Brenizer Technique

[Black Pearl]

I've known about this technique for ages but never got round to trying it - until yesterday when I came across this YouTube video that gave me the push I needed:

 

So.........

I nipped out in the car to try the same thing - with oddly enough the same lens as in the video though I'm sure any large aperture prime or zoom will do the trick.

I tried to be logical in the way I took shots of the car and surrounding area starting with focussing on the nearest headlight but to be honest it all ended up a bit random, didn't seem to matter when the files were stitched but its something to bare in mind. I ended up with 66 files which I hoped would cover the whole scene.

First step was to load the raw files into Lightroom (you can use whatever software you want) and export them to a named folder on my desktop as JPEG's. The first time I did it I didn't resize them so after combining them I ended up with a 230 million pixel file - which was a bit unwieldy to say the least. For this demo I outputted them at 1000 pixels long which made things a bit more fluid.

Once you have a folder of files start up Photoshop (I think you're going to need this or at least something with the option) and go to - File - Automate - Photomerge. Make sure you click on Reposition as this keeps the image flat - Blend Images Together so they match each other - Folder then point it at the one you created with all you files in. Photoshop will then load them all into the Photomerge box and once you hit OK it will set about combining them. Now this may take some time so a cup of tea/coffee amy be in order.

After it has crunhed all the files you'll end up with something like the below screen shot. The gaps are where you didn't take enough images and its all still layered so you can tweak any oddities - mine looked to be spot on so all I did was crop it ready for final processing.

At this point you can do what you want - for this example I shoved the flattened file into ACR and gave it a very quick tweak - if you look at my one-a-day post from yesterday you'll see I made a mono version too.

 

BP

[Phil]

I remember trying this years ago but had completely forgotten about it, gives an excellent finish to the image.

[Clicker]

That was  very interesting  Beepy ..  thanks  for that. .You did an amazing job with that  .. At what stage  did you resize the images ... i presume the resized ones are the ones  you loaded into the designated  folder .. jEEZ   You can see why they need to be exported as JPEGS   Yeah   think I followed that ...it actually looks fairly straightforward after that ... erm  well relatively ...  ..

[kev7d]

I have heard of this technique before. I might just have to have a go following your tutorial now.     

[Clicker]

Don't ya just love it when someone shows you something new ... Thanks Beepy ...   It's just great to learn new skills ...

[Craig]

I actually watched this video on YouTube yesterday funny enough.
I have never tried anything like this before but certainly will soon as my son has asked me to shoot some shots of his new sports car.
Thanks for the detailed technique BP. 
Will have to try this in the next couple of weeks.
Craig

[Denis]

66 files for a car ?

 I will bring my truck up for you to photograph

[Black Pearl]

43 minutes ago, Craig said:

I actually watched this video on YouTube yesterday funny enough.
I have never tried anything like this before but certainly will soon as my son has asked me to shoot some shots of his new sports car.
Thanks for the detailed technique BP. 
Will have to try this in the next couple of weeks.
Craig

Your 50mm should be ideal giving an even shallower DoF.

8 minutes ago, Denis said:

66 files for a car ?

 I will bring my truck up for you to photograph

In hindsight I didn't need 66 as you can see from the uncrossed shot I was capturing way too much - but yes - bring your truck up