HDR

[The Stig]

Hi Guys

I have been doing a little surfing and have found lots of images that have used HDR, I would guess this is High Definition Resolution....... If so then I'm guessing this is done at the camera, if not then HDR is something different and maybe done in the processing stage.

I would love to find out a little more about this.

Chris

[dbax]

Hi Stig ( who are you?)
HDR= High Dynamic Range, basically stretching the range of contrasts that the camera is able to capture by taking usually 3 exposures, one exposed for the bright areas, one for the darker areas and one as you would normally take it. Most cameras offer this feature as a preset.
They are then blended in software to produce an image that covers the range of contrasts from the three frames.
Some cameras offer this as an in camera function, most not.
The blending can be done in software like Photoshop or their is specialist software like Photomatix.
There is a tutorial on the site somewhere, but if you go to the Photomatix site there is one there.

[The Stig]

Hey David

Thanks for the info, i had a little play around today and ruff go at it ;p

I have found lots of info on the web about, thanks again

Chris

[The Stig]

This is the end result, not the best but I understand how it works ;p

I did have a hard job saving it in he correct format.

Chris

[Scotty72]

Not bad for a first attempt.

How many shots did you use. You probably needed another 1 or too to bring out the foreground trees.

Scotty

[The Stig]

Hey Scotty.

Thanks for that, i had three images, not very good but its something to work on, Im a newbie to photography and found it to be a massive learning curve.

After seeing the cave photo it stirred something inside that said i want to be that good.

I did have a problem with saving the image, I think I saved it in "Tif" as the end result, Im open to any suggestions you have

Regards

Chris ;p

[Scotty72]

Maybe a 16/32 bit thing. Check the mode is 16 bit (not 32)

I;m newish at HDR too so, I'm not what you'd call an expert.

Scotty

[ricktas]

JPG has to be 8 bit before you try and save it. JPG is an 8-bit format.

Depending on the software you are using, you might have to save as TIF first, then open in your regular photo editing software, convert to 8bit and save to get a JPG version.

[Scotty72]

JPG has to be 8 bit before you try and save it. JPG is an 8-bit format.

Depending on the software you are using, you might have to save as TIF first, then open in your regular photo editing software, convert to 8bit and save to get a JPG version.

Well, you learn something new ... Thought it was 16 bit.

Hang on, I just opened a PSD file in Photoshop. The mode says it's 16 bit but allows me to SAVE FOR WEB as a jpg.

Why's that? Does it convert it itself? If so, why wont it allow the save from 32 bit?

Confused... Not that this is all that important to my daily existence lol

Scotty

[ricktas]

Yep "save for web' converts it to 8bit on the go. Open a PSD that is 16 bit and try going File>Save As..no JPG option.

[The Stig]

Thanks Guys

Should i just save all images to a 16 bit "Tif" file in the future.

Regards

Chris

[ricktas]

16 bit TIF files are HUGE, but they are very high quality, so it is up to you but make sure you have plenty of hard disk space.

[swifty]

Certainly for editing, if possible edit using 16bit Tiff files. Eg. after basic adjustments in RAW, convert to Tiff for further PP. Then it depends on your final output, what you do to the finished file.
If its web publishing, converting to 8 bit jpeg is most appropriate. For print etc. then its up to you.
I'm not sure about you but I typical edit maybe only <10% of my shots so saving in Tiff format or even maintaining the layers in PSD file format is not a problem.
Also, if you start off with an 8 bit jpeg, there's not a lot of point converting to 16bit for editing since you're only placing an 8 bit file in a 16 bit space. There's no additional information there for you to work with.

[Raoul79]

Hey guys, I am also very new to photography as well as photoshop and Photomatix. I recently went to Bali - unfortunately without my DSLR. I used a point and shoot to take this image. After watching a few tutorials on YouTube to work out how to create an HDR image, this is what i came up with. Im sure some people will think its over board but it was kind of fun for a first play around.

[Briancd]

This is the end result, not the best but I understand how it works ;p

I did have a hard job saving it in he correct format.

Chris

Not bad for a first attempt.

How many shots did you use. You probably needed another 1 or too to bring out the foreground trees.

Scotty

The detail is there in the trees. Adjusting with curves and tones will bring them out.
This is a quick adjustment to demonstrate. I may not be what The Stig was after but shows other options.

[chamellieon]

The best HDRs ive seen can't even be picked as HDR without being told so.

[peterb666]

The best HDRs ive seen can't even be picked as HDR without being told so.

I couldn't agree with you more. I like enhancement of images to make up for deficiencies in the camera or general lighting but not to dominate the image or become the subject itself.

I have found that many HDR applications have extended the dynamic range and saturation way beyond anything natural and it sometimes feels like you have just been kicked in the face by a photograph (or in some cases a caricature of what was once a photograph).

A good HDR is great but a overcooked one is a shame as is one that never needed HDR.

[aycee]

HDR is not the answer its part of the answer.....you will get a better image i think without halo problems, overcooking or noise problems by taking AEB bracket and manually blending them ....then using lab colour and all sort of manual work and that includes some nice filters available at a cost on the net but not necessary.....

and the HDR the three of them afterwards and take out little bits..and all HDR programs arent the same..each do some things better than others and Photomatix isnt necessarily the best one..just the best known..its all about sucking it and seeing IMHO

Alan!