anyone got any tips on HDR photography? I tried this out for the first time today and was quite pleased with the result but I'm sure I have a lot to learn :)
Here is one of mine....Im still new at it too. I think everyone processes HDR differently. I like mine to look as close to real life as possible others like it more processed.
I bought a book to understand it better. I like what @christabug shot. HDR is really meant, in digispeak, to cover all the exposure zones better. Sometimes, people use it for a graphic purpose, dreamlike quality, etc, like @gareauk1 . Watch out for "ghosting, though, when you do that kind.
HDR is (my opinion) really meant to have digital compensate for their lack of technology in exposing all 11 zones, which film does better in 1 shot.
This is "HDR" shot with a film camera.
Photoshop HDR blows. You would want to look at FDR tools, Photomatix, etc software for it.
Your pic is ok, but the luminocity is off. It is lacking highlight, hence dimension for such a landscape that screams dimension.
I find HDR frustrating much of the time - like Christina, I prefer my own pictures to look as natural as possible. So all I ever use HDR software for is to extend the dynamic range (amount of detail in lights and darks), and it doesn't always work. I've never been very happy with results if I use only one exposure, I do better with taking a series for HDR merging. Others think differently, and many get cool results with it, so it really does depend on your individual style and your aim for the subject. I've also found different HDR software programs give different results. Here's one HDR I took several months ago - I'm new here and this is the first time I've tried to link to a picture that's hosted elsewhere (so this is also a test). The picture was taken not all that long after first light and the foreground was black when the sky was properly exposed.
I used trials of many HDR programs and liked Nik HDR EFex Pro the best, it is thr one i purchased. From very natural to fairly crazy with massive adjustability.
Here are two versions from exactly the same set of 3 shots.
And here is the normally exposed, single shot version. The lack of definition in the clouds is the irksome thing with this shot.
It's all about the processing. As long as you have a reasonably steady hand, the camera doesn't play a massive part. In my opinion Photomatix is the best for HDR (as below), and you've just got to adjust the sliders to what you feel makes the photo look best. Sometimes a dark, under-saturated look works best, when on others a bright, vibrant effect does the trick. Don't just stop after merging your images either, you can still run them through Photoshop to add a little bit more flavour. Just download Photomatix and have a play around.
@grace2012 This is a great shot, with heavy but attractive processing. Just don't go too crazy. Keep your whites white. I see a lot of sunset/sunrise shots where, after processing, the hottest parts of the shot turn gray. This is a common biproduct of HDR merging with Photoshop and especially with Photomatix. Be weary of it, and always put in the extra work required to tweak an HDR comp after it's complete. There's usually a good amount of work to be done after the initial comp anyway. Great start :)
@gurry Yes, the gray. Egads, and the huge white halos. Sometimes I feel like the only person who sees them, like that kid in The Sixth Sense with the dead people. Always the first thing that jumps out at me in 98% of HDR shots.
365 is a great place to learn new techniques and a fabulous place to share your results and get feedback, suggestions and direction. One of the things I find about HDR is that it makes photos so unworldly and unnatural because there is too heavy a hand. HDR is supposed to bring in elements of light and shadow and create more of what your eye sees by combining different exposures. I think the key is to remember to use a hand that is recreating what you saw or wanted to see and not go too heavy. So I am not a fan when the photo looks so unnatural.
A great person to follow that does excellent processing with HDR and other programs is @cfrantz
I am fairly new to HDR too. I mostly try to use it to enhance my photos, and not make them too obvious. However, yesterday I accidentally combined three exposures of two different images and produced this:
I personally did not care for this shot, but I uploaded it anyway to get feedback on it. It seems like everyone is half and half. My commenters either loved it or didn't. Once I realized what I had done, I tried to recombine the 3 correct exposures of the same shot. That HDR was not as beautiful in color.
It's a fun technique to learn, but personally, I don't want to over do anything. Enjoy!
@gurry Are you referring to my HDR photo? They are just a couple of old buses that were parked in a field and no longer used. Trees have grown in and around them now.
my 2 tips are find scenes that already have a high dynamic range, scenes with lots of light and shadow, if you find yourself wondering what exposure to use because it would result in blown out the highlights or over dark shadows those are scenes that are perfect (its why storm clouds, in fact all clouds look so cool in HDR) and my second tip is dont overcook it, the tendancy for a lot of people starting to use HDR is to increase the detail strength to the max which although it may work on some subjects will more often than not look awful, sometimes less is indeed more. Anyway heres a few of the many of mine
I’ve been playing with HDR for a few years now and I’ll try to shed some light as to how I set things up. This is by no means a rule book of any kind as I process each picture differently. I never process two pictures the same – ever.
Single exposures will work fine but in order to maximize your output, I recommend at least three or more bracketed shots. I typically shoot in RAW format as this gives me more flexibility when manipulating photos but other formats will work also.
I employ PhotoMatix, Photoshop CS5, and Lightroom as my editing programs. There are others that will accomplish these tasks but these are the titles that I use.
I usually import the photos into PhotoMatix for the tone-mapping task. Once I have achieved the desired look, I will open the picture in Photoshop and apply the HDR. After all is right with the world, I will then transfer the photo into Lightroom for final editing. Again - I never process two pictures the same – ever. Some photos may never even see Lightroom.
Your mileage may vary...
Here are a few photos below. Critique as you wish and Good Luck!
I've only done HDR 3 times, but I can say that starting out, Photomatix is the easiest way to go. The shot I posted the other day was my 2nd HDR shot. I didn't go out to shoot HDR, but once I found my subject, the lighting was horrible due to the time of evening. No matter what I did with the settings on my camera, I either had a bleached sky with the subject being lit just right, or I had an amazing sky with the subject I was shooting in silhouette. HDR was the solution.... Here's the result:
@ronbee Thanks for posting your workflow - everyone does things differently. I usually start by adding all pictures to a hard drive using Lightroom to copy them from the memory card. Then I spot the exposure bracketed ones and use Lightroom's export feature to export directly to either Photomatix or HDR Efex. Do the tonemapping/create the HDR and click "save". Both programs will process the picture and automatically re-import the new file back onto Lightroom. I do any final changes there. The process is quick, I don't have to leave Lightroom and the new file is automatically re-imported back into it. It constantly amazes me how many different ways there are to do things!
@mtngal Thank you for your workflow example. Yes - I too under estimate all of the scenarios of achieving the same effect. Your response was spot on :)
Here is a capture that, in my opinion, has been over-cooked with the HDR treatment.
Feel free to critique as you wish and Good Luck :)
@ronbee LOL! I agree - the HDR is both over-cooked and not needed with that shot. I'm surprised though that it the over-cooked look was done in one of the HDR programs - looks like one of the other plug-ins I've used that quickly gets outrageous very quickly.
@ronbee I hate to say what my keeper ratio is for HDR - it's very low. So low I more or less gave up on it since I have a camera that's very forgiving, retaining details in the shadows more than any other camera I've owned. However, every so often I'll hit the jackpot and get one that's really nice so I keep bracketing my shots and playing around with it. I have one picture from January that I really like, but that was before I started here and it's hosted on another photo-hosting site. The couple of bracketed sets I took last week didn't work out right at all.
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HDR is (my opinion) really meant to have digital compensate for their lack of technology in exposing all 11 zones, which film does better in 1 shot.
This is "HDR" shot with a film camera.
Photoshop HDR blows. You would want to look at FDR tools, Photomatix, etc software for it.
Your pic is ok, but the luminocity is off. It is lacking highlight, hence dimension for such a landscape that screams dimension.
Tweak, tweak, tweak. Keep it up!
http://mtngal.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v25/p256415961-3.jpg
Here are two versions from exactly the same set of 3 shots.
And here is the normally exposed, single shot version. The lack of definition in the clouds is the irksome thing with this shot.
There are also quite a few shots in my project that are HDR, that look very natural...
http://365project.org/discuss/tips-n-tricks/7892/the-secret-to-sparkle-s-landscapes
@christabug @lilbudhha @egad @jakewalton4 Awesome work, all.
A great person to follow that does excellent processing with HDR and other programs is @cfrantz
I personally did not care for this shot, but I uploaded it anyway to get feedback on it. It seems like everyone is half and half. My commenters either loved it or didn't. Once I realized what I had done, I tried to recombine the 3 correct exposures of the same shot. That HDR was not as beautiful in color.
It's a fun technique to learn, but personally, I don't want to over do anything. Enjoy!
Single exposures will work fine but in order to maximize your output, I recommend at least three or more bracketed shots. I typically shoot in RAW format as this gives me more flexibility when manipulating photos but other formats will work also.
I employ PhotoMatix, Photoshop CS5, and Lightroom as my editing programs. There are others that will accomplish these tasks but these are the titles that I use.
I usually import the photos into PhotoMatix for the tone-mapping task. Once I have achieved the desired look, I will open the picture in Photoshop and apply the HDR. After all is right with the world, I will then transfer the photo into Lightroom for final editing. Again - I never process two pictures the same – ever. Some photos may never even see Lightroom.
Your mileage may vary...
Here are a few photos below. Critique as you wish and Good Luck!
Nice Capture :)
Please see below -
Daffodils
NO HDR was performed on this shot.
Lightroom and PS CS5 ONLY.
Photoshop was used ONLY for the border and text.
Enjoy :)
Thank you Jeff Walker but my example is 'from the hip' and 'hideous' - to say the least.
Thanks Jeff but that is what 'JAKE from STATEFARM called it '!
Tee hee - a commercial on the tv from USA.
I'll let this discussion die here :)
http://youtu.be/CYxz6cluskQ
Just funnin' you Jeff. Thanks for having a sense of humor.
Here is a capture that, in my opinion, has been over-cooked with the HDR treatment.
Feel free to critique as you wish and Good Luck :)
I took over 400 pics today (mostly bracketed) and found only a handful that are depressingly useful.
Ever have those days?