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The Mac|Life 101 series is where you can come to learn new and simple ways to do things with Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems. Whether you’re new to the platform, or just want to learn a new technique, then MacLife 101 is for you.
With the introduction of iOS 6 last fall, Apple introduced a new feature to many users that previously required a third party application. Panorama shots are all the rage nowadays, and the Camera in iOS 6 on modern devices supports the ability to capture stunning panorama shots with relative ease, and without fussing with any costly third-party apps. We’ll show you how to capture a panorama, as well as some of the lesser-known tricks this feature offers.
Basic Capture
To capture a basic panorama, open the Camera app, and tap on the Options button at the top of the screen, and then the panorama button.
You may try to capture a panorama in landscape mode, but note that this will not work. The panorama feature only works in portrait mode as to capture the most amount of pixels for a single panoramic shot.
To begin capturing a Panorama, align the first frame with the start of the photo that you wish to begin capturing. Tap the camera button to begin the capture, and then move your device as level and as straight as possible in the direction of capture (denoted by the arrow in the panorama strip). If you are moving too fast, the device will let you know this, same as moving too slowly. If you begin to deviate to the top or bottom (by not keeping your device level or straight), then you will notice a black strip forming at the top or bottom of your photo in the panorama strip. You want to keep the tip of the white arrow on the line as best possible.
Once you reach the end of the panorama strip, the panorama capture will automatically stop; however, you can end a panorama capture at any time by tapping on the camera button. This allows you to make a short or long panorama capture — it’s completely up to you.
The final results are pretty great, and a lot better than many of the third-party applications that are available. The frame stitching is seamless with most captures if you keep the device level and straight during capture.
Capturing a Verta-rama
While it isn’t possible to capture panorama in landscape mode, you can create a verta-rama (vertical panorama photo) in landscape mode. To do this, put your device in landscape mode, set the direction of capture so that the arrow is facing upward. Then, start your panorama, and move your device upward to capture taller objects. This is great for capturing tall buildings, or other tall scenery.
Switching Directions
By default, the panorama feature of the camera wants to capture a panorama from left-to-right, but you can also capture from right-to-left with this little hidden feature. Tapping on the arrow in the panorama strip that appears in panorama mode will change the direction of capture.
Appearing in a shot more than once
In the keynote that introduced the panorama camera feature, Phil Schiller showed a photo of one person appearing multiple times in a panorama shot. You may have been wondering how to do this.
To capture a panorama like this, you’ll need two people: the person being photographed, and then the person to take the panorama. Begin the panorama with the person in the frame, and as soon as the person is out of frame (from moving the camera in the direction of capture), have the person walk behind the photographer to stand in a future frame before that frame is captured in the panorama.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article’s author on Twitter.
