Hugin, the free open-source panorama photo stitching and HDR merging software, rolled out the Beta release of 2023 version few weeks ago.

This Beta so far does not have any release note for changes. But only the changelog according to the changes.txt file in source tarball:

• PTBatcherGUI can now also queue user defined assistant and user defined output sequences.
• PTBatcherGUI: Added option to generate panorama sequences from an existing pto template.
• Assistant: Added option to select different output options like projection, FOV or canvas size depending on different variables (e.g. image count, field of view, lens type).
• Allow building with epoxy instead of GLEW for OpenGL pointer management.
• Several improvements to crop tool (outside crop, aspect ratio, …).

Install Hugin 2023 Beta in Ubuntu:

NOTE 1: This is so far a Beta release for testing purpose!

For those who want to try out the new features, I’ve uploaded the package into this unofficial PPA for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 23.04, and Ubuntu 23.10 on both X86_64 and Arm64/hf CPUs.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T key combination on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/hugin-unstable

Type user password when it asks (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2. Ubuntu 18.04, and some Ubuntu based systems may need to manually refresh package cache after adding PPA, though it’s done automatically sine Ubuntu 20.04.

To do so, just run command:

sudo apt update

3. Finally, install the Beta release of Hugin by running command:

sudo apt install hugin

Uninstall:

To downgrade the stock version of Hugin in your system repository, simply open terminal and run command to purge the PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/hugin-unstable

Or, remove the software package by running command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove hugin

And, remove the Ubuntu PPA either by running command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/hugin-unstable

Or use “Software & Updates” by remove the source line under “Other Software” tab.

The hugin package is removed from Ubuntu 22.04 repository. For those need this free open-source panorama stitcher, here are 3 alternative methods to install it back. Just choose the one that you prefer.

Option 1: Hugin Flatpak package

The panoramic photo stitcher is available as the universal Flatpak package than runs in sandbox.

Flatpak package installs on most Linux, but it takes more disk space for run-time libraries!

Firstly, open terminal by searching it from the ‘Activities’ overview screen (or press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard):

When terminal opens, run the command below to install the daemon package first:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install flatpak

And finally install Hugin as flatpak using command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/net.sourceforge.Hugin.flatpakref

As you see, the flatpak package will also install run-time libraries that take more disk space.

Option 2: Non-install AppImage package

There’s a non-install AppImage package available for Hugin. No installation required, just add executable permission and run the file will launch the tool.

Download the latest Hugin AppImage:

Then, give executable permission in file properties dialog and finally right-click run it to launch the app:

Option 2: Hugin PPA

For those prefer the classic .deb package, I’ve upload the package as well as dependencies into this Ubuntu PPA.

NOTE: Don’t know why Ubuntu 22.04 removed the package, but it still present in all Debian repositories. And the package in this PPA is just a backport from Debian Unstable. Use it at your own risk!

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

Type user password when it asks (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2. Next, install the panorama photo stitcher by running the apt command below:

sudo apt install hugin

For Linux Mint and other Ubuntu based systems, you may need to run sudo apt update to refresh cache first.

How to Remove Hugin in Ubuntu 22.04

For the Flatpak package, uninstall it via command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data net.sourceforge.Hugin

And remove unused run-times via flatpak uninstall --unused.

To remove Hugin PPA package, run the command below in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove hugin

And remove the Ubuntu PPA using command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps