Layer is moved 13 px left

Canvas width is doubled.
Layer 5 -- which will become the seam image -- is duplicated as Layer5x.
Each of the (now) 7 image layers is shifted horizontally to equally-spaced locations.
Each image layer gets a shiny new layer mask (reveal all).
Each layer's right edge is feathered.
While the resulting image in this case requires further touching up -- especially the banding on the ceiling which will cause a "star" pattern in the top cube face -- we are pretty close to a seamless stitch. This stitch isn't pixel perfect (perhaps with some feedback we can perfect this action! hint hint) but it seems to get us close to where we want to be.

QTVR Before Retouching (668K) | QTVR After Retouching (986K)