"Winter Sunset", HDR, Compared to Other Variations

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

12/22/2006 02:47:28 PM · #1

There has been a lot of discussion of "true" HDRI, "quasi" HDRI, and tone mapping. It gets a little confusing. So I am putting these examples up to illustrate some points.

Except for my actual, finished entry, all of these are exactly as rendered by the process, with no further PP in Photoshop.

Original of one of the 4 frames exposed, the "best" exposed one

That original tone mapped in photomatix with no further correction

Same original, 3 variant exposures from RAW combined in Photomatix and tone mapped with no further correction

HDRI image of 4 separate in-camera exposures, of which the original above is one, combined and tone mapped in Photomatix Pro, no further processing

The finished entry, as PP from above in PS7 and submitted

******************

In all cases except the actual entry, further work in PS will improve things. But this shows the raw material one has to work with. Note the distinct difference between "quasi" HDRI (making several variants of the same RAW file, advanced legal) and "true" HDRI (using several original exposures, only legal in expert editing).

It's also worth noting that that the scene as viewed by me was MUCH more dramatic than it renders in the original exposure; the HDRI versions are MUCH closer to what I was "seeing" than the unaltered original.

The birds are another story altogether :-)

Robt.

Kaups

Canon EOS-50D

12/22/2006 03:58:49 PM · #2

Thanks for posting this, R! I love when people put before and after type things - especially now with the HDR craze!
I have had issues so far when doing multiple exposures with wind moving objects...clouds, yes, but especially grass that was nearby. That screwed it up completely for me. I have to go take a new series of shots so I can properly test out the photomatrix trial.
Great picture, by the way.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

12/22/2006 05:53:26 PM · #3

Is this of no interest to any of the people who have repeatedly asked "what's the difference between tone mapping and HDRI?"

R.

mist

Canon EOS-60D

12/22/2006 05:57:18 PM · #4

I think it's very interesting how different the "true" HDR image is from the single RAW version.

Truegsht

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

12/22/2006 06:07:12 PM · #5

anyone care to post some "how to" for users with "not so great and expensive cameras"? I know alot of users here only have some point and shoot cameras..I had to sell my 20D to help cover daycare cost last summer and now I'm stuck with an older Sony camera...and I don't know if it is capable of such great results. Any pointers?

Thanks!

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

12/22/2006 06:12:37 PM · #6

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Is this of no interest to any of the people who have repeatedly asked "what's the difference between tone mapping and HDRI?"

R.

I don't always respond to posts, but do appreciate it. Thanks Bear.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

12/22/2006 06:13:25 PM · #7

Originally posted by Truegsht:

The multiple exposure strategy is perfectly suited to P&S cams that at least have enough manual control to intentionally adjust exposure through a range. There's an additinal benefit; noise is reduced somewhat. The workflow, roughly, is as follows:
- Set camera for manual mode, determine proper exposure
- Take exposures from, say, -2 stops to +2 stops at 1/2 stop intervals; the best way to do this is probably to change only the shutter speed, if possible.
- Combine the exposures using an HDRI program, like Photoshop CS2 or Photomatix.

SDW

Canon EOS-60D

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

12/22/2006 07:27:05 PM · #8

Thanks for the post Robert. I have Photomatix Pro and have been trying to get good results. This is a great post to review as I learn. I do have a question. I noticed you are using PS7 with Photomatix Pro. I thought you had PS/CS or CS2. Is PS7 a better version of PS when used with Photomatrix Pro or is it a personal preference for you. I have PS/CS.

Thanks,
SDW

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/22/2006 09:37:54 PM · #9

Originally posted by Southern Gentleman:

No, until I got this new machine I was running Windows Me and could not run CS/CS2. That's actually how I ended up with Photomatix; it was my only HDR option. I have a copy of CS2 on the way courtesy of my neighbors, so then I will be able to compare.

R.

Nuzzer

Canon EOS-7D

12/22/2006 10:56:03 PM · #10

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Is this of no interest to any of the people who have repeatedly asked "what's the difference between tone mapping and HDRI?"

R.

This is good stuff. I've only done the single exposure HDR so far but it's now clear how much better it is to use multiple exposures from the camera. Thanks.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

12/22/2006 11:30:57 PM · #11

Thanks Robert, that's interesting as usual. The true HDR result is much better in that case. And it was a great shot for HDR and tone-mapping treatment. Tone mapping really brings out the best in water, IMHO.

I have tried both true HDR and quasi HDR, and they both work pretty well! I have gone back to shooting more bracketed exposures since I bought photomatrix. I run out of memory quicker, though :(

I have used the tone mapping component of Photomatrix (just the plugin) more than the HDR/tone mapping in the stand alone; I love how it opens up the tonal range of shots. I can't get the same results from the shadow highlight filter of CS (thinking back to another thread where that came up). I try it out on anything I'm editing now, just to see!

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

12/22/2006 11:32:16 PM · #12

Originally posted by Nuzzer:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Is this of no interest to any of the people who have repeatedly asked "what's the difference between tone mapping and HDRI?"

R.

This is good stuff. I've only done the single exposure HDR so far but it's now clear how much better it is to use multiple exposures from the camera. Thanks.

Yeah, out of the ballpark better. The single-RAW-multiple-processing works fine if you are not that far out of the gamut in the first place, so a minus-1 and a plus-1 are sufficient variation. Any more than that, there will be compromises. No compromises with the multiple-exposure approach, assuming the scene allows you to do it; i.e. little or no movement in it.

R.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

12/24/2006 10:51:36 PM · #13

I ran across this today, and I dont' know if it's been posted previously, but it is a really great, though looonng comparison between pricessig an HDRI scene in CS2 vs. Photomatix.

Shmee

Nikon D70s

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

12/24/2006 11:14:37 PM · #14

Is HDR using variations of the same image legal in basic editing?