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11/16/2006 03:08:32 PM · #1 |
HDR photo editing (or whatever the term is) is a technique I think might really help me as I always seem to take pictures with too dark shadows or overexposed areas, etc. I've tried looking through past posts and a couple of websites, but I'm still befuddled, so I'm hoping someone can just answer a few questions for me...
1. Can PS Elements do this for me or do I need to get one of the other programs mentioned in previous posts? Has there been a consensus on which is best?
2. Are HDR and tonal mapping the same thing or just similar?
2. Is there a tutorial on this yet? I didn't see one, but maybe I'm missing it...
3. Can I apply this technique in any way to photos I've already taken where I do not have bracketed shots?
Thank you very much for any help you can give me. |
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11/16/2006 03:24:52 PM · #2 |
OK, let me try to explain to the best of my knowledge, trust me when I say there are folk a lot more clued up on this than me, so if they contradict what I say, they are more than likely right :-)
OK, HDR is not really there to `rescue` dark photos, if the detail isn't there in the first place due to blown out highlights or completely or near black shadows then no amount of HDR will rescue that image.
1. Not sure, never used elements. Photoshop CS2 has an HDR function, buts its first generation, not really that easy to get to grips with and doesnt always produce the most `visually pleasing` results. The software you have probably read about the most is a package called Photomatix from //www.hdrsoft.com which is a program dedicated to producing HDR images. I swear by the photomatix software, but thats only until something better comes along. It will eventually.
2. Ummm, HDR & Tone Mapping really go hand in hand with each other. HDR describes the style of photography, tone mapping is a subsection of HDR photography that allows one to render down all that information into a medium that our monitors can display.
3. There are plenty of threads regarding different techniques used to achieve HDR style images. Do a search on this website.
4. Again, you can, but I find best results come from 3 true bracketed shots. I have not been able to achieve the same quality from a single well exposed shot.
I will throw a couple of tips in here of my own.. First & foremost, if you want to play with HDR and learn it proper, shoot bracketed shots, you can get really stunning results when you are properly equipped. Not everything you shoot bracketed will lend itself well to HDR, try to picture the different elements in your scene when shooting and decide would they all look good together in an HDR image?
Use a tripod :-)
Shoot RAW where ever possible, its just gives you a lot more latitude to your images than JPG ever will...
Thats about it really, I am still learning the technique and having great fun doing so. If you have any specific questions then feel free to PM me ro contact via the forums..
Message edited by author 2006-11-16 15:25:59. |
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11/16/2006 03:40:38 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by saiphfire:
4. Can I apply this technique in any way to photos I've already taken where I do not have bracketed shots? |
Mark answered the other questions. For the above, if you have RAW's you should be all set. Photomatix will generate an .hdr from a single .raw exposure. The example below is from a single too:
If you want to know if a RAW is ok, just open it up in PS and slide the exposure bar to both extremes and try to have as little over & under exposure on opposite ends. Clearly, none is ideal. |
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11/16/2006 03:45:41 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by Noel_ZH:
Originally posted by saiphfire:
4. Can I apply this technique in any way to photos I've already taken where I do not have bracketed shots? |
Mark answered the other questions. For the above, if you have RAW's you should be all set. Photomatix will generate an .hdr from a single .raw exposure. The example below is from a single too:
If you want to know if a RAW is ok, just open it up in PS and slide the exposure bar to both extremes and try to have as little over & under exposure on opposite ends. Clearly, none is ideal. |
Mate, I love that shot... |
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11/16/2006 03:47:52 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Noel_ZH:
Originally posted by saiphfire:
4. Can I apply this technique in any way to photos I've already taken where I do not have bracketed shots? |
Mark answered the other questions. For the above, if you have RAW's you should be all set. Photomatix will generate an .hdr from a single .raw exposure. The example below is from a single too:
If you want to know if a RAW is ok, just open it up in PS and slide the exposure bar to both extremes and try to have as little over & under exposure on opposite ends. Clearly, none is ideal. |
So all you did was open that single file in Photomatix and it did all the rest? Wacky. I've always provided multiple processings for it, I didn't know it did its own thing. Have you edited that shot further? |
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11/16/2006 03:51:39 PM · #6 |
I really appreciate you all replying. I thought no one would. I know it's frustrating when people post about the same thing multiple times, but I really tried to read previous threads and answer my questions myself without much luck.
I read all of the threads I found regarding techniques... I just found them to be a little confusing. I'm not that great a photographer and a lot of times when techniques are written out in paragraphs, people use terminology that I only have a rough grasp of. (For instance, while I understand the concept behind "bracketing," I have no idea how to actually do it; also I know my camera can take "raw" photos, but I don't know how to make it do that, nor do I really know how they are different from jpgs.) I'm learning, but I often feel discouraged by the things I don't know. Anyway, that is just an explanation of why I posted a new thread - it's not that I'm too lazy to look at old threads... I'll give it a shot and I guess if I can't figure it out I'll just stick to getting the best single exposure I can for now. |
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11/16/2006 03:55:44 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by saiphfire:
I really appreciate you all replying. I thought no one would. I know it's frustrating when people post about the same thing multiple times, but I really tried to read previous threads and answer my questions myself without much luck.
I read all of the threads I found regarding techniques... I just found them to be a little confusing. I'm not that great a photographer and a lot of times when techniques are written out in paragraphs, people use terminology that I only have a rough grasp of. (For instance, while I understand the concept behind "bracketing," I have no idea how to actually do it; also I know my camera can take "raw" photos, but I don't know how to make it do that, nor do I really know how they are different from jpgs.) I'm learning, but I often feel discouraged by the things I don't know. Anyway, that is just an explanation of why I posted a new thread - it's not that I'm too lazy to look at old threads... I'll give it a shot and I guess if I can't figure it out I'll just stick to getting the best single exposure I can for now. |
Dont be put off, if you dont understand something that is siad then lets us know and I am sure everyone here will jump in and post examples, demonstrations etc.
OK, first things.. Go into your menu on the 300D, goto to Quality setting and set it on RAW.. lesson over (Although remember, you cannot shoot in RAW if you are using the fully automatic mode (the green rectangle setting).. Fire off some shots in RAW (bearing in mind they use a lotmore compact flash card space than regualr JPGs), then fire up your RAW converter...... or will that be your next question? :-) Seriously though, just ask and most folks on here will be more than happy to help, if you need it `dumbing down` a bit, let us know, we all love to show off our knowledge using big words and techie terminology, but we can also talk in english as well...
Stick with it, its worth it in the end.. |
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11/16/2006 03:58:28 PM · #8 |
| I would suggest you start out by just taking some RAW shots. Don't worry about HDR yet. Check out the difference between those and jpgs, establish a good workflow for converting them, etc. When you've done that for awhile, move on to bracketing and then to HDR. |
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11/16/2006 04:21:39 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by saiphfire:
I really appreciate you all replying. I thought no one would. I know it's frustrating when people post about the same thing multiple times, but I really tried to read previous threads and answer my questions myself without much luck.
I read all of the threads I found regarding techniques... I just found them to be a little confusing. I'm not that great a photographer and a lot of times when techniques are written out in paragraphs, people use terminology that I only have a rough grasp of. (For instance, while I understand the concept behind "bracketing," I have no idea how to actually do it; also I know my camera can take "raw" photos, but I don't know how to make it do that, nor do I really know how they are different from jpgs.) I'm learning, but I often feel discouraged by the things I don't know. Anyway, that is just an explanation of why I posted a new thread - it's not that I'm too lazy to look at old threads... I'll give it a shot and I guess if I can't figure it out I'll just stick to getting the best single exposure I can for now. |
One way to bracket exposure is to put the camera in manual mode, shoot a frame at the correct metering, and then fire off a few frames that are overexposed and underexposed. If you want to bracket for HDR it is vital that you change the exposure by varying the shutter speed and keeping the aperture constant, changing the aperture would change the depth of field. You should also put the lens in manual focus mode so that it does not change focus between frames.
You camera will have an auto-bracketing mode, you'd have to check the manual to see how to access it (my camera does not have anto-bracketing). |
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11/17/2006 07:30:03 PM · #10 |
A note to those who have gotten themselves the Photomatix Tonemapping filter for Photoshop. It is so easy to get carried away and tonemap your image out of reality. I also did the same when I first got the filter last year. The art in using this filter is to apply it to your image in a way that the viewer does not know that you have used the filter at all. It is the only way to use this filter.
This is an example of getting carried away, where one can see immediately that the image has been over processed with the tonemapping filter
But here I used the tonemapping filter in such a reduced way that it is impossible to tell.
Tonemapping is a very effective filter if used properly but I see far too many images these days which have been totally killed with it. |
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