 Posted 5/25/2007 10:19:53 AM
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| Is it the fact that an image is the combination of more than one exposure, or can it be the "tone mapping" that is done with programs like photomatix? Or both? And what does LDR mean? I have only dabbled (unsuccessfully) in this area, but would like to learn how to do it. I would like to learn how to produce images that have a dynamic range greater than what the sensor can record and approaching what the human eye can see. I thought that was what HDR meant, regardless of the process used to get there. I have seen many images that I think are HDR, some very good and some not quite so striking, but most of them don't look natural to my eye. I want something that looks more natural. Is the difference only in the amount of the process that is applied, or are there choices among the various methods that will do better at what I call a natural look?
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Posted 5/25/2007 10:57:44 AM
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willpat... i'm glad you asked this question.... and what indeed is a good HDR image?... to me HDR images often look unnatural... but sometime the unnatural look is effective, but other times not... sometimes i love them, sometimes i hate the look... is this all just personal taste?
just a thought,
daniel
Daniel's Profile
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Posted 5/26/2007 5:48:51 AM
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| I took the liberty awhile ago to investigate some HDR images...I wanted to make sure I was voting considerately and knew what to look for.. But after checking this technique out...I have come to very much appreciate the affects if done skillfully.. I am not sure if there are like two kinds of finished looks but if there are ,,one I definately don't like ..the other..I love..!
I may not always be wRIGHTbut I am never wrong Profile -  Top 24 - 
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Posted 5/26/2007 11:05:33 AM
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This is a very common misconception so I'll try and explain.
True HDR involves the generation of an image from the pixel values of several exposures. Knowing how many stops apart the exposures are the software can calculate a floating point exposure value for a certain pixel. This HDR (32 bit floating point) is then tone-mapped down to a LDR (8 or 16 bit integer) because no display can show the full dynamic range of an HDR.
Tone mapping a single image has some benefits. It effectively compresses highlights and pulls up shadows and does some very interesting local contrast enhancement. A lot of people use this to simply change the look of their photos but it is not HDR. It's simply tone-mapping. HDR by definition is a 32bit floating point image and just like upscaling an image from a digital camera doesn't make it 40MP neither does extrapolating a single image to 32bit floating point make it an HDR.
Both of these methods can produce great results...and they can produce terrible ones. It all depends on how you use the software.
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Posted 5/29/2007 11:46:06 AM
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| Zeke, what program, or programs, are you referring to when you say "the software can calculate ...."?
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Posted 5/29/2007 12:30:01 PM
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| Zeke, I couldn't agree with you more. I had a debate with a member on this site regarding if one of his images was true HDR. He basically took one exposure and ran it through photomatix and called it HDR. I do something a little different. I take several exposures and manually blend them using layer masks. A little more work, but the results are good.
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Posted 5/29/2007 3:14:16 PM
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Photomatix or Photoshop (there are a plethora of others as well) that will create an HDR image from multiple exposures.
Wilbroking, what you do is referred to as exposure blending. Also a great method for increasing the effective dynamic range of an image and done well (like anything) can have great results. I think this is the perfect method for getting a sky to look natural in a scene. HDR for bright skies is lacking in my opinion since the tone-mapping software is still going to make the sky have much more luminance than the foreground.
On a side note, I just found out my HDR tutorial has increased its score. For the longest time it was < 5.
My Profile Top 12 Image Stats
Canon 40d, Canon 10-22, Tamron SP AF 17-50, Canon 70-300 IS, Canon 100mm Macro
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