1. A method for transforming image data representative of a set of overlapping images to produce an image mosaic, comprising: selecting a first set of points in a first image, the first set of points being located in an overlap region between the first image and a second image; selecting a set of tie points in the second image, the set of tie points comprising individual tie points, each individual tie point correlating to a point in the first set of points; selecting a patch in the first image, the patch comprising patch points including at least one point from the first set of points and at least one neighboring point within a first distance from the at least one point; performing shadow detection to determine a percentage of the patch comprising a shadow; determining if the percentage of the patch comprising the shadow exceeds a predetermined percentage; if the percentage exceeds the predetermined percentage, eliminating the at least one point from the first set of points so that the least one point is not correlated with any of the individual tie points, thereby avoiding correlating the shadow in the first image to a shadow in the second image; and warping the first and second images together to produce the image mosaic, said warping not utilizing any points eliminated from the first set of points.