Panoramas are one of the most catching-eye images that you can show off a scene or a landscape image. Let’s see how you can turn your panoramas into amazing Little Planet (Globe) pictures in minutes using Photoshop.
Step 1: Choose the right panorama image
The most important rule here is to choose a 360 degree panoramas because their edges line up perfectly and this create a smooth little planet effect.
If you like to produce smoother planet surfaces you have to pick a wide image panorama, the opposite, if you like to have more height variation (buildings pops out from your little planet) narrower panoramas is what you need here.
For this How-to, I have choose an wide landscape panorama of Doxa Lake (Peloponnese, Greece)
Step 2: Square your image
Go to Image > Image Size. > Uncheck Constrain Proportions and set the height to be equal with the width. Hit OK.
Step 3: Upside down your image
Go to Image > Image Rotation > 180° to flip your image upside down.
Step 3: Polar coordinates filter
Go to Filters > Distort > Polar Coordinates. Select Rectangular to Polar option and hit OK.
Congratulations! You have your own Little Planet (Try give him a name :P)
Inside Out Little Planet Alteration
If you prefer your planet have the sky in the center of your image then skip the STEP 3 and don’t upside down your image. You final image will be look like this:
* Finishing Tips
1) [Optional Step] Apply some gradient on your image sky, this way you can prevent the corners of the final image looking stretched or warped.
2) You can rotate your image to result different view aspects.
3) Clone Stamp or Healing Brush tools can always fix some spots on your image edges.
4) Practise makes better, so try as many different images you can.
