Seems there's a few of us trying HDR with (in my case - very) mixed results - also some people who are pretty good with it. Either way, I was thinking it would be good to share images, notes and experiences.

I know there are plenty of HDR forums around, but this is the only MINI one! A mix of MINI and random images is good.

 

I'll start off with some opinions on software, and my latest efforts sans MINI. I have another HDR with MINI that I'll post in a while.

Photomatix appears to me to do a better job of creating the HDR image, but its tone mapping generally doesn't give results that I'm pleased with. Qtpfsgui does a poorer job of creating the HDR image, but some of its tone mapping algorithms seem better once you experiment with the settings.

So the recipe I've been following is:
1.Reduce noise in RAW format, as much as possible without unduly compromising image clarity. Save the adjusted file in RAW again, to preserve maximum detail.
2.Use Photomatix to generate the HDR image from the RAW images. Save in TIFF format (again, to retain 32-bit detail).
3.Open the HDR image in qtpfsgui, apply tone mapping and save as JPEG.
4.Open that image in Photoshop (or Paint.NET in my case) and make further adjustments.

Even with all that, I still struggle with the amount of noise left in the images. I even had to blur the blue sky in the first image to remove noisy color gradients.

 

Always a favorite of mine.

 

Great image! Now why hadn't I thought of using HDR for night shots?

What's the story with the glow in the bonnet scoop? (I notice your driving lights are in the same place as mine.)

 

The winning photo in this month's competition was HDR. Here's the color version:

 

Yay!



















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Malcon

Can you tell me where the location for your shots is?

Thanks

 

Montreal QC... I'm not in White Plains any longer...

 

pw4, what program are you using?

 

 

I have a strip of red LED's there. Use them for photoshoots, autoX and club meets mainly.

 

I'm using Photomatix to generate the HDR file (saved as .tiff) but then the open-source qtpfsgui to do the tone mapping. For the photo below in the thread I used the Reinhard02 algorithm in qtpfsgui. After that, I use Paint.NET (like Photoshop except open-source ie free) for final adjustments - the dark shading in the foreground was a layer with Paint.NET. Oh, and before I start, I use the Canon software that came with my camera to get rid of as much noise as possible without compromising image clarity too much.

I think Photomatix does the best job generating the HDR file. Sometimes I can get its tone mapping to work for me - it can create some spectacular effects - but I've been happier, time permitting, to experiment with the different algorithms qtpfsgui offers. Particularly they seem to work well if I'm trying to find a more natural look to the final image.

 

I'm a very proficient user of the HDR technique but it drives me up the wall seeing other HDR photos with gigantic halos, ludicrous amounts of processing noise, and reduced contrast.

Some of my better HDR photos can been seen in the "Art in Abandonment" and "Cities & Towns" section of my website
www.shanegorski.etsy.com

 

Wow - some awesome images! I love the doorways and interior archways - they work so well.

I find qtpfsgui tone mapping is less likely than Photomatix to give the big halos - do others find the same? Or is it something I'm going wrong?

 

very cool. sub.T for later

 

Giant halos are from using too low of smoothing in Photomatix... or is it the other way around? If you get them, REMOVE THEM IN PHOTOSHOP with other layers conceived from your RAW files.

For those that don't know, the holy grail of HDR tutorials is located at www.beforethecoffee.com on the right side of the page.

 

Halos are just a result from a bad processing mix and can be removed in any image with the right settings. I'm not that great at it yet but some of the settings in the middle of the column (can't remember off the top of my head) adjust the balance between like high contrast lines if you are dealing with windows and stuff. Grain can be avoided as well. Just remember, most grain and any halos are a result of a users specific way of processing. Wish I could tell you how to avoid them completely but I can't always do it either haha.

 

I haven't been posting much lately but I'll contribute to this.

I really need to put my wheel arch back on lol.

 

These are older but I'll post'em up anyway.

 

Here are a few of my recent shots....

 

 

Very effective - looks great

 

 

WOW, what a fabulous shot!!!!! This is fantastic.