The Freighthouse Docks

[canonloader]

This is the dock of the original train station here in town, now turned into a restaurant. The main tracks use to run right where the cars are sitting and some of the tracks are still under the cars and buried in the grass of the lawn behind where I shot from. I believe the barrels are for water for the old steam engines that ran in those days.

The first shot is from 3 RAW's, the second from 7 RAW's.

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/hdr/downtown/freight-house-dock-set2-img_6039-102608.jpg

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/hdr/downtown/freight-house-dock-set7-img_6054-102608.jpg

[JC4]

Wow, tons more detail in the 7 RAW image. I could only count 2 pairs of pillars in the first image, but I see 6 pairs in the 2nd. :)

I actually can't see much difference in the processing. Maybe a bit more CA on the edges where the roof meets the sky in the 2nd image? Probably less shadow noise too, right? (can't tell from this size image).

I do like the second image much better, for composition. looks like a good place to shoot.

Have you tried the v3.1 beta? It has an options to reduce CA & noise, but I haven't really seen the difference. I was hoping they could do a better job with these two issues during processing(while the full range of data is still available), then I could do after the fact in CS3. I've only run a handful of images through it, and so far I don't see the improvement.

[canonloader]

Thanks John, yes, the more RAW's you use, the more stuff shows in the image. Not sure how it does tha cause I only saw 4 pillars when I was there. :lol:

I didn't even know there was a 3.1 version out. How does it install so I keep the license? As to CA, sometimes I have seen massive amounts of purple finge showing up in the finished image, and had attributed that to shooting with the 40D, which does seem to have a finging problem when shooting very high contrast subjects. More than my 30D ever showed. Easy to get rid of though in CS3.

[JC4]

I don't think its your 40, I get it with my 1d as well, especially high-contrast, or back-lit subjects.(tree leaves are a bitch).

No license issues, at least not with the beta. I just installed it, and it runs. I didn't look into an expire date on the beta, but it looks like 3.1 will be a free upgrade when its finished.

[canonloader]

Well buddy, I can't thank you enough for telling me about this upgrade. Usually I am the last to find out these things. But I got it, it installed, no watermarks, and it is absolutely FANTASTIC. This is a true upgrade IMO. I would say this is as much an upgrade as CS3 was over CS2. Still recognizable, but a lot more tools and they work a lot better. For anyone else reading this, don't wait, either buy it now or upgrade and install it.

The only downside I found is, it does not like my old saved Preset files. Turns them into B&W when I try and load one. But that is not a deal breaker by any means. I'll just start saving new ones. :mrgreen:

Now, here is my first, from scratch, remake of the 7 RAW render above. I like it...
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/hdr/downtown/freight-house-dock-set7-img-102808.jpg

[canonloader]

Well people, I can tell you right now, I will be doing many more HDR's in the future. Here is a remake of the first image above, from 3 RAW's, but with slightly more radical settings than the remake just above, just to see what happens. I got to say, I am smiling all over my face with this new version upgrade. :lol:

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/hdr/downtown/freight-house-dock-set2-img-102808.jpg

[Cathpah]

the new photomatix will carry the old license over and still be registered. I love the new photomatix...quite a few bigtime new features .

[canonloader]

Yup. The new images speak for themselves. Much sharper, clearer, and quite easy to make realistic looking if that's what you want. I still have not tried it from a single RAW yet though. Is there any difference there?

[JC4]

Much better. Guess I needed to re-do some of my old images with the new version to see the difference. Apparently there's more to the new version than I recognized. Excellent!

[canonloader]

I really need to redo some of mine that have foliage and lots of green in them. I know the older version just didn't do greenery very well. I also want to try some single RAW conversions and see how it handles those, from both a single RAW and a set of 3 or more from a single RAW out of CS3. But your right. When you can see an obvious improvement from one version to the next, you know they did something right. :)

[zacker]

i just re installed it and tried it again.. its pretty god but way slower than the last version i have!

[canonloader]

Wow, I found it to be much faster. OK, not blister fast, but noticeably faster than the old version. Doesn't matter, the much better reults are worth it. :)

[jdizzle]

The 2nd and 3rd one are much better. Good job!

[Avi]

wow...there is a huge difference between the old and the new versions of the PM processed images...
I am at my parents place today and will be here for nearly 2 weeks...but my first thing in the to-do list will be to upgrade to 3.1 as soon as I go home...

very nice work Mitch...love the last 2 versions..

Avi

[ArcticShooter]

Well done, Mitch. Will be great to see more HDRs from you.

[canonloader]

Thanks Julian, Avi and Helge. I am stoked over this new version too. I guess the new controls really did have a big effect of the final render. Aside from the 2 new controls, the older ones seem to have been beefed up and given more strength or fine tuning in their sliders. Whatever it is, I sure like it. :)