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PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:05 am 
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... Check this out. Simply amazing photography ! Has anyone in the group worked with this format ? Looks like a lot of fun and the results can be stunning to say the least.

http://www.backingwinds.blogspot.com/20 ... mages.html

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=hdr

I particularly admired Hussain Shah's work. Enjoy :D

Mario


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:24 am 
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Sorry, I'm not a big fan of HDR because most of the work looks too unreal. Subtle HDR isnt bad though


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:33 am 
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Mario Jorge Benevides wrote:
... Check this out. Simply amazing photography ! Has anyone in the group worked with this format ?
\

Hm i work with it, for a few photos. but use 3 exposure only for each HDR
i like HDR it's really cool technique.


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 6:21 pm 
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I'm starting to work with it more and more, but doing tonal compression rather than detail enhancement. That method doesn't result in the CGI look.

For example:

Image

This is a 3 shot HDR, rendered to preserve detail in both the extreme highlights and shadows. Fairly realistic rendering of the scene apart from the saturation boost.


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:54 pm 
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Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fizbot/
like any good tool, it can be used properly and it can be abused.

The following are a couple examples of pulling shadow, and details respectively out of photos.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fizbot/1926870777/" title="Vanishing point by pbruch, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/1926870777_45ed67bb73.jpg" width="500" height="317" alt="Vanishing point"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fizbot/2173530849/" title="Old barn by pbruch, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2229/2173530849_e42e7275f2.jpg" width="500" height="364" alt="Old barn"></a>

lots more at:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=hdr&w=7 ... 0N04&s=rec


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:33 am 
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HDR is one of my favourite techniques, but like anything else, care must be used to keep things looking natural, or at least pleasing to the eye. Wonderful things can be done with HDR, particularly when there is a large contrasty scene there. Yes, it's easy to make images with halos and cartoon like graphics but, if mastered, it can be a great tool to have in the arsenal.

I tend to use Photomatix to build the HRDI and then perform detail enhancing Tone Mapping in Dynamic HDR.

Norval, 3 Exposure HDR:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorypleau/502799290/" title="Norval Church at Sunset (HDR) by Gregory Pleau, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/502799290_d59277f63d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Norval Church at Sunset (HDR)"></a>

Lake Placid, 5 exposure HDR:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorypleau/908890008/" title="Mirror Lake Kayaks at Dawn (HDR-5xp) by Gregory Pleau, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1225/908890008_9fe9810983.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Mirror Lake Kayaks at Dawn (HDR-5xp)"></a>

and My HDR set on Flickr


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:31 am 
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Image
Image
Image

Here's three examples of HDR from me...


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 4:37 pm 
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I've only gotten the chance to try it once. It's not terribly dramatic, but at least it doesn't look fake (I think).

This is from 3 images and done with CS3 using the instructions posted here http://backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-create-professional-hdr-images.html.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ali_marin/2293273291/" title="Convocation Hall HDR by alimarin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2261/2293273291_860fa84cce.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Convocation Hall HDR"></a>


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:44 pm 
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gregorypleau wrote:
HDR is one of my favourite techniques, but like anything else, care must be used to keep things looking natural, or at least pleasing to the eye. Wonderful things can be done with HDR, particularly when there is a large contrasty scene there. Yes, it's easy to make images with halos and cartoon like graphics but, if mastered, it can be a great tool to have in the arsenal.

I tend to use Photomatix to build the HRDI and then perform detail enhancing Tone Mapping in Dynamic HDR.

Norval, 3 Exposure HDR:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorypleau/502799290/" title="Norval Church at Sunset (HDR) by Gregory Pleau, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/502799290_d59277f63d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Norval Church at Sunset (HDR)"></a>

Lake Placid, 5 exposure HDR:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorypleau/908890008/" title="Mirror Lake Kayaks at Dawn (HDR-5xp) by Gregory Pleau, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1225/908890008_9fe9810983.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Mirror Lake Kayaks at Dawn (HDR-5xp)"></a>

and My HDR set on Flickr


beautifull


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:56 pm 
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I use one RAW exposure to produce two or more conversions and blend them by hand:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/maelswarm/2331707488/" title="Sunset over King's College Circle by Taylor Zhou, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2019/2331707488_a885385c64_b.jpg" width="1024" height="681" alt="Sunset over King's College Circle"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/maelswarm/2110530651/" title="King's College Circle in winter by Taylor Zhou, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2110530651_7b7b57b9cd_b.jpg" width="1024" height="576" alt="King's College Circle in winter"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/maelswarm/432919836/" title="Victory on University Ave. by Taylor Zhou, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/432919836_a7846e949d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="Victory on University Ave."></a>


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:22 am 
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My attempt in HDR.

Image


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:42 pm 
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anyone else here uses GIMP with an HDR plugin?


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:00 pm 
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hw wrote:
anyone else here uses GIMP with an HDR plugin?


No, the GIMP's lack of 16 bit support or functional colour management make it a very weak choice for anything beyond basic tweaking. The lack of 16 or 32 bit support in particular make it a poor choice for HDR.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:23 pm 
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Flickr: www.flickr.com/lxdesign
So its quite evident that there are a lot of us using HDR... what do most people use to process their HDR Images? I've been using photoshop .. but would like to start using Photomatix.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:26 pm 
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lxdesign wrote:
So its quite evident that there are a lot of us using HDR... what do most people use to process their HDR Images? I've been using photoshop .. but would like to start using Photomatix.


I use Dynamic Photo-HDR. Planning to explore PS CS3's HDR capability next. How do you like it? I used PS CS2 HDR before and it kept failing on me so I gave up.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:21 pm 
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lxdesign wrote:
So its quite evident that there are a lot of us using HDR... what do most people use to process their HDR Images? I've been using photoshop .. but would like to start using Photomatix.


I've been using the Photomatix demo, need to buy it soon. Very good, if occasionally obtuse, software.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:14 pm 
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewphotograph/2298560294/" title="HDR CN Tower by DrewPhotograph, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2298560294_f785ece626.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="HDR CN Tower"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewphotograph/2297750521/" title="Sanctuary by DrewPhotograph, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2297750521_cdc23127b1.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt="Sanctuary"></a>

those are my work.

I used PS CS3 to make those HDR.
I've never used any other software but i think i'll try photomatrix, it looks good, hehe


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:17 am 
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@firemate

That first lighthouse image is amazing.


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:50 am 
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Really good HDR examples, people. Not a halo to be found. Too often, HDR is proported to be this:

Image


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:45 am 
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Thanks to everyone who responded to the thread and sent in examples of thier HDR work - Great stuff ! I'm definitely going to be exploring it in the next few months :D

Cheers, Mario


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:42 am 
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good thread, I was wondering what all this talk of HDR was. So it's just multiple exposures merged to make one image? Does it matter how far apart the exposures are?

Some of those examples are awesome.


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:04 pm 
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Yes it matters.

How it matters depends on the shot.

You can pull (sorta) an HDR out of a raw shot if the extra range needed isn't that much. Raw carries more range and its possible to develop a single image into 2 or 3 and merge them back for more range than normal. This is only for if you have a moving subject, otherwise do it the "right" way with 3 different exposures.

(I had a rather long debate on reddit about this so if its wrong as some claimed let me know please)


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:00 am 
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great link, thanks!


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:48 am 
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Not the greatest, but I crank up the Dynamic Range Optimizer (similar to Nikon Active D-lighting) on the A700 - all the way to the maximum Level 5.

Straight from the camera:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryvo/1955353846/" title="Untitled by Jerry Vo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/1955353846_da72a15eeb.jpg" width="336" height="500" alt=""></a>

Using this approach is quick, but isn't the greatest because the camera is bumping up the shadows so far at level 5, thereby increasing noise. I was also shooting through a window for that shot, so contrast is mucked up a little.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:49 am 
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I am not a big fan of hdr.I think 99% of hdr photos destroy the composition by bring all the detailed into your face.may be it's just me.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:01 am 
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Here's one from the distillery district yesterday. Still nothing terribly dramatic, but it did keep the sky and foreground both visible, which I was having trouble doing by any other method. This one is a little cartoonish, but I've decided that just this once I don't mind.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ali_marin/2353387705/" title="Distillery 102-103-104 by alimarin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/2353387705_2a07f55697.jpg" width="335" height="500" alt="Distillery 102-103-104"></a>


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:55 am 
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From the other day, I was visiting Windfield Farms in Oshawa. Bracketed exposure (+/- 2EV), using Photomatrix Pro to merge into HDR.

Image


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:37 pm 
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infuzion wrote:
good thread, I was wondering what all this talk of HDR was. So it's just multiple exposures merged to make one image? Does it matter how far apart the exposures are?

Some of those examples are awesome.


I normally aim to get -2EV, metered, and +2EV when I'm shooting HDR. I've gone out as far as +7EV blending 5 or even 9 images but truth be told 90% of HDR can be accomplished nicely with the -2,0,+2 values. Photomatix certainly prefers to have this specific bracket set available. Going for more range is typically not necessary unless you have a massive range (like shooting a daylit scene from inside a cave, and including the cave).

If you have a moving subject, and only one camera, you're pretty much stuck with single RAW image processing.

As I mentioned before, I tend to use Photomatix and Dynamic HDR. I've also been known to use Photoshop CS3 from time to time.


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:17 am 
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Wow... some really cool pictures here!

I've also *just* started playing around with it, so I'm in the experimentation phase. The cool thing that I've noticed is that you can go to some great extremes (and therefore come up with something really unique), but that HDR can also be used as a tool for improving the quality of pictures where the HDR effect itself is not part of the artistic effect.

For example, I took this portrait of my very good friend Arbi at a coffee shop:

Image

It was just taken on the spur of the moment (ok, I was showing off my new camera), but I decided to post it anyway because I thought that the lighting turned out great and gave his facial features a lot of three-dimensional relief. Once I got my hands on Photomatix, I tried creating a faux-HDR picture and ended up with this effect:

Image

Which of course falls in the "way too much processing" category, but provides a great level of 3-D effect (at least IMO).

I've also tried "real" HDR with multiple exposures; for example:

Image

The one type of photography I haven't tried HDR for yet is landscapes


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:49 pm 
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great stuff everyone.. I've experimented a bit with HDR, but I still need to learn how to use photomatix better as some of my shots turn out to be a little too much. Here's a couple I think are alright though.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikedebiasio/2362461604/" title="academe by Mike DeBiasio, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2033/2362461604_78e6cd9635.jpg" width="500" height="362" alt="academe"></a>
slight halo above
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikedebiasio/2362471184/" title="doors to academe by Mike DeBiasio, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2362471184_d6c566b399.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="doors to academe"></a>


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