HDR Imaging for n00bs

HDR Imaging for n00bs by Paul @Stammy Stamatiou

High Dynamic Range

Original Intent more accurately display what the human eye can see More Commonly Seen aesthetically pleasing yet non-realistic tonal ranges

how i got into HDR

whatcha need Camera with ✓auto-bracketing ✓save to RAW (most digital SLRs & Canon P&S with CHDK) Mac, PC, whatevs

Highly Recommended Tripod (or a freakishly steady hand) “don’t rely on software Stammy says: to align your shots”

-2 EV 0 EV +2 EV HDR (FTW!) Most HDR images are composed of 3 photos taken at different exposures

Camera Setup ✓ Aperture Priority mode ATDC lives here ✓ Auto-Exposure don’t park behind here Bracketing to 3 shots (usually a button labeled “BKT”) ✓ Auto bracketing set to AE only ✓ EV to ~1-2 (tinker with it)

Camera Setup ✓ Image Quality to RAW moving people = HDR “ghosting” ✓ Self-timer to 3 shots and 2 or so second delay ✓ Shooting mode: Continuous+Timer

Shootin’ Tips chez stammy ✓ Start with aperture like f/8 ✓ Low ISO! (any noise or grain present gets ampliﬁed by the HDR process)

not n00b friendly What to bodies of water, moving shoot? cars, nature landscapes on a windy day, poorly lit subjects, angry monkeys “start off by shooting Stammy says: well-lit, static subjects”

so you have lots of shots... what software to use? TX flag free five-finger discount •qtpfsgui (my free pick) •Photomatix Pro (best 4 nublets) •FDRTools Basic •Photoshop CS 2+ •Photomatix Basic •EasyHDR •Picturenaut •Photogenics HDR •GIMP + plugins •FDRTools Advanced

making the HDR image! • “Generate HDRI” and import your 3 exposures • Your HDR image is made.. and looks quite ugly

so there’s this thing stammy’s whip called tone mapping Reveals details in highlights and shadows contained in the original HDR image by selectively adjusting tonal range to something your monitor can fully display.

tone compressing (more realistic) charges stammy late fees @brookenovak detail enhancing (more exaggerated, badass)

needs windows stammy-tested top speed: 118mph n00b-friendly instructions tinker with sliders until you like the way it looks

advanced n00bs Make an HDR of moving subjects with a single RAW ﬁle if this was a regular 3-shot HDR... horrible ghosting

in a nutshell ‣Multiple shots at different exposures ‣HDR processing ‣Tone map until it looks good ‣???? ‣Proﬁt!

going pro? 4 shots * 3 exposures each = panoramic HDR

Read more about HDR on PSTAM.com Stammy says: “Follow @Stammy on Twitter! 11,588 people can’t be wrong.”

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HDR Imaging for n00bs

by PStamatiou on Sep 04, 2009

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HDR Imaging for n00bs — Presentation Transcript