Just a quick reminder to 'someone' who made claims about the ease of
creating linear panoramas.  I would strongly suggest that 'someone' gets
in now and shows how it is done. Or be highly embarrassed by what follows...

Just to clarify, a 'linear' panorama is one where you relocate the
camera for each shot, in other words, you don't just rotate it around a
single point on a tripod...

The linear panorama technique can be applied to scenes which do *not*
have a lot of close, middle and long distance detail that might overlap.

You might use a linear panorama, for example, as you walked along a row
 of townhouse frontages, or maybe those cute coloured
beach-shed-thingies in Melbourne, or a long wall with a mural or covered
in graffiti..

The sort of scene that linear panoramas are NOT suitable for, is shown here:
http://www.marktphoto.com/examples/pano_moved.jpg

You'll notice that there are multiple objects that have 'realigned'
between shots, and the parallax problems would be virtually impossible
to deal with in a sensible way, especially in all those masts and boat
hulls.  (If anyone wants the entire series of shots as I walked along
that road, you have but to ask nicely..)

However.. 'someone' here has said that they *can* create a panorama from
exactly those images - and yet when asked to prove their skill, they ran
away... Well, never mind.
(Jeff R may wish to repost the link, in order to properly embarrass the
'someone'..)

I'll be back shortly to give more examples of the different types of
panoramas and invite discussion on techniques, but in the meantime,
perhaps the 'someone' might like to respond, and show us how to make a
usable linear panorama from the sample images shown, or his own chosen
example.

And if anyone else has done any linears recently, or any panoramas at
all, perhaps you might like to share them?  I'll be back later, but I
won't post any of mine just yet, in order to give 'someone' a chance to
get in first....

In the meantime, some further-reading type links:

http://www.dojoe.net/tutorials/linear-pano/
http://mo.ment.org/SUMIDA/
http://www.4020.net/srcs/scene.php?id=bmvr:lawsonshops
(^ needs Quicktime)
http://slash72.club.fr/gurl/MODES-PROJECTION/en_prefecture_rectiligne.htm
http://www.seamlesscity.com/city%20_scene1.html
(^ commercial, but interesting examples)
http://www.animatif.com/labo/labo.htm

...and I just can't wait to see Doug's!
http://www.photography-forums.com/t101311-stepping-out-a-panorama-the-method-tha
t-cant-be-done.html

(O: