Panorama Overlap Calculator
Frames, coverage and overlap for a panorama — where ten frames at 30% overlap throw away 27%, and only the joins overlap rather than every frame.
This counts frames for a single row swung about the camera. It assumes you rotate about the lens's no-parallax point — swinging about the tripod screw instead introduces parallax that no amount of overlap will stitch cleanly at close range. A stitched panorama also needs cropping to a straight edge afterwards, so the final width is a little less than the figures here. Nothing is uploaded.
Ten frames at 30% overlap throw away 27%, not 30%
Only the joins overlap, and n frames have n − 1 of them — so the wasted fraction is v(n − 1)/n rather than v. Two frames at 30% waste only 15%; ten waste 27%; fifty waste 29.4%. It creeps up towards the overlap you set and never quite reaches it, which is a small mercy nobody notices.
| Frames | Wasted at 30% overlap |
|---|---|
| 2 | 15.0% |
| 3 | 20.0% |
| 5 | 24.0% |
| 10 | 27.0% |
| 20 | 28.5% |
| 50 | 29.4% |
Which also means ten frames never cover ten times the angle. On a 50 mm they cover 289.1° at 30% overlap rather than the 396.0° the frame count suggests.
| Overlap | Ten frames cover | Wasted | Frames for 360° |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 396.0° | 0.0% | 10 |
| 10% | 360.3° | 9.0% | 10 |
| 20% | 324.7° | 18.0% | 12 |
| 30% | 289.1° | 27.0% | 13 |
| 40% | 253.4° | 36.0% | 15 |
| 50% | 217.8° | 45.0% | 18 |
And more overlap is not cheap insurance
A full turn on a 50 mm takes 12 frames at 20% overlap and 18 at 50% — six more frames and exactly half again the shooting time, for a stitch that was already going to work. The lens matters more still: a 16 mm needs only 5 frames where a 135 mm needs 34. But the long lens repays the work in pixels, stitching 144,600 across against 22,800.
| Lens | Angle | Frames for 360° | Stitched width |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | 96.7° | 5 | 22,800 px |
| 24 mm | 73.7° | 7 | 31,200 px |
| 35 mm | 54.4° | 10 | 43,800 px |
| 50 mm | 39.6° | 13 | 56,400 px |
| 85 mm | 23.9° | 22 | 94,200 px |
| 135 mm | 15.2° | 34 | 144,600 px |
Frames are whole things, so the count always rounds up and the sweep meets or beats the target rather than falling short of it. At 30% overlap on a 6000-pixel sensor, that is the trade in a line: more frames, more time, and a far bigger picture at the end of it.
How to use
- Enter your focal length and sensor width.
- Enter the overlap you plan to use.
- Enter how far you want to sweep.
- Read the frame count, coverage and how much is wasted.
Frequently asked questions
How much does overlap actually cost me?
Less than the setting suggests. Only the joins overlap and n frames have n minus one of them, so the wasted fraction is v(n-1)/n. Ten frames at 30% throw away 27%, and two frames throw away only 15%.
How many frames does a 360 degree panorama need?
On a 50 mm covering 39.6 degrees: twelve at 20% overlap, thirteen at 30% and eighteen at 50%. A 16 mm needs only five, while a 135 mm needs thirty-four.
Is more overlap cheap insurance?
Not really. Going from 20% to 50% on a 50 mm is six extra frames and exactly half again the shooting time, for a stitch that was already going to work. Twenty to thirty percent is enough for most software.
Do ten frames cover ten times the angle?
No — each frame after the first only adds the part that is not overlapped. Ten frames on a 50 mm cover 289 degrees at 30% overlap rather than the 396 the count suggests.
Why does the frame count round up?
Because frames are whole things. The count always meets or beats the target rather than falling short, and it accounts for the first frame contributing its full width — so it never asks for one more than you need.
Does a longer lens make a better panorama?
A bigger one. A 135 mm takes thirty-four frames against a 16 mm five, but stitches to roughly 145,000 pixels wide against 27,000. The trade is shooting time and stitching risk against resolution.
Why does my panorama have stitching errors anyway?
Usually parallax. Overlap cannot fix it: you have to rotate about the lens no-parallax point rather than the tripod screw, or near objects will shift against far ones between frames and no software will reconcile them.
Does this send anything anywhere?
No. Every figure is computed in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.