Panorama Shots Calculator (How Many Photos and How Far to Turn)
How many photos to take for a panorama of a given width, how far to turn the camera between shots, and the overlap you end up with, from lens, sensor and overlap.
Results
The dashed line marks the value you entered.
What this tool does
Each frame covers an angle of view of 2 × atan(sensor side ÷ 2 × focal length), and consecutive frames must overlap, usually by 25 to 35 %, so the software can find matching detail and blend the seams. Turning the camera to portrait covers less width per shot but more height. The shots are then spread evenly over the total angle, so the real overlap is a little more than you asked for. For close subjects, rotate around the lens's no-parallax point rather than the tripod screw.
Formula
angle of view = 2 × atan(sensor side ÷ 2 f) · shots = 1 + ⌈(total angle − angle of view) ÷ (angle of view × (1 − overlap))⌉
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
fl | Focal length | mm |
sw | Sensor long side | mm |
sh | Sensor short side | mm |
po | Camera orientation | — |
pa | Angle you want to cover | ° |
ov | Overlap between shots | % |
N | Number of shots | — |
FV | Horizontal angle of view of one shot | ° |
ST | Turn between shots | ° |
RO | Overlap you actually get | % |
Worked example
- Focal length35 mm
- Sensor long side36 mm
- Sensor short side24 mm
- Camera orientation2
- Angle you want to cover180 °
- Overlap between shots30 %
- Number of shots7
- Horizontal angle of view of one shot37.8 °
- Turn between shots23.7 °
- Overlap you actually get37 %
Limitations
- The formula assumes ideal conditions: no friction losses, no air resistance and no efficiency losses unless you enter them.
- The calculation runs at full precision and only the display is rounded. If you copy an intermediate value and retype it, small differences can appear.