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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Advanced Editing: Combining Multiple Captures
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05/19/2010 04:32:27 PM · #1
Reading through the advanced editing rule set, I have a question about the following:

"...nor is it intended to allow a subject to appear in multiple places within a scene."

Suppose I capture the same subject at a location, handheld, over a period of a few minutes. I end up with 4 or more captures from relatively the same shooting location but possibly different zoom/focus/etc. while maintaining the subject as the central theme of the pictures.

Can I combine these multiple captures as layers, blend them, and create a single image, still be valid with the rule set?

I did search through the forums, couldn't find anything directly relevant.

Thanks in advance...

ETA: Supposing the above is valid, is it then also valid to select only the subject from other captures and place then as layers on to the first one?

Message edited by author 2010-05-19 16:33:29.
05/19/2010 07:31:20 PM · #2
- BUMP -

Requesting expert's advice ???
05/19/2010 07:38:43 PM · #3
My take on it is you can take up to 10 exposures with the exact same composition (zoom cannot change, position of objects cannot change - with the exception of by wind) only altering the exposure as in HDR.
05/19/2010 07:40:40 PM · #4
Exactly. As long as the composition does not change, you can use up to 10 photos for different exposures and/or focus points.
05/19/2010 07:40:46 PM · #5
Originally posted by cpanaioti:

My take on it is you can take up to 10 exposures with the exact same composition (zoom cannot change, position of objects cannot change - with the exception of by wind) only altering the exposure as in HDR.


I agree. Hand held won't really work because no matter how hard you try, you can't take a photo of the exact same position without a tripod.
05/19/2010 07:43:31 PM · #6
Thanks.

I take it that it will be illegal.

Thank you all!!!
05/19/2010 07:44:57 PM · #7
As far as I understand it, the composition/framing of the shot cannot change whatsoever. Additionally, the subject matter cannot be moved either. So if you were shooting a subject at a location, you'd need to be shooting on a tripod (or otherwise ensuring the framing doesn't change), would need to not move the camera, and would also need to make sure your subject stayed in the same spot for every exposure. I believe the primary purpose of the rule is to allow for HDR captures, hence the restrictions.

ETA - Damn, others beat me to it. :)

Message edited by author 2010-05-19 19:45:47.
05/19/2010 10:57:27 PM · #8
The other technique, beyond HDR, that benefits from this approach is focus stacking, and that is legal in advanced, as well.
05/20/2010 01:39:22 AM · #9
Photomatix Pro, and other high-end HDR-merge programs, have algorithms that allow the software to match features over several exposures. So hand-held HDRI is actually feasible if you shoot in burst mode and set the camera for bracketing exposures. Tripod is better, though :-)

R.
05/20/2010 01:41:40 AM · #10
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Photomatix Pro, and other high-end HDR-merge programs, have algorithms that allow the software to match features over several exposures. So hand-held HDRI is actually feasible if you shoot in burst mode and set the camera for bracketing exposures. Tripod is better, though :-)

R.


I've done this.. And I can tell you that while they can handle shift pretty well, rotation is dealt with fairly poorly, so hand held HDRI is a real challenge..
05/20/2010 01:42:16 AM · #11
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Photomatix Pro, and other high-end HDR-merge programs, have algorithms that allow the software to match features over several exposures. So hand-held HDRI is actually feasible if you shoot in burst mode and set the camera for bracketing exposures. Tripod is better, though :-)

R.


Infinitely... even though photomatix does a decent job at foliage movement and stuff, it's still hit or miss and completely random what will and won't turn out. I tend to get weird areas of softness from my Sigma 10-20 when using this technique, as well.
05/20/2010 01:50:17 AM · #12
Guys, here's my position on it: as y'all well know, I prefer to do my landscape work from a tripod. But when I'm just out goosing around, a lot of times I just don't bother. Now, I've also had a lot of success making HDR of not-totally-extreme scenes by doing several variations of a single exposure int he RAW processor, then using photomatix.

SO... if the occasion arises, I do the burst-and-bracket thing and see how well it merges; if there are issues, then I do the 3-out-of-1 HDR instead. On several occasions, the burst-n-bracket system has worked OK, other times it has not worked well at all...

All of it could be avoided if I were less lazy and schlepped my tripod everywhere with me, but a lot of the times when I'm beating through brambles in the marsh I just carry the camera with the 17-40mm mounted, and nothing else. It's just easier, and I am not getting any younger :-)

R.
05/20/2010 02:07:46 AM · #13
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Guys, here's my position on it: as y'all well know, I prefer to do my landscape work from a tripod. But when I'm just out goosing around, a lot of times I just don't bother. Now, I've also had a lot of success making HDR of not-totally-extreme scenes by doing several variations of a single exposure int he RAW processor, then using photomatix.

SO... if the occasion arises, I do the burst-and-bracket thing and see how well it merges; if there are issues, then I do the 3-out-of-1 HDR instead. On several occasions, the burst-n-bracket system has worked OK, other times it has not worked well at all...

All of it could be avoided if I were less lazy and schlepped my tripod everywhere with me, but a lot of the times when I'm beating through brambles in the marsh I just carry the camera with the 17-40mm mounted, and nothing else. It's just easier, and I am not getting any younger :-)

R.


Hey, I'm not getting any younger either. My tripod weighs in at a bit over 7lbs on its own, as well. I do the exact same thing you do, bracket then see what works best. But honestly... schlepping that damn tripod around for a week in the backcountry at high elevation.... I could do without that.
05/26/2010 10:11:13 PM · #14
What about combining shots that are very slightly misaligned--say, by a few pixels on a 6 MP image?

I'm working in HDR for the first time, and I think my tripod wasn't 100% stable, and it slipped just the tiniest bit between exposures. We're talking a treeline that's off by three or four vertical pixels at full resolution.

Would that be enough to get a DQ?
05/26/2010 10:15:07 PM · #15
I've never personally had one of those shots validated but I'm sure it would pass muster. Even tripods can move a bit, depending upon their build. I've never thought twice about entering handheld ones.
05/26/2010 10:33:08 PM · #16
Originally posted by mycelium:

I'm working in HDR for the first time, and I think my tripod wasn't 100% stable, and it slipped just the tiniest bit between exposures. We're talking a treeline that's off by three or four vertical pixels at full resolution.

Would that be enough to get a DQ?

It's fine. Even handheld shots will be OK if they're reasonably matched. The idea is to allow exposure and DOF adjustments without opening the door to multi-image composites. As long as the scene doesn't change we're not going to pull out micrometers to make sure the alignment is identical.
05/27/2010 12:11:53 AM · #17
Originally posted by scalvert:

Originally posted by mycelium:

I'm working in HDR for the first time, and I think my tripod wasn't 100% stable, and it slipped just the tiniest bit between exposures. We're talking a treeline that's off by three or four vertical pixels at full resolution.

Would that be enough to get a DQ?

It's fine. Even handheld shots will be OK if they're reasonably matched. The idea is to allow exposure and DOF adjustments without opening the door to multi-image composites. As long as the scene doesn't change we're not going to pull out micrometers to make sure the alignment is identical.

You can put the images on separate layers, lower the transparency to see what you're doing, nudge the images into "perfect" alignment, then crop away the bits which "overhang the edges" -- you can then save the now-aligned-but-slightly-smaller images back out to separate files for HDR processing.
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