**UPDATED** Sunset Panorama HDR or no HDR? **Create your own HDR!**

[Sheiky]

--Update--


Since people started to adjust my photos with only the jpegs available, I got curious about what you could do with my original files. [] Let's see how creative you are!


I'm not sure how many are willing to try, but I'm looking forward to any result! It could be a HDR photo or just an adjusted photo, everything is possible from a natural photo to an artistic one. Do whatever you want to do to make it work!


One and only rule here is that you show your result on this thread [H]


I'm looking forward to them!


Link to zipfile with 3 tiff files for max. potential406MB filesize


Link to zipfile with 3 jpeg files, less MB, but also less potential22MB filesize


Good luck!!![Y]


Jan


Original message: Hey,


I just shot a sunset in panorama, 5 photos used horizontally. I also did it in 3 exposures during each horizontal shot so I also made a HDR photo.


The sunset was beautiful thanks to an enormous cloud of ashes, which is very visible, due to a vulcanic eruption in Iceland about a week ago [] also the reason there isn't any flight-traffic around here for 4 days now [:P]


Here is the normal exposed version:





Link to Full size image, because it really shines full-size.


And here is the HDR version :





Link to Full size image


HDR number 2 :





Link to Full size image


Please tell me what you think. Lately I'm trying out more HDR photos and I'm just curious what you think of it[]


Jan

[nimblybimbly85]

I like the normally exposed version best. i like the contrast between the dark landscape and the colors in the sky.





The HDR version is nice, but at first few glances it kind of strains my eyes. The colors in the sky are nice, but the landscape seems to be out of focus.





What software do you use to make your panorama and hdr?

[btaylor]

I actually like the sky in the non-HDR version and the foreground in the HDR version. Maybe you could make 2 panos, one at the same exposure as the first one above and another at the lighter exposure and just stitch them together.


That was you'll minimise any ghosting artifacts that can come about through HDR and still get the foreground exposed a bit.


Just a thought. [H]

[Sheiky]

Thanks for replying guys,

The HDR version is nice, but at first few glances it kind of strains my eyes. The colors in the sky are nice, but the landscape seems to be out of focus.

Yeah the landscape is unpurposely out of focus, I manually focussed to close. My mistake. It's also because it's my first panorma in ages, I can't even remember making a panorama, so I forgot this tiny detail. I will make sure of it next time [] I hope [:P]

What software do you use to make your panorama and hdr?

I used Photoshop CS4 for the stitching and allignment. And I used photomatix for the HDR conversion. I'm always struggling with good settings though.

I actually like the sky in the non-HDR version and the foreground in the HDR version. Maybe you could make 2 panos, one at the same exposure as the first one above and another at the lighter exposure and just stitch them together.


That was you'll minimise any ghosting artifacts that can come about through HDR and still get the foreground exposed a bit.


Just a thought.[img]/emoticons/emotion-11.gif[/img]

Yeah me too, that was exactly why I was in doubt of this photo. I will try to make another. I've got 3 panos at 3 different expoosures so I guess it should be doable [:P]


And yeah, I noticed some ghosting as well, but only as tiny details. I didn't nother to adjust them yet [] The picture is like 10000 pixels wide and the artifacts are like 10 pixels, I will pay more attention when I try it again today.


Good thought [H][Y]



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Wow, it took a lot of shots to get this pano. It paid back, though...[img]/emoticons/emotion-1.gif[/img]Between panicking airlines and pissed off travelers you made the best out of it.[img]/emoticons/emotion-21.gif[/img]


I usually blend such layered images using gradient tool, but any blending will do.

15 photos to be exact. Not that many, but sure enough to make my pc nearly explode [:P] I also had the luck that airplanes weren't allowed due to the ashes of the vulcano [:P]


I will try to do some sort of gradient to get a picture with balance between the first and second photo.


Thanks guys, I will show you the result if I have it and I succeeded [8-|]


Jan
</div>

[Mark Elberson]

I agree with everyone else. I like the non-HDR better. The HDR version looks more like a sun-rise. Both are lovely photos though :-)

[Tim]

I agree with whats been said, the non-HDR is better. Great photo, and is there some trick for doing HDR panoramics in photomatix? My computer freezes everytime I try, but it might be because I'm running it on my 4 year old macbook in a virtual windows xp.

[alex]

I also prefer the non-HDR version. The HDR version is an example of one of the most commonly occurring problems I have when I make HDRs, which is a lack of contrast. I use Photomatix Pro fairly often, and that's one of the biggest problems I have. I can play with the White Point and Black Point, but other than I'm not sure of the best way to increase the contrast in Photomatix.


I'm pretty much in awe of your pano skills on this one. Mine never turn out this nice!

[Sheiky]

Alright here I am again. I tried to make a new HDR using different methods suggested here. The stitching 2 photos didn't really work for me. I couldn't get nice fluid transitions between the sky and the earth []


I added the new HDR version to the entry post. To be honest I think the normal one looks a lot less interesting at only 800 pixels and due to resizing contrast looks absolutely bizarre. The "earth" looks almost completely dark while there is in fact a lot of detail in it still. So that's why I also put a full-size jpeg online for that one.


I also must say that I love the enthusiasm of making your own versions of my picture.[]If there is interest, I could put the full-sized tiffs online (the 3 alligned exposures) so you guys could show me off with the same room to work with. If so, just shout it out and I will put them online, could be cool [H]

I agree with everyone else. I like the non-HDR better. The HDR version looks more like a sun-rise. Both are lovely photos though :-)

Thanks Mark [] You're absolutely right about the HDR looking like a sunrise instead of a sunset [H]

I agree with whats been said, the non-HDR is better. Great photo, and is there some trick for doing HDR panoramics in photomatix? My computer freezes everytime I try, but it might be because I'm running it on my 4 year old macbook in a virtual windows xp.

Thanks, fast answer: no there is no trick [:P] It was actually pretty hard to make the panorama's align. When first making 3 panorama's at different exposures I noticed a slight difference in imagesizes and positioning. And photomatix won't take different sizes. So I aligned all 3 of them in photoshop and made a definitive crop out of the aligned images so all three compositions were "the same". Those tiff-files were then used in photomatix to create a HDR image of them. I can say that it still was kind of a struggle for photomatix to make this 10000pixel wide HDr, even on my relatively fast pc []

I also prefer the non-HDR version. The HDR version is an example of one of the most commonly occurring problems I have when I make HDRs, which is a lack of contrast. I use Photomatix Pro fairly often, and that's one of the biggest problems I have. I can play with the White Point and Black Point, but other than I'm not sure of the best way to increase the contrast in Photomatix.


I'm pretty much in awe of your pano skills on this one. Mine never turn out this nice!

Thank you Alex, yes the loss of contrast and color was a big problem with this one. I always struggle to get the right results out of photomatix and I often do post-processing in lightroom or photoshop.

Clearly, the non hdr.

I'm glad it was so easy for you [:P] I wish it were that easy for me so I wouldn't be here asking this question[]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"]I have to agree with everyone here &ndash; the non-HDR is better.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"]Personally I like HDR a lot and I know it is very tricky to produce a good HDR image.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"]Here is my re-touch of the HDR (Tonal and local contrast) to bring the dynamic and depth out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"] Ideally this adjustment should bedone in Photomarix.CC is very welcomed.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]

Here is my meager attempt to have it both ways and combine the two images.

Hmm thanks for making your own versions. I really like that! It got me thinking [8-|]I will add the 3 different exposed panoramas in tiff if you guys want to? So you can try to get the most out of this picture. I sure want to see those results, seeing what you've already done to my jpeg, I'm curious what you would have made if there is more room to play with.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]Let me know if any of you all is interested. It could be a fun adventure [H]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"]Jan

[rzFoto]

Hmm thanks for making your own versions. I really like that! It got me thinking [img]/emoticons/emotion-15.gif[/img]I will add the 3 different exposed panoramas in tiff if you guys want to? So you can try to get the most out of this picture. I sure want to see those results, seeing what you've already done to my jpeg, I'm curious what you would have made if there is more room to play with.
<p class="MsoNormal"]
<p class="MsoNormal"]Let me know if any of you all is interested. It could be a fun adventure

I AM IN, I AM A BIG FAN OF HDR AND PHOTOSHOP.

[piiooo]

I also did it in 3 exposures during each horizontal shot so I also made a HDR photo.

Wow, it took a lot of shots to get this pano. It paid back, though...[]Between panicking airlines and pissed off travelers you made the best out of it.[Y]

I actually like the sky in the non-HDR version and the foreground in the HDR version. Maybe you could make 2 panos, one at the same exposure as the first one above and another at the lighter exposure and just stitch them together.

I could not agree more.


I usually blend such layered images using gradient tool, but any blending will do.