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[boBQuincy]

Yeah, what Mark said. Just imagine how nice they would look if you had a decent camera!

So what are you doing in Florida without going to Disney? You did not tell me you were going!

And here I was doing all this work to clean up the haloes, not knowing those are the sign of a good HDR! I really must read Ken Rockwell some more.
I did place a Nikon sticker over the Rebel logo on the camera just so people would think I had a good camera!

This was a trip to visit my family (Ponte Vedra Beach) and to see the Corvair convention events in Pooler GA and Jacksonville FL. I pretty much stay out of WDW from May through September due to crowds and heat although I can't imagine a much hotter or more humid place than Roebling Road raceway in mid-July!!! At least I didn't take the minivan out on the track this time. I must be getting old...

 

[jann1033]

i think they are all well done as usual. the concours( sp?) heavy duty type of HDR has it's place imo , that place just isn't attempting to pass it off as a "normal" photo , it's an enhancement to me just like something from a paint program. i do like the subtle treatment photos best since they look normal still but improved, kind of just like you took them with a vivid style setting. well except for the "ghosts" in the car one, that must have been some kind of paranormal setting

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Bob, what version of Photomatix are you using? Is it the pro version? Also, do you put the photos together in Photoshop or PSP, or does this program allow you to put all the shots together? Does it allow you to use RAW files and convert to JPEG or is it JPEG only? Thanks...

 

[crazydadguy]

My current camera does not support bracketing (Nikon D40). If I take one raw shot, could I use a program to modify the exposure compensation levels to make up for it? I would think not, that a picture, even in raw format would not capture a full spectrum of Dynamic range. Anyone have any thoughts on whether shooting one shot in raw would be on par with three to five shots of actually varying the exposure?

 

[Experiment_626]

In short -- no, this won't really work. You'd probably have the same (or better) results tone-mapping a single RAW image in Photomatix. You can always bracket manually by just adjusting the shutter speed between shots.

SSB

 

[Experiment_626]

do you put the photos together in Photoshop or PSP, or does this program allow you to put all the shots together? Does it allow you to use RAW files and convert to JPEG or is it JPEG only? Thanks...

I'm not Bob, but I can answer these. Photomatix can merge the photos itself, or you can open one you've already merged in Photoshop. Sometimes you'll get better results letting Photoshop handle that step, especially if there was any movement between exposures. And Photomatix can work with RAW files, 16- or 8-bit TIFFs and JPEG files.

SSB

 

[crazydadguy]

Thanks 626!

 

[boBQuincy]

Yes, but...
it is usually not going to be a real HDR, capturing the entire dynamic range of the scene. DXOmark shows the range of the sensors in various cameras and there isn't a large difference, usually around 11-12 stops for consumer level cameras. A real world scene can have a much greater range than this and it is here that the extra 4 or more stops of HDR really comes into play. A good HDR capture sequence should go from the darkest frame (with no white pixels) to the brightest (with no black pixels) and each frame should overlap the next. This often takes the usual 3, 5, or more exposures.

HDR software often has the FITYMI (fake it til you make it) option of creating a pseudo-HDR like you mention, from a single frame. These can look pretty good as long as the dynamic range of the scene is not too much greater than that of the sensor, but there are limits.

 

[crazydadguy]

I did some more reading and found this site, http://www.naturescapes.net/072006/rh0706_1.htm
It has about 17 pages of info on HDR. Still reading, but thanks for the info!

 

[YesDear]

FYI I have read several tutorials on how to do an HDR from a single RAW image. This was a Scott Kelby type, not Scott. THeir indication is that you can draw a great deal of the information from the RAW image. Copy the image each time in Photoshop and underexpose, normal, overexpose.

The samples I remember seeing were reasonalbly impressive.

 

[fitzperry]

I've used a single RAW exposure to create a pseudo-HDR a couple of times with decent results, but multiple exposures surely work much better because of the additional data available.

I don't see why you need automatic bracketing though. Just put the camera in manual and adjust the shutter speed between shots taking care not to move the camera.

 

[Cory_D]

All you need to do is set your camera to Aperture Priority mode, and then take each individual shot at a different exposure bias/compensation. So take the first shot normal, then one at -1, then one at +1 for a 3 shot HDR. Essentially you are bracketing, you're just doing it manually as opposed to cameras that do it automatically.

 

[boBQuincy]

Photomatix can align the images and on some where the camera moved ever so slightly it really makes a difference. Maybe PS does a better job of this and it sure is worth investigating. I have not tried merging a HDR in PS and then importing it into Photomatix but I will have to now!

I do not have the Pro version but I may have to upgrade, it would make my workflow easier by working from within PS.

 

[ElizK]

I found this web site:
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-turn-a-dull-shot-into-something-exciting
I've got quite a few pictures from my trip to Germany that fall into that category. I've been playing around, trying the whole HDR thing, but since I don't have a clue what the heck I'm doing.... Anyway. On other HDR pictures I've seen everything was halo'd. How do you get that? I know some people don't care for it, but I kind of do.

I appreciate any words of wisdom, links for more info, etc. I'm actually really excited about my next camera club meeting... this is exactly the subject that will be covered!

 

[boBQuincy]

The haloes usually come from a low value for light smoothing. They are easy to get, a lot more work to get rid of!

 

[sdshutterbug]

Just to echo those above me, I agree these are nice HDR shots. I too have toned down my HDR as of late. I think overly dramatic HDR, when done really well, can be downright gorgeous, but I've yet to produce anything of that caliber. Lately, I have been taking single shots, doing some color correction, then applying a highly overdone dose of Topaz Adjust, and fading it way down for a subtle pseudo-HDR.

 

[ElizK]

Ok, I found instructions to do psuedo HDR. This is fun!

This one is my favorite:

And I really liked this one, too:

 

[JR6ooo4]

can you post the originals so I can see the difference?

thanks, if you can...

Mikeeee

 

[ElizK]

can you post the originals so I can see the difference?

thanks, if you can...

Mikeeee

Here ya go:

 

[RBennett]

I like both shots (the before and after) but to me the after-shots look more "Topazed" than "HDR". The only reason I say that is because the exposure on the originals is pretty good. But again, I like both shots.