Let me first narrow this query down more specifically.
I will be employing a 35mm film lens (precise focal length not entirely critical?) with its wider image circle relevant to my Micro 4/3 camera sensor, using a Fotodiox Shift Adapter, all mounted on a tripod. Shifting the camera 10-degrees right and left of the center, keeping the lens stationary, I will be producing three images, with overlap.
Prior to processing these three images in Photoshop's CS5 Photomerge facility, I may wish to pre-process the images while still in RAW format, before converting them to TIF, which Photomerge requires.
Do I have to edit the three RAW images via ACR individually, hoping to get them tonally alike, before passing them along to Photomerge, or is there some automated ACR function that once I've tonally adjusted the first image, will be duplicated in the other two?
Or do I need to really bother with pre-editing in ACR rather than editing the Photomerge(d) combined image?
Seems like a simple question -- but maybe not!