Just got a version of Oloneo Photoengine and have been processing loads of photos for the last two days. Some it works for some it doesn't and I'm interested in how other people have got on with this HDR malarchy. Any advice for a newby, especially when it comes to subtle improvements and interesting effects. I can imagine night shots, and black and white shots all have their own effects and results. Anyway, heres my first post using Oloneo:
Would be good to see different results people have got>
thanks
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I'm afraid I don't know much about HDR - but I absolutely love the HDR built-in function within Photoshop. These days, I have to work very hard to convince myself NOT to use it, because I'm certain it just improves any image, no matter what that might be!
I don't know if this is what you're looking for at all, or not, but here are a couple of examples of photographs I have HDR-ed in Photoshop -
great job here Dave, I love HDR and have used it extensively for the last few months...lots of faves to chose from, a couple of my better attempts...
I love playing around with this technique - best advice is just play to your hearts content - try not to overdo it (my early attemps were a bit overegged!) and try and avoid blowouts and halos. A lot of the art of getting it right is in the shots you take in the beginning - don't be reliant on the software fixing everything!!
@manek43509 Hey I don't have this function on my PS, I think it's #7? Great shots, yeh I'm just wondering what works and what doesn't. Blue skies obviously work - and sunsets, interesting...
@sparkle cool, and good advice, I am looking back at old photos to see what would be improved but I also want to start looking for pics I could use with this style of processing. The reflection pic works amazingly well with the detail and highlights being intensified. Ace.
I find a good HDR starts with the photo itself. I tend to choose shots that have a high dynamic range anyway (lots of dark shadows and light highlights) some pics dont work in HDR because the depth of this range is just too low to make any difference.
i use photomatix -- which gives me lots of different options. i take a lot of landscape shots and sometimes i like to just keep it subtle... other times i like to go for the extreme surreal effect... i tend to take shots that have a high dynamic range as those are the ones that when processed stand out the most... have fun!
@chewyteeth
Mine is Photoshop CS5 (the latest one, I think) so maybe it's quite a recent feature? I'm not sure, to be honest. Perhaps you should check if it's available for your version of Photoshop as an add-on, or update?
@sparkle
Absolutely love that bottom one, with the reflections. Brilliant!
And I tend to see what the software comes up with, select a preset style and really don't play around with it too much. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't ... !
i've only just started and am using photomatrix light, have only done a couple of pics so far and have gone for the dramatic surreal look, having lots of fun playing though :)
The best advice anyone can give regarding HDR is to just play with it and have fun. The more you do, the more you'll discover techniques that work for you. I started out using Photomatix Light then upgraded to Photomatix Pro. Sometimes I go for the more realistic look like this one...
In other shots I go for a look that enhances the photo from a dull, flat look to one that has higher interest like this old truck...
And then there are times I go for a more animated look just for the fun of it. Here is an example of an HDR that is slightly over the top...
@mcdougall I'm not bracketing images together, I'm taking one pic and then using sliding scales on Oloneo to get the effects, you should try that, effects are much easier to achieve. I think your most recent photo of the diner might eb a good one to use!
Dave, you say you are processing old photos! so I presume you're doing the HDR processing using one photo!
For future shots have a look at the features in your camera and see if it will take an auto bracketed shot. This should take 3 shots in quick succession, first a normal exposure then an under exposed shot and finally an over exposed shot..
You can then load the 3 shots into your HDR software and depending on what settings you use it will use more or less of each of the exposures.
The under exposed shot will get you detail from bright sky's that would otherwise have been washed out. The overexposed shot will give you details in shadows that would have been hidden in the normal exposure.
@chewyteeth OOH! Great suggestion! I'll have to try that. I'm definitely having bracketing issues - the exposures don't look the same and they don't line up completely because I don't have a tripod. I'm absolutely going to give this a go. Thanks!
I think to do HDR properly, you do need to capture the scene with multiple exposures in order to get detail in all parts of the scene. I use Photomatix Pro for the processing. There are many objectives you can have with HDR. A lot of people use overblown HDR as an effect, which is fine. I use HDR to create the most natural look of a scene emphasizing detail on the shadows and highlights.
hmmm advice? not an expert but for me i think its always a trial and error thing making my HDR, coz it depends on how extreme or how shallow you process your photo. it's how you feel on how beautiful you have created one photo.
Yes it is also depends on the photo as one say because it differentiate every single shot on the outcome.
But i think this is the art on how you make things fascinating compared to the original photo and not with works from other people's HDR. It may give you some inspiration , but it still your touch on how you make things different. remember this HDR software are there already and it only controls by you.
So give your best shot and your first post using your software is already Awesome, and next time you make it incredible, next time it will become fantastic and so on and so on, because it will never end , you creating such work of art.
@natsnell Dude I have a camera affectionately known as a point and shoot, £50 rom Tescos, I've learned to rely on software and do short cuts, but I was vaguely aware of the manual way of bracketing like you mentioned. Does that get better results than oleneo, or is it just a purists way of managing the picture?
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I don't know if this is what you're looking for at all, or not, but here are a couple of examples of photographs I have HDR-ed in Photoshop -
I love playing around with this technique - best advice is just play to your hearts content - try not to overdo it (my early attemps were a bit overegged!) and try and avoid blowouts and halos. A lot of the art of getting it right is in the shots you take in the beginning - don't be reliant on the software fixing everything!!
hdr efex pro
photomatix
photomatix
Mine is Photoshop CS5 (the latest one, I think) so maybe it's quite a recent feature? I'm not sure, to be honest. Perhaps you should check if it's available for your version of Photoshop as an add-on, or update?
@sparkle
Absolutely love that bottom one, with the reflections. Brilliant!
it's amazing love the depth!
In other shots I go for a look that enhances the photo from a dull, flat look to one that has higher interest like this old truck...
And then there are times I go for a more animated look just for the fun of it. Here is an example of an HDR that is slightly over the top...
thanks
For future shots have a look at the features in your camera and see if it will take an auto bracketed shot. This should take 3 shots in quick succession, first a normal exposure then an under exposed shot and finally an over exposed shot..
You can then load the 3 shots into your HDR software and depending on what settings you use it will use more or less of each of the exposures.
The under exposed shot will get you detail from bright sky's that would otherwise have been washed out. The overexposed shot will give you details in shadows that would have been hidden in the normal exposure.
Yes it is also depends on the photo as one say because it differentiate every single shot on the outcome.
But i think this is the art on how you make things fascinating compared to the original photo and not with works from other people's HDR. It may give you some inspiration , but it still your touch on how you make things different. remember this HDR software are there already and it only controls by you.
So give your best shot and your first post using your software is already Awesome, and next time you make it incredible, next time it will become fantastic and so on and so on, because it will never end , you creating such work of art.