View allAll Photos Tagged hdrsoft
The Story
In the summer I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks on a Route 69 Road Trip in the USA. This is the car we used. A “Pontiac Grand Tourer”. This shot was taken on the third day at the Harmony Motel in Twenty Nine Palms made famous by U2 who stayed there whilst they recorded their Joshua tree Album. Back at work today it seems as always like forever ago.
The Shot
3 exposure shot (-1,0,+1) from using my D200 and a Nikon 12-24mm lens mounted on a tripod.
Opened in Photomatix with detail enhancer set to default.
Then modified using Topaz Adjust , to increase colour and sharpness.
Saturation then boosted and areas of noise reduced.
The noise reduced with Noiseware .
Sensor dust spots and blemishes removed and frame and title added.
Music
U2 Where the Streets Have No Name
The Book
On the Trail of Pontiac by Edward Stratemeyer
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Comments, advice, tips and critique always welcome.
Please feel free also to add notes and tags you feel appropriate
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OK, this went directly into my "personal favourite" shots.
It is difficult for me to shoot in "blue hour" days, but in Christmas vacations I did it!
HDR from a single raw shot, in the original the sky was 100% black. I'm still surprised by how Photomatix manages to push up the light in the sky!
This time I tried another photomatix method, Tone Compressor: normally I use Detail Enhancer, but this time it rendered the sky a noisy mess.
The camera was rested on a pile, just near the handrail on the left
Take a look at my 2011 pictures
Press "L" to view it on Black
Press "F" to add to favourites
Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC (8 mm)
ISO 200; f/11
HDR from single raw shot
Processed with Photomatix Pro
Noise reduction with Noiseware Professional
Curve correction with GIMP.
Resizing and watermark with Fastone resizer
Pretty amazing right ?
... But even more amazing than this view of a glass museum is that the entrance is from under the ocean ! So cool
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
More images from Australian and Japan here www.lukezeme.com
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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The little one room school house on the beach with a red roof :=))
My husband told me that he spent one year here as as student when it was a school house in Cirali..after than it was use as a bakery and now it is just someones little summer house on the beach at Cirali.
My first attempts at HDR...
I have downloaded the trail version of Photomatix....to try it out for awhile to see if I like it or not...sorry for the watermarks on the photos but this is just a test using HDR....I did take many bracketed photos over the weekend as the clouds and lights seemed to be the perfect chance to test this out....
After trying out a few of these images in HDR I am now seriously considering this program ..because the effects are so cool especially on cloudy days to bring out colors and details etc.
This is a three exposure HDR image.
Do you like this version ??? I may invest in the program a little bit down the road..
High Dynamic Range (HDR) image using three photographs of the same scene taken under different exposures, and how to process the HDR image in order to reveal its details in highlights and shadows.
Auto-Exposure Bracketing (AEB), select the Continuous Shooting mode, make sure the camera is set to Aperture Priority, and select an exposure increment of +/-2.
Want to learn how this photo was created?
View this HDR Photo Before and After.
Or go directly to My HDR Tutorial
For HDR tips, tutorials, and to view HDR Photography before and afters, visit: www.blamethemonkey.com
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If the light is right
Golden Hour in Venice is quite a sight. With the right weather conditions, everything seems to sing. No matter what direction you look, there are stunning golden highlights and long dramatic shadows. It’s truly a wonderful time to be walking the streets.
If you view the before and after comparison you will notice that the neutral exposure has a blown out sky. Since the sun is so low in the sky, the overall brightness increases by quite a bit. Even though there are beautiful clouds and atmospheric details, you lose them in a single exposure. That alone makes this shot a perfect candidate for HDR Processing.
If your camera has Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB), enable it and set it to capture -2, 0, +2. That’s 2 stops (of light) darker and 2 stops lighter than the neutral (0) exposure. Like this photo, those 3 exposures, some Tone Mapping in Photomatix & a bit of Photoshop magic should give you some nice results.
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* All comments and feedback are welcome, but please do NOT post awards.
The road out to Botany Bay Plantation on Edisto Island, SC, is a beautiful dirt (sand? ;-) ) road with overhanging live oaks. After my shoot at the beach on 3/10/14, I was leaving the plantation and saw this in my rear view mirror. The early morning sun threw more light on the road that I remembered seeing before.
The turnover on advertisements in Times Square is extremely fast. With a little knowledge of pop culture you can guess pretty accurately when a photo was taken. Or in many cases, like with the purple billboard on the left, the date is printed right on the advertisement.
If you want to see Times Square nearly empty like this, just go around 1am. I'm sure it probably gets even more desolate as it gets later. This was from my last night in New York, and I did my best to capture as much as I could before I had to leave. I processed this with the HDRsoft 32-bit HDR plug-in for Lightroom. It's so easy to use, it is definitely my favorite method for adding dynamic range to my images.
My first try with "urban decay" HDR. Hope you like it ;)
Santa Margherita Ligure (Liguria, Italy), 21sj January 2012
Take a look at my 2012 pictures
Press "L" to view it on Black
Press "F" to add to favourites
Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC (8 mm)
ISO 400; f/11
HDR from 3 exposures (-2; 0; +2), handheld
Processed with Photomatix Pro
Noise reduction with Noiseware Professional
Lens distortion correction with PTLens
Curve correction with GIMP
Resizing and watermark with Fastone resizer
قالوا يافلان عندك تاكل؟
قال لأ
عندك تكشخ؟
قال أكيييييد
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هالصوره خذتها من حوش البيت
كنت ناوي اصور البارجيل -بعرضه قريب ان شاءالله- ويا عبالي اني اصور الرنج
مع ديزاين البيت التراثي .. استوحيت الفكره
The above image was taken in Chester Cathedral cloisters and then used for a Lightroom / Photomatix HDR demo that I did on Thursday 7th June 2012 for Welshot Imaging.
It was taken with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 17-40 F4L lens in Auto Exposure Braketing mode (-2, 0, +2) and then the resultant images where processed using Adobe Lightroom and HDR Softs Photomatix.
For more more information about Welshot Imaging see their website here:
For more information about Photomatix see their web site:
Fillmores is located near the entrance to Cars Land, and is a appropriately themed based on the Cars movies. It is a home suitable for hippies with tie dye colors, beads and ornaments made from re-purposed car parts.
As with my past few uploads I used the HDRsoft 32-bit plug-in for lightroom. It really makes increasing the dynamic range of an image easy. A 32-bit image is similar to the file I envision coming directly out of a DSLR image 5 years from now. I don't know the details of sensor technology, but this seems like the direction it should be going.
That moment of exhilaration when you enter Luna Park Sydney, what awaits you inside ... is it a night of terror or splendor ?
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
The complete write up on this image is here at www.lukezeme.com
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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Developed 3 raw images into single HDR image.
Equipment:
- SEL1018 : E 10-18mm F4 OSS E-mount Wide Zoom Lens
- 62mm ZEIKOS Clear Filter (UV)
Parameters:
Software: Photomatix Pro version 5.0.1
Presets: Creative 1
Software: Software: Image Data converter Ver. 4.2.02.10112
Output
Save as type: TIFF Files(*.TIF)
Color space: sRGB 16 bit
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6
Basic
WB
Temp: +17
Tint: +17
Tone
Highlights: -100
Shadows: -10
Blacks: -10
Presence
Clarity: +25
Vibrance: +15
Saturation: +50
Tone Curve
Region
Highlights: -50
Lights: +50
Darks: +30
Shadows: -10
HSL
Hue
Orange: -10
Saturation
Red: +50
Orange: +50
Blue: +10
Luminance
Orange: +30
Detail
Sharpening
Amount: 50
Lens Correction
Profile
Enable Profile Corrections: true
Setup: Custom
Lens Profile
Make: Sony
Model: Sony DT 18-200mm f3.5-6.3
Profile:
Amount
Distortion: 0
Vignetting: 0
--------------------------------
Graduate Filter(M)(ground)
Exposure: -1.50
Clarity: 100
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(cloud/bright)
Exposure: 2.00
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(cloud/dark)
Exposure: -1.98
Contrast: 100
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(cloud/bright center)
Effect: Custom
Temp: 10
Exposure: 2.00
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(cloud/sun)
Effect: Custom
Temp: 100
Exposure: -0.30
--------------------------------
Copy : 2
file: DSC08750_1_2_creative-1
When the park closes for the day, the fun is just beginning. Another hour of shopping and photography, what more could you ask for?
This is a 32-bit HDR, processed in Lightroom with the 32-bit plug-in from HDRsoft and finished in Lightroom and Photoshop.
This area is the Freycinet National park and just around the corner is the bay of fires... Obviously named after the red rocks littered up and down the coast. They really are this vibrant !
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
More images from Australian and Japan here www.lukezeme.com
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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The only way to travel ~ The Bullet Train's from Japan. Love their sleek aerodynamic designs built for speed ! I shot this HDR through a gap in the rail whilst it glided by. I had a wonderful time on these trains zipping all over the country and this is shot at the station in Kyoto.
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
The complete write up on this image is here at www.lukezeme.com
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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Updated May 2024.
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The term is a bit of a misnomer in the context of stills photography in that it attempts to squash the very wide dynamic range (DR) we experience into the limited range normal monitors & printed media can show. Many people outside the realms of photography have more recently heard the term used with respect to so-called high definition TVs that display movies with much greater DR than previously seen. Such wider HDR-capable TVs & monitors will become increasingly common to the point where cameras will not only natively take HDR images (they effectively do now with their RAW format images) but output them without the intermediate conversion steps so we are moving towards true HDR without recourse to tricks such as Tone-mapping (more on that later).
I use PhotomatixPro more out of habit than knowledge of the alternatives. Although it's reportedly still one of the best, the developers HDRsoft have failed to push it forward, IMO.
The main problem is the preview & final image often show marked differences that make finalising images very hit & miss such as highlights being blown in the final result.
The why
In the days of film, I’ve spent hours toiling in various darkrooms where the problem of dynamic range repeatedly reared its head. I’ve used pieces of card between the enlarging lens & paper to hold back foregrounds so that there would be detail in both the sky & whatever was below it. With digital, this issue is worse but there are various ways of reducing the problem.
I've been using PaintShopPro for over 10 years. It was by accident that I discovered that its Clarify filter (Local Contrast enhancement) brought out shadow detail without flattening the highlights. However, repeated use will reduce saturation & adds artefacts such as banding & contouring if not used with care. It was shortly after joining flickr back in Oct 2006 that I discovered HDR & tone-mapping.
HDR/Tone-mapping is not unlike the Clarify filter in that all these methods seek to squash the vastly larger dynamic range (the ratio of darkest to lightest) our eyes see onto paper or be viewable on most computer screens. The result will be images that have detail throughout a wider tonal range (or more accurately, luminance.) These methods adjust the Local Contrast of a picture, where the level of equally bright pixels will be varied according to the surrounding ones, differently. Varying the Brightness & Contrast as many of us have done, will only change the level of pixels equally throughout an image whatever the value of surround ones - these are Global filters.
The what
16bit High Dynamic Range image files show a much larger tonal range than can be printed or displayed on most monitors. Tone mapping is one means of squashing down this extra range back to be viewable but with the Local contrast equally distributed over this smaller range. The results can look perfectly natural or they can look outlandish according to the required outcome or maturity of the user!
The how - taking HDR
Any camera that has full manual control or Aperture Priority mode where the exposure compensation can be adjusted is fine for HDR. Being able to shoot sequences from -4 to +2 stops in 2 stop steps would be my preferred option. The faster the camera can save these images, the better. Generally, the best camera for HDR is going to be a DSLR or mirrorless that can auto-bracket (AEB) from -2 to +2 steps or more. Such a camera will make hand holding the shots viable for some out-door shots. I've used a tripod out of necessity rather than by choice but slow shutter speeds will often dictate that one is used anyhow. It is probably best to not use Auto White Balance (AWB) & some would suggest using manual focus & switching off Image Stabilisation. Shutter Priority isn’t the best option because the Depth of Field should be the same throughout the sequence.
Some people use RAW for HDR. The more bits available, the greater the tonal range that can be covered. There are many examples of HDR from single RAW files on flickr which are sometimes referred to as Pseudo HDR. A potential problem with shooting HDR sequences in RAW mode will be the time delay storing the images between shots. It’s a good idea to re-format your storage card beforehand whichever file format used. I tend to use single RAW images for HDR more or less exclusively now.
Many shoot at 1 stop intervals or less but I generally stick to 2 (as HDRsoft recommend). I have used anything from 6 to single exposures with great success. Using many smaller & more steps doesn’t always gain any advantages & can cause ghosting. The number of frames, their exposure spacing & file type will depend on experience, subject matter, movement & lighting. Using a tripod as I sometimes do, allows for slow shutter speeds but can still cause severe problems with moving objects such as people, vehicles or even clouds! I’ve recently started using RAW as well as jpg at the highest resolution & minimum compression. I have had more than satisfactory results from 2 frames (even single jpg files – more on those later.)
The which – processing HDR
I use Photomatix Pro as my HDR/Tone-mapping application in its standalone form rather than as a plug-in for PS, (Artizen is another popular program amongst many now available). Photomatix will import various RAW file formats & I’ve dropped my Canon G10’s *.CR2 files straight in without issue. I will be comparing the difference between using RAW files directly & producing the resulting tiff files 1st then processing from them. The real fun starts when you tone map the single 16bit HDRI file.
I would start by saving a Custom setup as follows: both Tone & Colour tabs as default, the Micro-smoothing slider to zero under the Micro tab & the Highlights Smoothing slider to 28 under the S/H tab. I set strength to 100 & the Light Smoothing to the middle button. Go down to the Presets box & save these settings. All these controls appear under Details Enhancer. After some practice, you will develop you own preferred settings. You should look at the Preferences options as well. Photomatix will allow batch processing. I don’t use it often because I like to tone map live & see the effects various adjustments have per image. The Preview window will show approximately what the result will look like. I save as an 8bit tiff file ready for further processing. One important control is the Highlight Smoothing slider - experiment with it & watch how it affects skies in particular. The rest is down to practice then even more practice! My initial results were far from satisfactory but persistence pays off.
The do what?! – tone mapping single jpgs & RAW files
I 1st tried artificially creating different exposures by modifying the brightness & contrast of single jpg files then saving the modified copies under similar names to the original. I was never that struck by the results. I recently tried tone mapping single jpg files but Photomatix requires 2 or more image files to work with. Some lateral thinking bypasses this limitation: copy the original jpg to another location, rename it (I append an "_" symbol,) move it next to the original then drop both into Photomatix. The program will warn that it can't find any exposure information (it reads the EXIF data), so just ignore the dialogue & let the program combine the source files to produce an HDRI file that can be processed the same way as multiple exposure ones are handled!
Tone mapping single 8bit files such as jpgs can give surprisingly good results but they are not HDR images! They may often look very similar but don’t compete with real HDR images because they can’t compress down the higher dynamic range. However, they are worthwhile in that one can tone map old images, ones containing moving objects & anything you wish without worrying about HDR in advance. The single jpg technique is also very good at extracting results from under-exposed photos. Tone mapping single jpgs can increase noise considerably in uplifted lower mid-tone areas, whereas multiple exposure HDR can reduce it slightly by averaging it out.
My brief experience of processing 2 jpg or tiff files of -2 & 0 stops from my RAW files indicates results between multiple exposure HDR & single jpg tone mapped images. If you also want to produce a 3rd file of +2 stops, consider increasing the contrast. However, you can drop the RAW file straight into Photomatix & let it do the work for you! However, HDRsoft state that Photomatix Pro is not as effective as specialist RAW converters. Also bear in mind that the resulting images may need far more sharpening than you expect. An alternative is to open RAW files in whatever RAW converter you normally use, carry out adjustments such as sharpening, resave then process the adjusted files in Photomatix. You can also carry out sharpening within Photomatix Pro under the Utilities tab before saving the resulting image. The possible variations in work flow are endless!
The notes – further information
General photo-editing & HDR/Tone mapping Notes
* Before starting any photo-editing - check your monitor calibration. If you want to accurately calibrate your PC, you will need access to a colour calibrator (maybe a local club has one?) The more sophisticated ones will also do prints & swatches that will allow accurate colour across all a whole system. For the rest of us that don’t have access to such a device, we can at least calibrate our monitor(s) for optimal brightness & contrast. The old method was to set contrast to max then adjust the brightness (black point) to get acceptable blacks but this no longer applies to many LCD screens. Use graduated colour & mono charts for this purpose – google monitor calibration for sites that have these charts or download a program. You should end up with roughly equal steps in the charts. Pay particular attention to the darkest & lightest steps are distinguishable from the adjacent ones. The program I use (TFT-setup) has such 21 steps. Most TFT monitors have lower contrast ranges than the now-obsolete CRTs had. TFTs optimised for photo-editing will cost at least twice that of most! Don’t set your brightness up too low - blacks will be dark grey but will look black in contrast to light areas. Most modern monitors will also include software to also adjust colour gamma. Colour from three light sources or printing from a limited range of pigments is a complex subject:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_space
* I’m now an enthusiastic user of the Dropper tool in PSP to measure the RGB levels in both highlights & shadows! Most decent editing programs will have something similar.
* I’m not the best at getting horizons level so straighten most of my photos. If you need to do the same, don’t do it incrementally – do it in one operation or you will soften the detail more than necessary!
* HDR is really best done on an SLR that can auto-bracket 2 or more images with the minimum delay between exposures. Using faster cards may help. A fast camera will reduce double image artefacts. Photomatix can be set to reduce these ghosting artefacts but I found doing so often made them worse.
* HDR is no substitute for well thought out & carefully taken pictures!
* There are 2 approaches to HDR: the 1st is to use more or less the same settings for every picture where Photomatix’s batch mode will save much time. Your HDR work will then have a recognisable “house style”. The other way is to process each image according to the subject. The latter method is more labour intensive but will widen one’s repertoire.
* If you don’t like the level of saturation in many HDR examples, turn down the saturation - a bit, a lot or completely for mono HDR.
* Do not be afraid to be subtle when tone mapping! I've read comments that certain results don't look like HDR images. If such images contain more detail in both highlights & shadows than they would otherwise have - they are HDR!!! Please don't fall into the trap of over-doing the tone mapping to satisfy some people's opinions that HDR images must always leap out & tattoo your butts with the words HDR!
* Overdoing HDR can increase the local detail at the expense of global detail (being able to easily tell what you are looking at!) This can be used deliberately to great effect in that some images take longer to fathom or “understand”. One can aim for instantaneous recognition of what a picture is about or demand a slower but hopefully deeper appreciation – artists have done this for centuries, photos can do the same.
* Unless your own experience proves otherwise – don’t bother using 1 stop intervals, you lengthen the sequence for no gain & risk getting ghosting artefacts in certain situations.
* The degree of tone mapping chosen depends on the subject matter. My view is that natural subjects such as landscapes should not have too much applied. Man-made subjects such as cars or machinery can benefit from much higher levels of tone mapping.
* Don’t get into the habit of always having the Light Smoothing control set to the lowest setting you think you can get away with – setting it high can also give interesting results such as a graduation of tone across the image.
* Be aware that tone mapping can introduce artefacts such as halos, small black blocks around foliage in particular (in older versions of Photomatix), obvious variations in brightness where none existed in the originals & grey highlights – the greater the degree of processing, the more these artefacts will show in the final image.
* Many people dislike any form of post processing & consider HDR to be the work of the devil on the grounds that it deviates from “what the eye saw”. I counter such protestations by saying that HDR & other forms of manipulation can & do allow results closer to what I “saw” anyhow! I’m personally not interested in doing forensic photography but if I was, HDR would be a useful tool anyway. I also contend that using wide-angle or telephoto lenses themselves introduce distortions but so what. I don’t view the world through rectangles so I believe this argument is rather flawed straight out of the starting blocks. What our eyes “see” also has vastly more dynamic range than can be delivered on paper or on most monitors – the major reason for HDR!
Notes on Photomatix v3.0/v3.1 & HDR in general
* Some EXIF data is saved but processing 2 identical files, strips out all EXIF data in v3.0. This issue has been fixed in v3.2.
* I’ve never had much luck using the Tone Compressor settings in Photomatix, so these notes refer to the Details Enhancer. However, the new Exposure Fusion function works in a very similar way to Details Enhancer but without enhancing the details!
* I sometimes find the choice of Light Smoothing levels too coarse so I process twice using adjacent settings, blend the 2 files by copying one then pasting as a new layer into the other, then finally adjusting the transparency to achieve the desired result. This has also been addressed in v3.2 in that you can also select a continuous variation. The range is limited & centred around the mid-position
* If your skies come out a rather unnatural grey, experiment with the Highlight Smoothing slider (not available on early versions). Doing so may also reduce halos. The range appears to have been reduced in v3.2 but less course & more useful.
* tone mapping can increase the amount of chromatic aberration (purple fringing) considerably, especially those from single jpgs or with high saturation settings. One has the choice of reducing the saturation, filtering them out with a photo-editing application or ignoring them. Later versions have a setting to reduce CA during the initial processing.
* If highlights are blown out, try reducing the White Point under the Tone tab (&/or reduce the level of Highlights Smoothness).
* Photomatix Pro does have some extra post tone mapping commands under the Utilities tab that include cropping, resizing, rotation, sharpening, Brightness & Contrast adjustment, Chromatic Aberration & noise reduction.
* I find that tone mapping single jpgs requires more care in Photomatix & during final editing. The shadow areas that get lightened may contain too much noise & loose saturation. I use either the Black Point slider under the Tone tab that also effects mid-tones or the Shadows Clipping slider under the S&H tab that effects the darkest tone detail only. I set the Luminosity to below 0 to darken the image overall. I try to get as close to the result I want in Photomatix before further editing. All I can add is to experiment.
* I paste Photomatix’s output file into a copy of the original to preserve EXIF data &/or blend them together then carry out cropping etc. You get more EXIF data doing this but v3.2 does now retain some data.
* I don’t bother producing intermediate jpg/tiff files of different stops from my *.CR2 RAW files using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional RAW conversion s/w - I just open the RAW file in Photomatix, it’s that simple! Buried in the options are settings for noise & chromatic aberration adjustments. There is no need to specify the exposure compensation & EXIF data is retained. However, HDRsoft do state that Photomatix Pro is not as adept as dedicated RAW converters. I’m fairly new to RAW conversion & use the one bundled with my Canon G10. This allows me to save modified RAW files. You may wish to sharpen the image then resave before converting for HDR processing rather than using lots of sharpening in your preferred editing application.
* Remember that tone mapping using Detail Enhancement is just one method of producing HDR images. For multiple exposures, you can also use the new Exposure Fusion function with v3.2 or try Exposure Blending s/w or use a photo-editing application that can stack the different exposures on top of each other as layers then manually select areas then blend between those layers. These other methods can give far more natural results than tone mapping/Details Enhancement. Look up DRI - Dynamic Range Increase.
The who - further reading & examples of HDR
Some very fine examples & tutorials on HDR & digital photography:
HDR overview:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging
Tone Mapping:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_mapping
A technical presentation on Local Contrast (pixel gradient manipulation) with some fine examples:
www.mpi-inf.mpg.de/~mantiuk/contrast_domain/apgv05.pdf
Software overview:
wiki.panotools.org/HDR_Software_overview
Some software providers:
www.supportingcomputers.net/Applications/Artizen/Artizen.htm
projects.ict.usc.edu/graphics/HDRShop/
flickr groups:
www.flickr.com/groups/single_jpg_hdr/
www.flickr.com/groups/any-hdr_any-photoshop
www.flickr.com/groups/hdr-masters/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdraddicted/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdrextremes/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdrforfree/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdrgoesbw/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdrmeetsorton/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdr_group/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdrunlimited/
www.flickr.com/groups/hdri_photography/
www.flickr.com/groups/truetonehdr/
www.flickr.com/groups/1-2-3hdr/
My own flickr HDR set:
www.flickr.com/photos/busb/sets/72157594555629010/
My own Tone Mapping set:
www.flickr.com/photos/busb/sets/72157603895395768/
Some of my own Clarified images:
www.flickr.com/photos/busb/sets/72157600225248721/
It appears that flickr have unlocked this after10 years!
Spring brings a variety of colors to the "old covered barn" that sits just outside The Woodlands, Texas.
This is an HDR image of three photos (one over exposed, one under exposed and one correctly exposed) that were blended with Photomatix software. If you'd like to try it out yourself, they are offering a free trial at
As is the case with all HDR imaging, this looks much better if viewed at the larger sizes.
Andover, New Hampshire, USA
This bridge was originally built in 1887, and rebuilt 10 years ago. It was originally known as the Bog bridge, but assumed the name Cilleyville when another nearby bridge with that name was torn down, this bridge assumed the name.
I took this is the heavy snow last Sunday and edited it with Photomatix and one of Trey Ratcliff's great presets.
For free interactive maps of all the covered bridges in Vermont and the rest of the United States & Canada visit coveredbridgemap.com .
Share and enjoy. This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License.
Here's an update on my previous photo rig. I'll only annotate things that have changed, so take a look at the old one for more detail.
Reader Flickablogga gave me a great critique on the previous photo and pointed out that I had huge double reflections by using both lights at full power. This is something I hadn't noticed before, but you can see it throughout most of my previous work. Based on his critique, I've moved using only one main light and one for fill with a cheap white umbrella. In the past I've used wax paper or copy paper to tone down the harsh lights, but $20 umbrella gives a much larger source and does a much better job without muting the light too much.
One of the problems with my pots is that the stop range between the whites and blacks is huge using the shooting strategy above. At the same time, my pots have very saturated colors and if I compress the exposure so that the highlights are properly exposed, I have trouble hanging onto the correct color. The reasoning is that our eyes can see a dynamic range of 10-14 stops while our cameras can take photos of only about 8 or 9. If you compress the range so that you can hang onto lights and darks properly, you lose something in the middle.
To compensate for this, I've also recently tried shooting pots in HDR (high dynamic range) as well. I'm skeptical of this strategy for now, but I think the pros are currently outweighing the cons (there are definitely both). I've been taking 3 to 4 photos in 1.5 stop increments and combining them with software (Photomatix Pro). This gives me the extra 3-4 stops that our eyes can capture but the camera cannot.
HDR removes a lot of the camera work of getting the exposure correct, but it does take more computer work afterward. I have the HDR software tuned to keep the correct color saturation of middle exposure but uses information from the extreme exposures to keep the whites and blacks properly exposed. In the process of converting to jpegs, the whites and blacks get compressed but the middle exposure is left the same (the reverse of shooting normally). For example, here is one pot with HDR and without HDR. Without a doubt, the HDR version has much more accurate color representation in the mid-range of the exposure (the interesting part).
However, I think something is lost in the HDR version-- the colors are almost too well balanced. I think this is primarily because jpegs can only represent 8 stops of data and the extremes are just too compressed. What are your thoughts? Also, if you Strobist guys can think up a way to do this without HDR, I'd love to about hear it.
From Wikipedia:
The Story Bridge is a cantilever bridge and the second crossing of the Brisbane River. Part of Bradfield Highway. It connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point... It was opened on 6 July 1940 by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland and named for John Douglas Story, a senior and influential public servant.
Manav Gupta asked on yesterday's photo which program I'm using for HDR. Well, I'm using Photomatix Pro 3.0 to combine the images (it's a fairly easy program to use) and then I just touch them up a little bit in Photoshop - mainly just curves adjustments and maybe some sharpening.
~
Another image from what is turning out to be a 'Flagstaff Lake series.' This was taken on the same morning as Flagstaff Lake Sunrise and Morning on Flagstaff Lake. At this point, I can't wait to go back there in autumn.
My website where you can see this larger in the Waterscapes gallery.
My blog: See... Learn... Share... where I share tips, hints, recipes, discounts and other things.
This image was created by merging output from both HDR Expose and Photomatix Pro, then tweaking in places with Topaz Adjust, Topaz Detail, and Nik Color Efex Pro. Poor little pixels...
It works as a stand-alone HDR application. It got also a separate plug-in for Photoshop.
Way back in 2006, when I started producing my HDRs, it was always Photomatix who stood behind my works. It was the backbone of my HDRs.
This picture is composed of 9 pictures of varying exposures. Those 9 images were automatically aligned by Photomatix, still one of the best in this field if not the very best.
Most of the time, I can say the picture produced by Photomatix does not need any more adjustments if you have no Photoshop or Lightroom. And if you are using the Photomatix Pro, after you generate the Tone Mapping or Exposure Fusion, you will have the Finishing Touch screen where you can further enhance your picture.
Get Photomatix Pro or the Photomatix Pro Bundle now at www.hdrsoft.com.
Use coupon code KRISKROS to get the 15% instant discount.
These 9 pictures were shot by me at the water drops of the Yosemite Lower Falls on June 2, 2013.
The big fall that is called the Upper Falls of Yosemite can be seen on top of the picture.
It was a glorious sight to behold. I was wet and all I can think of was to protect my camera. But the feeling was great that was so hard to express in words.
A calm and still morning on the surface of Sydney Harbor...
Shot Story: With the help of my taxi driver I was able to find this great spot for shooting Sydney Australia at Sunrise, at the expense of my coin of course ;-) I was staying over the other side of the Sydney CBD and my instructions were for us to head over towards milsons point so that we could get a shot with the Sydney Tower behind the Bridge at Sunrise... I think we did pretty well, for 5am in the morning. After the shot I wondered over to Luna park, on the left of the image, and got the ferry back to Circular Quay, a perfect morning in Sydney before everyone has even had their breakfast :-)
The last thing a photographer wants to see when he wakes up is clear skies because mostly its the clouds that paint the sky and add interest to an image. BUT this completely calm and still morning on Sydney Harbor allowed me to get perfect reflections on the oceans surface.
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
The complete write up on this image is here at www.lukezeme.com
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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Me
Shot @ Punggol beach in Singapore, shot this Sunday evening went along with my friends fiftymm99's Rajesh spintheday I put half of my tripod into water it was difficult for me to clean it later..
I usually never upload recent shot too early to flickr but this time every one from my group requesting me to upload this one early, I don’t know why, so this shot is dedicated to all my group members.
Why can’t you try this View Large on Black
Shot
Standard 3 exposure shot 11-18mm, on a tripod
Process
HDR Tone mapped detail enhancer option
One mask Hue/ Saturation Blues
One mask Levels layer for brightness
One mask layer Curves for contrast
Adjust shadow and highlight
Noise reduction
Added black strips
♫
You
All comments, criticism and tips for improvements are (as always) welcome.
Hudson type locomotive number 3450 was designed for high speed passenger service, and was the first of ten similar 4-6-4 locomotives built for Santa Fe in 1927 at a cost of $73,735.60 each. In the early days of its life, number 3450 charged across the Midwestern plains leading sleek transcontinental passenger trains with 73-inch driving wheels and a coal burning fire box. It was rebuilt in 1937 with 79-inch drivers and was converted to burn oil to increase its speed to over 100 mph. It hauled Santa Fe's Fast Mail Express, Scout, California Limited, Grand Canyon and Chief between Chicago & Colorado.
Total Weight: 374 Tons
Built: Baldwin, 1927
Length: 98 Ft., 1 3/8 In. (29.91 m)
Fuel: Oil
Top Speed: 110 Mph (177 km/h)
Steam Pressure: 230 Psi (1.586MPa)
Address:
RailGiants Train Museum
Fairplex Child Development Center
1101 W McKinley Ave
Pomona, CA 91768
Phone: +1 (909) 623-0190
URL: www.railgiants.org/atchison-topeka.htm
External links
Developed 5 raw images into single HDR image.
Equipment:
Parameters:
Software: Photomatix Pro version 5.0.1
Presets: Balanced
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6
Basic
Tone
Exposure: -0.30
Presence
Vibrance: +10
Saturation: +5
HSL
Hue
Orange: -20
Purple: -5
Saturation
Red: +10
Orange: +20
Yellow: +20
Blue: +15
Luminance
Blue: -10
Lens Correction
Manual
Transform
Distortion: +15
Constrain Crop: true
Lens Vignetting
Amount:-60
Midpoint: 30
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(Headlight)
Effect: Custom
Temp: 100
Tint: 100
Contrast: 100
Highlights: 100
Shadows: -100
Saturation: 100
Sharpness: 100
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(Locomotive body)
Effect: Custom
Temp: 50
Tint: 50
Clarity: 25
Sharpness: 50
--------------------------------
Adjustment Brush(K)(Ground)
Effect: Custom
Temp: 100
Tint: 100
Exposure: -2.00
--------------------------------
Copy : 1
file: DSC04365_6_7_8_9_tonemapped_balanced-1
Byron Bay is the most eastern point of the Australian continent and to warn shipping vessels there is a lighthouse on top of the hill at Cape Byron. I captured this shot of a crowd gathering to enjoy the sunset over the Bay.
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
A tutorial on removing HDR halo here www.lukezeme.com
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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As I become more comfortable in this city I've been exploring her natural features and there are just so many amazing places to view the Sydney CBD from. This view was taken just after sunset from Mrs Macquaries Chair, it has one the best views of Sydney Harbour without a doubt.
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
Read the rest of the blog post on luke zeme photography
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Software and Presets I personally use in my photography
Lightroom replacement(alternative) software - Luminar! Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount -Skylum's Luminar Link
Preset collections, Photography tutorials and loads more , USE code "lukezemephotography" for 10% discount - Preset collections, Photography tutorials Link
Best HDR software on the market - Use code "lukezeme" for a 15% discount! - Skylum's Aurora HDR 2019 Link
Topaz has an incredible Photoshop Plugins collection + Studio for anything you can think of - Topaz Labs Link
The BEST Time Lapse software on the market. This software makes creating incredible Time Lapse videos easy for anyone - LRTimeLapse5 Link
On1 has been delivering amazing photography software for a long time, check out their Suite and plugins here - On1 Software Link
Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Adobe Photography Plan Link
My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
Sell your own prints online with a Zenfolio online print shop, this is how I sell my prints online - Sell your own prins online Link
Easily build a website with WIX, they have beautiful templates that make the whole process a breeze - Build your own website with WIX Link
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Processed by myself
Photographed by HDR Shooter (Miroslav Petrasko) :
www.facebook.com/hdrshooter?fref=ts
The contest :
The Story
Looking like a tropical beach in a far away land this is actually in the middle of a wood oin the Suffolk countryside. In the distance a powerful fountain sprays water into the air
The Shot
3 exposure shot (-1,0,+1,) from using my D200 and a Nikon 12-24mm lens handheld
Opened in Photomatix with detail enhancer set to default.
Then modified using Topaz Adjust , to increase colour and sharpness.
Saturation then boosted and areas of noise reduced.
The sky was darkened and the noise reduced with Noiseware .
Sensor dust spots and blemishes removed and frame added.
The Music
Martha and the Muffins- Echo Beach
The Book
The Beachcomber by Josephine Cox
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Comments, advice, tips and critique always welcome.
Please feel free also to add notes and tags you feel appropriate
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