Could anyone tell and or explain what HDR is. I see this topic appearing many times in the Forum section, but do not know what is really is. Thanks for your feedback.
You've heard of ADHD, right? It's Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. HDR is Hyperactivity Disorder Redux: a style of photography that shows a lot of energy but tends to lack a single point of focus.
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Originally Posted by Daniel Browning
LOL. I agree completely [:H]
Thanks for that explanation Daniel.
Now how does HDR is Hyperactivity Disorder Redux: a style of photography that shows a lot of energy but tends to lack a single point of focus works. Please note that I'm reasonably new to photography and I'm still learning.[I]
Alright I just made a quickie HDR.
1st picture is AVmode +- 0 exposure compensation
Here you can see or can't see much detail at the bottom of the mill, due to the shadow. Sun shines from the left hand. Also there isn't a lot of detail in the highlights.
picture 2: AVmode Underexposed 2 stops:
This picture is for making details in the clouds and the highlight light up.
3rd picture: AV-mode +2 stops exposure
This picture will help you get more details out of your shadow areas.
I used Photomatix software to create the HDR. It's not alligned and quickly done, so you might see that.
As you can see there is more detail in the shadow and highlight areas. The middle section of the mill which was in total shadow is now nicely seen as a roof with redish tiles. Don't mind my English please. Also the colors are a little pushed, that's what Brendan already said. It's an option which is common for HDR photos, these where just the quick settings from the program.
I hope it's clearer now. HDR is about taking a picture where your camera can't take the full picture. Mostly you make 3 or more pictures with different exposures and then put them all together in a photoprogram like photoshop, Photomatix, paintshop etc etc.
Good luck![Y]
Jan
Very funny Daniel.
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. I don't know the details but I think it's basically a mode of shooting that shows more vibrant colors, in short.
brendan
Nope...that is what it is misused for and loved for a lot [:P] But the basic is something else. It is one of the effects you can get though. But you can also create real-life HDRs
In a nutshell, that's it. Here's my attempt at a rundown:
You camera can only perceive a certain range of highlights and shadows - This is what's called dynamic range - The overall range of "brightness" that your camera can record, typically 7-9 stops. Anything that is out of your camera's dynamic range is recorded as pitch black (shadows) or blown white (highlights).
HDR is a technique used in digital photography to expand dynamic range beyond the native 7-9 stop range of your camera. You can record 2 or more images at different exposure settings of the same scene. Using your camera's auto exposure bracketing function, you can shoot 3 images of different exposure settings in a quick burst. Once you have captured the images, you can merge them all together in a program like Photoshop and Photomatix to form an HDR image. Imagine your editing software layering each of the differently-exposed images on top of each other, like a sandwich. First, it puts on the dark image, then the lighter one, then another, etc, and after a short processing time, you are left with an image with a very high dynamic range. Get it?
This technique is frequently employed in landscape and architectural photography. HDR is especially useful in capturing a scene while maintaining detail in the dark shadows as well as in the bright highlights. In architectural photography, HDR is useful for shooting indoors while maintaining detail in the bright highlights out a window, for example.
I would highly suggest using a tripod when shooting high dynamic range images - This will keep your framing consistent and will result in sharper images than without using a tripod. Also, adjust the look of your HDR images to personal taste - Most HDR software provides you with options to tweak your image to match what you have in mind. For instance, I prefer images that do not look like processed HDR images - I always strive for more "real" looking images. I'm not saying I'm perfect - Many of my HDR images are very "artificial"-looking.
Enjoy this cool photographic technique. Shoot, shoot, shoot, and have fun.
- Alex
That's because your dynamic range is probably higher than your own eye's dynamic range. It just looks a bit weird [:P] In your mind you think there should be more shadow and/or highlights. I'm more into the real-life style as well, only happens that in my example this isn't really the case [:P] As for most people looking for HDR, 90% is looking for a surreal WOW effect and don't really get the idea. I've been there as well [A]
Jan, you're right about the colors. Like you said, they're "pushed." There are plenty of controls in Photomatix to subdue these over saturated colors.
What I do is try to get it "close" to what I saw, then further adjust in Photoshop, using several techniques (curves, layer masks, adjustment layer masks, etc.)
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