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            <div class="Photoshop"><table><tr><td class="banner">Adobe Photoshop CS4</td><td class="pod"><img src="images/PDF.gif" width="16" height="16" hspace="15" valign="50%" />&#160;&#160;
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<ul class="navigation"><li class="prev"><a accesskey="p" class="prev" href="WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-78c1a.html" title="Distribute layers and groups evenly"><img src="images/blank.gif" alt="Previous" width="17" height="17" /></a></li><li class="next"><a accesskey="n" class="next" href="WSA75E6997-6EB8-4bf7-8E18-ACE6CC02DCDDa.html" title="Auto blend layers"><img src="images/blank.gif" alt="Next" width="17" height="17" /></a></li></ul><div class="hierarchy" id="hierarchy"><a href="WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-78e4a.html">Layers</a> /
     <a href="WS1375CE44-C305-4d39-8CAF-7CF770557E6Ea.html"><b>Moving, stacking, and locking layers</b></a> 
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                <h1>
                    Automatically align image layers
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                <div><div class="section"><p>The Auto-Align Layers command can
automatically align layers based on similar content in different
layers, such as corners and edges. You assign one layer as a reference
layer, or let Photoshop automatically choose the reference layer.
Other layers are aligned to the reference layer so that matching
content overlays itself.</p>
<p>Using the Auto-Align Layers command,
you can combine images in several ways:</p>
<ul><li><p>Replace or
delete parts of images that have the same background. After aligning
the images, use masking or blending effects to combine parts of
each image into one image.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Stitch images together that share overlapping content.</p>
</li>
<li><p>For video frames shot against a static background, you can
convert frames into layers, then add or delete content across multiple
frames. </p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ol><li class="stepexpand"><span>Copy or place the images you want to align into
the same document. </span> <div class="para">Each image will be in a separate layer. See <a href="WS53AFF2EE-B5F3-4a2c-BDB1-BA9B25A2D5A7a.html">Duplicate layers</a>. <div class="tip"><img src="images/tip_help.png" />You can load multiple images into
layers using a script. Choose File&#160;&gt; Scripts&#160;&gt; Load
Files into Stack.</div></div>
</li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>(Optional) In the Layers panel, create a reference layer
by locking it. See <a href="WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-78bfa.html">Lock layers</a>.
If you do not set a reference layer, Photoshop will analyze all
the layers and select the one at the center of the final composition
as the reference.</span></li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>Select the remaining layers you want to align. </span> <p>To select multiple adjacent layers from the panel,
Shift-click; To select noncontiguous layers, Ctrl-Click (Windows)
or Option-click (Mac&#160;OS).</p>
<div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:  </span>Do not select adjustment
layers, vector layers, or Smart Objects which do not contain information
needed for alignment.</div>
</li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>Choose Edit&#160;&gt; Auto-Align Layers, and choose
an alignment option. For stitching together multiple images that
share overlapping areas—for example, to create a panorama—use the
Auto, Perspective, or Cylindrical options. To align scanned images
with offset content, use the Reposition Only option. </span> <dl><dt class="dlterm">Auto</dt>
<dd>Photoshop analyzes the source images and applies either
a Perspective or Cylindrical layout, depending on which produces
a better composite. </dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Perspective</dt>
<dd>Creates a consistent composition by designating one of
the source images (by default, the middle image) as the reference
image. The other images are then transformed (repositioned, stretched,
or skewed, as necessary) so that overlapping content across layers
is matched. </dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Cylindrical</dt>
<dd>Reduces the “bow‑tie” distortion that can occur with
the Perspective layout by displaying individual images as on an
unfolded cylinder. Overlapping content across layers is still matched.
The reference image is placed at the center. Best suited for creating
wide panoramas.</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Spherical</dt>
<dd>Aligns images with wide fields of view (vertical and
horizontal). Designates one of the sources images (the middle image,
by default) as the reference image and spherically transforms the
other images so that overlapping content is matched. </dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Scene Collage</dt>
<dd>Aligns layers and matches overlapping content, without changing
the shape of the objects in the image (for example, a circle will
still be a circle). </dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Reposition Only</dt>
<dd>Aligns the layers and matches overlapping content, but
does not transform (stretch or skew) any of the source layers.</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Lens Correction</dt>
<dd>Automatically corrects for lens defects:<dl><dt class="dlterm">Vignette Removal</dt>
<dd>Compensates for a lens defect that causes the edges, especially
the corners, of an image to be darker than the center.</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Geometric Distortion</dt>
<dd>Compensates for barrel, pincushion, or fisheye distortion. <div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:  </span> Geometric
Distortion will try to take into account the radical distortion
to improve the result of the alignment, except with fish eye lens;
when fish eye metadata is detected, Geometric Distortion will align
the images for fish eye</div>
</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p></dl>
</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p></dl>
 <p>After auto-aligning, you can use Edit&#160;&gt;
Free Transform to fine tune the alignment or make tonal adjustments
to even out exposure differences between layers, then combine the
layers into one composite image.</p>
<p>For a video on aligning layers
by content, see <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0014" target="_blank">www.adobe.com/go/vid0014.</a></p>
<p>For
a video on using Auto-Align and Auto-Blend to create a panorama
and increase depth of field, and using content-aware scaling, see <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4120" target="_blank">www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4120</a>.</p>
</li>
</ol>
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                    <div class="separator">&#160;</div>
                    <div><p><a href="WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-75e8a.html">Create panoramic images</a></p><p><a href="WS4D8330AC-2361-47f6-9C54-EB5F3BA0FA2Ca.html">Combine multiple images into a group portrait</a></p>
</div>
                    <p><a href="http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/WS1E389632-4B37-425e-8EAB-1384C0B432D3a.html" title="http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/WS1E389632-4B37-425e-8EAB-1384C0B432D3a.html">Image Stacks (Photoshop Extended) (adobe.com)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0014" title="http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0014">Aligning layers by content video (adobe.com)</a></p>
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