Budapest in HDR

[woodsie]

Some HDR shots from around Budapest. All hand held 3 frame brackets, except for the night shot on my dodgy tripod and 5 brackets. I am definitely seeing that a tripod is necessary even for the day time shots.

1.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410150217_gbgQH-X3-1.jpg
2.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410150297_Sihk9-X3-1.jpg
3.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410150017_KABaN-X3-1.jpg
4.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410150067_ZXUzW-X3-1.jpg
5.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410150122_h5W6W-X3-1.jpg

[canonloader]

I like these, but the first group looks kind of flat. Not bad, but flat. The last one is great and has a lot of depth to it. I like the effect of the colors.

[woodsie]

Thanks.
The last one is the most heavily processed. 5 exposures, most agressive HDR settings and then further processing in photoshop.

The first group I was intentionally trying to avoid the HDR look. Just using HDR to try and bring out a bit more detail but keeping them looking like normal photographs, but better. I am also finding that going for a more "natural" look at the moment is helping me become more comfortable with what the different adjustments do, then gradually pushing the envelope.

So, I would be curious to know, if you hadn't know that they where HDR and hadn't been looking a lot at HDR images lately, would you still think that they where flat? Not meaning to question your judgement, just curious if you think that looking at a lot of HDR images changes your perspective on what you look for in an image.

[woodsie]

Tried tweaked them in photoshop, curves and saturation, do you prefer these versions?

1.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410217219_HRsbq-X3.jpg
2.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410217279_4METE-X3.jpg
3.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410217331_S9TjV-X3.jpg
4.
http://woodsie.smugmug.com/photos/410217378_4tMRh-X3.jpg

[canonloader]

Ohhh my, yes, I do prefer the last ones you posted. Very nice. This is my style though, and I am the first one to say, do what you like. :)

As to looking at HDR's, it's too late for me. I can not not look at an image now and not know it is HDR or not. :) It's not the flatness or anything else, I look for shadows and highlights, and when the shadows are missing, it's HDR or something very like it. It just jumps out for me.

However, I did view your EXIF and see that your using CS2. To get rid of the flatness when I used CS2, I opened as a RAW and bumped up the Shadows slider a bit, 3-4 notches. In CS3, it's called Blacks, and I do the same thing. It just makes a washed out image pop. :)

BTW, did you download and install the latest version of Photomatix? V3.1? If not, you should. It's way better than anything that came before. ;)

[woodsie]

Being a HDR newbie, Photomatix v3.1 is all I know. :mrgreen:

The main thing I did with the second version of these images was to bump up the contrast with a curve that I can usually apply in my RAW converter. But, now that I think about it, any contrast adjustments I do in my RAW conversion will be completely obliterated by photomatix
. So it looks like I obviously need to do futher fiddling with the image in PS after photomatix has finished with it. It is like Photomatix compresses the dynamic range, but in a very clever way. But that also has the effect of flattening the image, so I need to push the pop back into it afterwards.

[canonloader]

Ya know, I don't even open my RAW's in Photoshop before importing them into Photomatix. There is no need. In CS3, you can open a tif, which I export from PM after doing the tone mapping, you can open a tif as a RAW file. I don't think you can do that directly in CS2, but I never thought to try. See if there is an option in File/Open As, then see if there is a RAW option in the dropdown. Or maybe just try and open it once ACR is open, or maybe even from Bridge. It sure is nice to use those ACR sliders, although the same options are all there in Image/Adjustments. :)

[woodsie]

I don't actually use ACR, but rather am hanging onto good ol' Rawshooter (Damn Adobe for buying, corrupting and overpricing such a cool product, how long before they do the same to photomatix?). But I am beginning to think that the only reason to continue using Rawshooter is for sorting out the whitebalance. But for me, that is reason enough for that extra step as the Photomatix temperature adjustment is very primitive compared to what I can do in Rawshooter. Then import the 16bit TIFFs into photomatix, then the combined image into PS.

Actually, the extra step of Rawshooter isn't a big deal as it is part of my standard workflow anyway, and anything that I am going to HDR I am going to spend a bit of time on anyway.

[Electric Shepherd]

Great shots mate! Personally, I'd prefer a level of PP somewhere between the two different verions, but on balance would take the second versions over the first ones.

I'm a little wary of the over the top HDR look too Woodsie, although I think you got it just right, have you tried exposure blending the captures too rather than tone mapping?

[woodsie]

Thanks Electric.

I haven't played much with the exposure blending. Though the couple of quick looks I have taken at it haven't excited me. They just seem to flatten the image out, so by the time I up the contrast again to bring them back to life I don't seem to be getting anything better than I could do with a single 16bit exposure in PS anyway. But I probably need to sit down and play with it more.

But I'm still having too much fun with the tone mapping at the moment. :mrgreen:

[zacker]

3 and 4 are great in the reprocessed set but 1 and 2, while still nice, i think just need to have the blue cast lifted off the bridge.. excellent shots though, I have never been there but my ex inlaws were from there..

[d100763]

3 and 4 are much better reprocessed, but I miss the lions from the chain bridge

[CameraBuff]

[quote=Electric Shepherd;6627267]Great shots mate! Personally, I'd prefer a level of PP somewhere between the two different verions, but on balance would take the second versions over the first ones.

Ditto, However, very nice shots - let's keep this going.

[shutterbugcrazy]

Used your first image and applied curves, contrast, lab sharpening and color balence to bring it from the blues and yellow. Finally I burned/dodge with the 30% on the buildings and the road on the bottom.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8695/410150217gbgqhx31m.jpg (http://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=410150217gbgqhx31m.jpg)