Computer-generated backdrops - 11
resulted in camera rotation of nearly 260°. As we know, if I
were in the real location, 180° would cover the complete range
of view. The lesson is, the panorama creation process has
experimentation involved as well. I used 1” scale models of my
scenes to confirm how the background would fit into my lay-
out. [11]. The panorama creation process may send you back
to adjusting your camera setting and position in Terragen. You
can practice the stitching process at lower-resolution to save
significant time between iterations.
When the panoramic image is complete, additional details
may be added to the scene using typical image editing tools
such as Photoshop. I added buildings and telephone poles
I cut out of digital photographs. Be careful to select images
that have the same lighting angle you chose in your scene. I
rendered and stitched my final images in TIFF format, which
doesn’t lose data through compression during subsequent
image editing. The JPEG format will cause image degradation
each time you edit and save, and should be avoided until you
save the final print image. [12]
Computer to backdrop
Now that we have our beautiful image, sized appropriately to
match the real-world size at a resolution of at least 150 dpi,
we need to bring it into the physical world. This is the stage
where professional help from a large-format printer is needed.
There are many printing services and options in today’s market.
14. Here is a photo of the real Lizard’s Head peak.
(Photo: Michael McCaffery)
15. This is a photo of the Terragen simulation of Lizard’s
Head peak. Not exactly the same, but close enough that
those familiar with it will know what it is.
15
14
“Professional help from a large-for-
mat printer is needed.”
MRH-Jul 2014
