# HDR Anyone?



## Glipt

Just been experimenting with HDR photography. It is a process that combines multiple exposures to capture the full dynamic range of a scene. Here is a classic example. Shooting a dark interior with a bright exterior is impossible with one exposure or a lot of interior lights. 3 exposure is usually adequate for most situations. I used 7 for this one.

Window-1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## hayesk

HDR is difficult to get right. Yours is a nice pic, although the outdoors through the barred window looks a bit oversaturated.


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## Glipt

I'm still a beginner and dazzled by the 'Artistic' look, but Ill learn.


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## chrisburke

HDR is one of those things that ppl either love or hate.. The ones who hate it, hate it because ppl over do it on the tone mapping and make their photos look like cartoons instead of real life.. Yours isn't terrible.. But is a little on the cartoonish side..


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## SoyMac

That's a cool shot, Glipt!
Love the scene and textures! :clap:


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## yeeeha

I look at the HDR imaging (HDRI) technique in two ways. One side of HDRI allows photographers to create artistic, surreal images that almost look like paintings. The other side is to capture a scene that is much closer to what the photographer sees at the time the image is taken.

I find that a HDR composite image almost never looks natural with pleasant colours straight off a HDR app. There is almost always a need to do further adjustment in another image processing app like Photoshop to get a natural look. Often a HDR app produces colours that are either too rich or too flat.

Here's an image of the courtyard of Trinity College, one of the colleges of the Univ. of Toronto. I took three bracketed shots (+/-1.7EV, 0EV) on Dec. 21. I used the tower at the center of the image to block the Sun.


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## Guest

yeeeha said:


> I look at the HDR imaging (HDRI) technique in two ways. One side of HDRI allows photographers to create artistic, surreal images that almost look like paintings. The other side is to capture a scene that is much closer to what the photographer sees at the time the image is taken.


I agree with this. Sometimes (well honestly most of the time) I'm pretty over the surrealistic effect .. it was like back in the day with the photoshop overused plugin "flavour of the month". It works well for some stuff but I've just seen way too much of it and it gets abused. Between the real HDR's, the fake HDR's, the iPhone fake HDR (tone mapping) it's just turning into a "norm" now. It has it's uses for sure and it can have awesome artistic value, but this is how I feel.

I'm a firm believer in using the technique to get closer to what you're eyes actually see -- and no matter what people believe with the state of current photo technology we're still a LONG way from that! That said I often use the fake HDR in the iPhone 4 when taking snaps of things as it doesn't do too bad of a job (sometimes) to get a more even image and bring out details you would otherwise miss. It's not too over-the-top as far as it all goes -- i.e. it doesn't look like a painting. It's not real HDR either but whatever works in a pinch


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## ertman

I enjoyed these photos. While I don't believe they captured the true image, I did like them.

They tend to some off as looking more like drawings.


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## spiffychristian

.


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## Guest

Yes sorry Glipt .. I wasn't trying to say that your photos were not good ... just that I'm not a fan or HDR just for the sake of HDR.


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## JCCanuck

*+1*



chrisburke said:


> HDR is one of those things that ppl either love or hate.. The ones who hate it, hate it because ppl over do it on the tone mapping and make their photos look like cartoons instead of real life.. Yours isn't terrible.. But is a little on the cartoonish side..


LIke "chrisburkee" said the HDR technique is way over used and cartoonish looking. I actually find the HDR pics like animation art. "yeeeha" did do a good job by not overusing HDR. Photographers should just stick with good photography techniques.


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## kps

So many _haters_ in here...LOL!

As with any technique, it has it's place, but when over done, it can and does get to the cliché and fad stage. Just like selective colour, textures, funky borders, fake polaroids, faux Lomo/Holga look, etc...


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## okcomputer

I do love HDR photography, though now that it has really become mainstream there are some terrible photos out there. I haven't mastered the technique yet myself (as evidenced by the photos I link to below), but it is a fun process to try.

My main issue is that people try to save poor photos by making them HDR. Photos that are poorly composed and uninteresting are not suddenly made amazing just because they are made into HDR photos.

That said, when a properly-composed photo that can benefit from HDR is processed well, the results are stunning.

Here are my first three attempts at HDR:

Annapolis View

Beacon | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Windsor Reflection | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Lastly, check out Trey Ratcliff's stuff, including his tutorials. He's the best out there, imo.


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## FeXL

It's interesting how much HDR polarizes photographers into mostly a love/hate assessment.

I personally think that some images work bet with little of the effect & others cry out to be overdone.

$0.02


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## yeeeha

okcomputer said:


> Here are my first three attempts at HDR:


They don't look way overprocessed, I am O.K. with those. If one thing I don't like is the halos.

Here's a HDR panorama of Parry Sound, Ont., taken in October 2009. Two overlapping images make up the panorama.


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## Max

Nice shot, yeeha. Very natural looking. I like it more than your Trinity College shot - the tower itself is the weak point for me as it has the sort of fluttery, magical appearance that suggests an illustration more than a photograph. That said, both images show admirable restraint and don't feel like you've pushed into the kind of edgy surrealism that we're seeing so much of.

I'm thinking ultra-processed HDR, complete with halos and super-saturated blacks, amounts to a photographic fad which will date itself in fairly short order. Meanwhile it's still massively popular, but it'll run its course. It's fun to do and the colours and tones you can squeeze out of a subject can be very diverting, but I agree that sometimes people seem to turn to HDR techniques in a vain attempt to rescue an essentially mediocre image.

Having said all that, I don't want to suggest that I am so principled that I actually practise what I preach - I mean, I do have my limits.

Overcooked self-portrait.


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## polywog

JCCanuck said:


> LIke "chrisburkee" said the HDR technique is way over used and cartoonish looking. I actually find the HDR pics like animation art. "yeeeha" did do a good job by not overusing HDR. Photographers should just stick with good photography techniques.


It's cartoonish if it isn't done properly, but maybe that's just my opinion. Most of the stuff I've processed with HDR, hasn't been pegged as such. Done right it's no less valid than an unsharp mask. I've applied it to quite a few images, without any "obviously an HDR" comments. (Note, only one of these shots was actually bracketed, the other two had exposures manually adjusted.)


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## Max

Great work, polywog. Really dig the top two shots, especially the dozer with that freaky BG. Well done.


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## flowin

What programs do you folk use for your HDR merger? And how does the HDR photo merger in Photoshop stack up to them? Thanks!


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## eMacMan

Used that technique here. The interior of the cave went completely black when the water was properly exposed.

Took about a minute in PhotoShop Elements.


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## FeXL

I know that cave! (at least from the hiway, I've always wanted to hike to it.)

Did you walk along the track to access it?


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## eMacMan

Much easier to canoe or kayak to it if you can get a nice calm day, otherwise be prepared to deal with two or three foot waves. Hiking in is mostly along the RR tracks (from Island Lake?) or cross the Bible Camp property at the west end of Crowsnest Lake. Either way you need shoes with a good grip to scramble right up close to the source.

Edit: I know there is a way to get to the tracks on the east side but not sure what it is.

Note: I have sent a PM which may have gotten lost in all the hearts.


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## Jurego

*Hdr*



Glipt said:


> Just been experimenting with HDR photography. It is a process that combines multiple exposures to capture the full dynamic range of a scene. Here is a classic example. Shooting a dark interior with a bright exterior is impossible with one exposure or a lot of interior lights. 3 exposure is usually adequate for most situations. I used 7 for this one.
> 
> Window-1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


I really like that image a lot!

If you use Photoshop at all, a great plug-in to use is Topaz. It costs some money, but gives you some intense images. For the most realistic look though, the multi-exposure way is the way to go.

Here are a few examples of mine


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