HDR tips and tricks

[TassieSnapper]

Damm I wish I could get my HDR shots that good

[lovecolt]

Can anyone tell me what the following means:

• "Exposure is best set to Manual mode" - What manual mode is it referring to?
• "Autofocus turned off" - Does that mean "One-Shot AF", "AI Focus AF" or "AI Servo"??
• "Don't use your camera's auto-bracket function" - What's a auto bracket function?

[arthurking83]

This(I think) is refering to setting the camera to [M] mode where you set shutter and aperture on the camera, and bracket using the shutter speed.
It's kind of redundant if your camera has the ability to bracket anyhow, but may be important if you have to manually fire off multiple images. The cameras light meter is sensitive to small changes, and may give a false impression of what bracketing you may need.
(eg if you have to manually take three shots with 1 stop of bracketing either side of normal, you would have the camera at f(whatever?) and then vary the shutter one stop up and one down (eg. say first shot is 1/60, then the other two will be 1/100 and 1/30 respectively). Buit you have to make sure you don't change the aperture.

AF is also best turned off too just in case the camera decides that it's time to focus on something else!

I can't understand why they don't want you to use the cameras bracketing feature? That's the idea of auto bracketing!
Setting bracketing on the camera will have the camera shoot multiple shots where the exposure is set to be darker and lighter and normal.
Some cameras have 3 shot bracketing others can have up to 9!

Usually I set my camera to 3 shots usually at +-0.7 or +-1.0EV if I want to try a HDR image again.
Normally I set it to +-0.3 when I'm just shooting without any intent to HDR the images.

Hopew that made sense, and I hope someone can explain why they say not to use the cameras' bracketing ability

ps. place you gear in your signature and someone can explain how to set up camera X or camera Y, so you can better understand how to effect any changes on your gear

[lovecolt]

Thanks arthurking. I think i get the first 2. But i still don't understand what's bracketing means.

PS: Updated my signature which should show my gears now

[Bax]

Bracketing simply takes 3 or more exposures at different levels.

-2 -1 0 + 1 +2 - usually in steps.
Bracketing allows you to take 3 photo's with bracketing, i.e. -2 0 and 2. Which gives you various levels of exposure.

When I'm shooting for HDR I never bracket, I just shoot in raw and post process if need be to different exposure levels. However photomatix works straight off the raw.

[arthurking83]

Someone with a Canon may better explain how to set it up on your camera body.

BUT, bracketing is a system where the camera takes multiple images at varying exposure settings(I think 3 shots on a 400D).

Lets say, the camera thinks, at aperture f/4 correct exposure will be at 1/60s.
You set your bracketing to go plus or minus 1EV(usually you can set 1/3EV or 1/2EV, via some menu somewhere??)
So all you have to do is to hold the shutter release for the duration of the bracketing sequence(best way) or you can just take individual shots remembering that the next two shots will be under and over exposed!!

If you have set the camera to continuous shooting mode where it fires 3 frames/sec, by holding down the shutter, you will get the first shot at 1/60s the next will come in at 1/125s and the last will come in at 1/30s.

if you set it to plus/minus 1/3EV it will then take the next two exposure shots at 1/80s and then 1/50s.

Bracketing using the cameras built in bracketing feature is simple as hold the shutter.

Of course if you are using shutter speeds of 1/60s or longer(ie. 1/50s, 1/40s..etc..) then using a remote release is the only option as you will induce vibrations that may affect picture quality.

Like I said before too you don;t have to take the bracketed shots in continuous shooting mode, you can just shoot as per normally, but I can see where doing something like that will be confusing!

There are other types of bracketing White Balance and Flash being the mostly used as well as exposure(I've heard that people even try aperture bracketing! )

Al bracketing means is where you take multiple images at varying settings(usually only one varying setting tho!!) to hedge your bets on what may look best.

EV is Exposure Value is a measure of exposure but that can be at any aperture/shutter/ISO setting, and varying the EV by 1 or 1/2 or 1/3 is simply changing a variable to compensate to that EV value.
ie. when the camera is currently set to f/4 and 1/60s and you want to lower exposure by EV1 then you leave f/4 and set shutter to 1/125s or leave shutter at 1/60 and set aperture to f/5.6.
Your camera will bracket using EV values, so get used to them. And using 1/2 and 1/3 values is rounded up/down. ie. 2/3EV will be 0.7EV on the camera.
(and to confuse things more you can vary EV via software later on by more fine values, like 0.1EV if you so desire. The camera is less finely tuned!

Here's a quick easy link to someone that can describe it better.

Lastly!! If you shoot in RAW mode(file format) you can bracket the image quite accurately using software by creating two separate images of the original with up to 1EV of exposure. Of course this depends on the quality of the original image in the first place, and 1/3EV is very easy to achieve 99% of the time.

[lovecolt]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Now i understand what does bracketing means. But i never know a 400D has any auto bracketing function.....???

Anyway, went out this morning to do some HDR test shots. Turn off len's auto focus and shot with varies shutter speed. Using photoshop's HDR Merge. Here's the result

Original (Unexposured One)


HDR attempt


After coming back, i realised that i have the focus point set wrongly. Hence the building body's abit blur. My last setup point in this pic makes it focus right above the buildings. Oops

I find the end results'......below average. Makes it looks computer generated pic or those artist impression pic of a upcoming building construction. I guess practice makes perfect.

[arthurking83]

I found that (only using Photomatix!) my 3 exposure HDR's were looking rather flat in contrast, and that it needed a little enhancement to set it straight.

Keep at it, we all know the results that can be achieved, I suppose only practice makes it work!