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05/20/2010 12:38:34 PM · #1 |
I am experimenting with HDR and all I could manage was this
the sky looks messy and somehow the image doesn't look good
This is with photomatix. I have also tried Gimp, Qtpfsgui and HDR darkroom but those were even worse. The exposure bias is 0.67 and the images were shot is good daylight.
I am curious to know -
- Is this a good HDR image ?
- Can it be processed better or is this due to the problems with the original images
  
- Is 0.67 exposure variation enough for HDR images or should I have gone for a larger bias?
Any help and comments are welcome:)
Message edited by author 2010-05-20 12:38:54. |
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05/20/2010 12:58:45 PM · #2 |
2/3 of a stop is not really enough, your brightest image is underexposed for the ground. As a rule of thumb 3 images 2 stops apart works well .... If you can get 5 images 1 stop apart even better!
The shot you have done the clouds have moved too much, the shots need to be rapid so you need to set the camera to burst and AEB bracketing to take the 3 shots instantly.
What you can also do is manually merge the sky from one shot with the ground from another if there is too much movement
eta. also make sure the ghosting option is ticked in photomatix, it may help but ...
Message edited by author 2010-05-20 13:00:07. |
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05/20/2010 12:59:11 PM · #3 |
In order to properly generate an HDR image, your *brightest* image has to have the correct exposure for your darkest areas, and the darkest image should have the correct exposure for your brightest areas. In other words, you need at least one more lighter exposure for the hillside, and possibly a darker one for the sky. You're trying to force tonalities in tone mapping, and that's where the grain and blotchiness is coming from.
You should also be shooting in RAW, preferably, so you can do the HDR merge with 16-bit images.
Photomatix Pro is the software of choice for this work, so you're fine there.
R.
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05/20/2010 01:05:02 PM · #4 |
Yep, ticking the ghosting sorts out the movement quite well
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05/20/2010 01:05:09 PM · #5 |
Can something like this be improved (if it can't be re-shot) by first tweaking the two extreme exposures with Curves before performing the HDR merge? Seems like this would be similar to generating multiple originals from a single RAW original.
It wouldn't restore blocked or blown areas, but it should be able to extend the range of tones available in the underexposed areas. |
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05/20/2010 01:27:57 PM · #6 |
| I would like to run these photos through HDR merge in CS5 to see what happens; if you would like to send me the original RAWs...... |
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