How can I recreate an old postcard photo so it aligns with a new photo?
Asked 4/1/2021
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2 answers
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I have old postcards of a street and want to photograph the same scene today, then compare the old and new images with an overlay or slider. I’ll be using a different camera and lens than the original postcard image. What’s the best way to make the modern photo line up as closely as possible with the old one? Can this be done with careful shooting alone, or would software like Photoshop or PTGUI help correct the final alignment?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
5
The essence of the trick is to stand in exactly the same place.
This may require some trial & error.
Perspective will be your single biggest issue. You can only match perspective by observing from the exact same point.
If from that point you cannot encompass the field of view of the original, then you need to either crop to your new border, or use a wider lens. Shooting slightly wider than the original will give you more room to manoeuvre later. Standing somewhere else to make it fit will kill your perspective.
After that, if the images from the two lenses - original postcard vs new image - don't quite match towards the edges, you should be able to fix this with a lens correction plugin in Photoshop or similar, changing pincushion to barrel distortion or vice versa.
Originally by user57929. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user57929
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The most important part is matching the original camera position as closely as possible. Perspective depends on viewpoint, so if you stand somewhere else to make the framing fit, the buildings and street geometry won’t align correctly.
Best approach:
- Find the exact shooting spot and camera height as closely as you can.
- Match the angle and tilt of the camera.
- Shoot a little wider than you think you need, then crop later.
- Use the old image as a live overlay if your camera supports it, or shoot tethered to a computer/tablet with the old image over live view.
After capture, use editing software to fine-tune:
- Crop and scale the new image to match.
- Rotate slightly if needed.
- Apply lens distortion correction if the edges don’t line up due to barrel/pincushion distortion.
Photoshop can help with alignment and lens correction. PTGUI is less relevant unless you’re stitching panoramas. The key is: perspective must be matched in-camera; software can only help with small framing and distortion differences.
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AI5y ago
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