HDR: Techniques, Tips, Tricks, and the photos.... all HERE!

Okay, HDR has given me happy feeling lately. I vary my style.. sometimes very simple so the photo looks natural, and other times very comic-ish and artsy, almost as a painting. I think it depends on the type of photo and the mood and what it's for, if anything specific that is.


What kinds of software and techniques do you use? Camera and lenses? Any clients have a particular demand for HDR, or perhaps they love your HDR photos but don't realize what HDR is? They just know they like them? haha!





- Jordan


www.freshphotohawaii.com

On my favorite images I took about a month ago. It is of I'olani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii. It used to be the royal palace for the Hawaiian Kingdom.


TECHNICAL: Canon 7D, EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II, @ 16mm, f/6.3, ISO 100. 3 RAW images blended in Photomatix Pro to form an HDR. A lot of time was spent blending, masking, adding detail, reducing noise etc... in different parts of the image via Photoshop CS4. Final touches in Lightroom 2.

Jordan, I use Photomatix Pro, as well, though I also use FDRtools Advanced occasionally. I also spend some time PP'ing in CS4, doing similar tasks.


Since your shot was taken with the 16-35, and you were shooting upwards, the building gets distorted. If that's the look you're shooting for (no pun intended), then your work is finished.


If not, I would suggest zooming a bit wider, taking the pics, then when you're finished with your blending, masking, etc., that you use one of the Transform tools (e.g., Skew) to straighten the sides of the building. Use a grid pattern on the image to line them up.

That is actually EXACTLY what I wanted in this case (and many cases) because it makes the building appear dramatic. Especially in this case as it's a royal castle, and I wanted to give that prestigious look. Also, something you didn't comment on is the flag. Originally, I was a little peeved because the flag was all ghosted... but then after looking at it a while, rather than correcting it, I decided to keep it. I think it sort of gives it the feeling of movement, like it's waving in the wind. So I purposely left it there.


Yeah I know how to change the perspective in Photoshop. I've done it on a couple photos before. Also, I have used a TS lens here and there to correct for the fact that little old me is simply on the ground. The TS-E 17mm f/4 is a nice one. I rented that for a few days and had a lot of fun with it. I really want to try the new 24mm TS that is out now.


FDRtools? I've heard of it but have no experience with it. Is this something you find useful for a specific purpose or just prefer it for some reason? I'm interested in any new tools that do new fun things or make life easier.


ATTACHED is another example of WANTING that dramatic building look. It might not be the best for a realtor or a brochure, but I love it in general! This is what I see when I look out my window here in Honolulu! haha


- Jordan


www.freshphotohawaii.com

just a quick question--how do you like the 16-35mm on the 7d? I got a 7d as well and I'm looking for a wide angle lens.


nice shot of Iolani Palace--I still need to find time to get down there to shoot some pics.

I use photomatix pro if I ever do any HDR work. I try to use at least 5-7 images otherwise the areas with flatter colour tend to become grainy when they are blended. You can see some evidenceof this in the flatter areas of the sky in my image below.


Trey Ratcliffe has made a career out of HDR and is considered by many to be the master. I personally think his work isa bitoverdone but that's my preference and many others find his work very appealling. He has a blog with some good tutorials on it at www.stuckincustoms.com. You might get some useful tips there.


Cheers, Ben.


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I love it! I don't own one, but rent from www.hawaiicamera.com (but not through mail, I just go to the store on Waialae) and it's very sharp... nice and wide too, even though not as wide as on 1.3 and FF cameras.... SEXY THOUGH!

Oh I've read his tutorials and own his bible... oh I mean book! haha


It's very nice stuff! Yeah I almost always shoot only 3 images, but I've recently decided I'll try shooting more, especially when skies and dark textures are present.


I really like that photo you posted!! very nice!

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Originally Posted by Jordan

FDRtools? I've heard of it but have no experience with it. Is this something you find useful for a specific purpose or just prefer it for some reason? I'm interested in any new tools that do new fun things or make life easier.
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Jordan, FDRtools is a very good program for HDR, though it really doesn't do the surreal stuff, like the Photomatix program does. It's pretty much a straight HDR program, and it tends to give better detail in the images. It might also do better with your ghosting issues (such as the flag), but I've not done enough images to say that Photomatix won't do as well, when the setting is placed at "high."


It offers an alternative, and is well worth the money.


By the way, in another thread, you mentioned the Noiseware plug-in from Imagenomics. What other noise removal software have you tried, and what is it about this program that is "OMG?" Thanks.

Hmm.. I'd love to check out FDRtools and see what's better about it. The Noiseware plug-in is sooo much better than the others I've used. I have used NoiseNinja, which I've heard is the "best" but that was years ago, and some other one I cannot remember the name of. Also, I have Lightroom 2 and it's noise-reduction hardly works at all. I hear Lightroom 3's will be MUCH better... but I have yet to see it. I like how Imagenomics works, and without even having to tweak the sliders... so that's what I use! :)

Hmm... downloaded FDRtools and feel it's WAY too complicated... I don't get how to do anything with it...


Maybe I'm just dumb..

I use Photomatix(from LR2.6), and get the best results that way. Currently trying to perfect my technique. Unfortunately, i don't have the time all the time to take the time to use tripod, timer, so on..so on...I have been taking my Mark IV with 16-35II with me(absolutely FANTASTIC combo, by the way), do do a few HDR's on my route(UPS driver full time). I've used my 5D2 with 24-105 in the past with great results...taking 3 shots. But, let me tell you...using a 1 body with better parameters yields WAY better results. Being able to take 5 shots in rapid succesion with 2 second timer, hand held, has produced some great results. Fooling around with Photomatix can produce some wild pics....learning to tone it down can give some very real world results. Here are a few...tell me what you think....Gregg


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Oh yeah...there is a video out there by Matt Koslowski called Real World HDR. Worth every cent...

G'day all


thanks for the images BTAYLOR but i must ask as i have tried a few hdr's and they look nothing like yours i think i may be doing something wrong......could you please post your 5-7 images so that i can see if i am taking the base shots right to start with????? as i am thinking this is where i am going wrong but i have not been able to figure it out yet?????? thanks

Gregg,


Your saying that on a 1 Series body it will bracket 2 shots on either side of 0?

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Originally Posted by scotty74

G'day all


thanks for the images BTAYLOR but i must ask as i have tried a few hdr's and they look nothing like yours i think i may be doing something wrong......could you please post your 5-7 images so that i can see if i am taking the base shots right to start with????? as i am thinking this is where i am going wrong but i have not been able to figure it out yet?????? thanks

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Hey Scotty, I don't have the original images on mebut the basic idea I use is to look at the scene and figure out how you want each area exposed. So for a sunset shot you want the nice deep saturated yellows of the sun while maintaining foreground exposure and getting nice colours in the sky etc.


I don't really bracket my shots when I'm using a tripod, I just adjust the shutter speed to get the exposures I want. Some might be 7 stops underexposed if Ihave a particularly bright area in the shot, others might be 7 stops overexposed if there's particularly dark areas.


It's all trial and error and experimentation. I'll see if I can drag up the original files and post them up.

Its a custom function you have to enable with the camera hooked up to a computer. C.FN 09 on the Id II and 1D 2N. You can adjust the bracket number of exp. (2, 5, 7 frames).