Help with tripod removal

[manumuskin]

I have been trying for days to figure out how to remove the tripod from my panos.I have tried shooting the ground handheld and removing that way but I keep getting black areas and warped images so now I am attempting to remove the tripod and insert a Logo with a free program I have called GIMP 2.6.11
There was what i thought to be a good tutorial on this very subject here http://greeennotebook.com/2011/04/how-to-create-a-360-x-180-degree-panorama/ but upon getting part way through the process there is a screen on layers that he shows that is nowhere to be found on my GIMP.I have gotton so far as covering the tripod with white but need to be able to make this invisible now so as to design a logo and put in the whites place.Does anyone know how either in GIMP or some other reasonably priced program to take a panoramic jpeg and take out the tripod and replace with (and create in the first place) a logo to stick in it's place?The tripod is highly stretched being it is at the Nadir (lowest spot) and whatever I place in there will be highly stretched till put into a panoramic viewer.Now I am pretty close to being a know nothing at photo editing so if anyone has done something like this I may need to be talked through it like a two year old.I am very good at following directions but they have to be specific to whatever program I'm using.I can read help files but the help files in Gimp only explain the basics of each feature.I need to know how to put em all together to create a logo.Any help would be much appreciated.I know of several folks on here that appear to be very knowledgeable about photo manipulation programs as their excellent photographs attest to.
Al

 

[scouter]

From what I read in the article you posted and my current knowledge of gimp, I think in order to get the image you want to import into Hugin you need to.

1) Cover the area where your tripod is with white. (which you said you already did)

2)Remove the background as a visible layer.
-

3)Go to save as
-Change file type to tif if needed

and then you can try to continue following the tutorial
I can't help much with Hugin since I don't have any panoramic images to work with, but I hope this helps you some. Maybe?

 

[manumuskin]

that screen with the eye with the arrow pointing at it is exactly what I can't find.If I could find that screen I could keep going but it doesn't appear to exist on my gimp and I cannot make the white area invisible:-(
Al

 

[scouter]

Wow, that's weird.

Is it the whole screen that you can't find or just the icon of the arrow?

Edit:

And if it is, try going to the "Windows" drop down in Gimp and select the last option there.
It should be something like "Layers, Channels, Undo..."

 

[manumuskin]

The whole layers window he pictures is not there.I can go to layers from the top bar but it does not have the eye and background an all that.it just has transparency but not invisibilty.I do not know what this windows drop down in Gimp is you speak of.I have clicke3d on everything that can possibly be clicked on.When i first opened the program for the first time there were two boxes open and in my way.one was the toolbar and the other i know not what it was.I got rid of both of them,the toolbar keeps coming back every time i restart but the other box is gone.I even unistalled gimp and reinstalled and that box is still gone.It may have had in it what i need to get th well not to sweat it.I have just had success in removing the nadir through extra shots.I have developed a system and once practiced I should get good enough to repeat it.I'd like to learn the logo thing to but my gimp appears to be gumped.Thanks for trying.
Al

 

[scouter]

I'm glad you were able to come across some solution for hiding your tripod

I have a slight complexion with trying to solve problems sometimes.

So the one last thing I suggest try is, pressing ctrl + L.

If your gimp really is gumped than it probably won't be fruitful, but hey, it can't hurt to try.

 

[manumuskin]

You da Scout!
this gives me the tab and I configured it with the tabs shown on the image.the eye is not showing but everything above it is.The eye may show as I get back into the process and load image and make transparent and all that.I am mentally wore out now so this will be a tomorrow project but this puts me on my way again.Thanks Again!
Al

 

[manumuskin]

ok I got to the part where i change pitch and yaw and hugin will not let me.Keeps saying an unhandled action has occured.Well I'm further along then i was.You got me through GIMP now I need help with Hugin