My most recent

[Simply Ravishing]

I've had some pretty decent results (IMO) lately with my HDR work so I thought I'd share :p

Any CC is appreciated and desired. I have been experimenting with more than 3 bracketed exposures, most of these are 9 shot in manual at varying intervals for each shot.

"Looking down the rails" Seattle, WA
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/3501033038_e4bc09c476.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3501033038/

Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie Wa
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3646/3499171654_0d159ff90f.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3499171654/

Mukilteo Lighthouse, Mukilteo WA
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3543/3489730287_8881240f79.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3489730287/in/photostream

Sun Setting on the Seattle Skyline, Seattle WA
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3483648992_1e05d5aa7e.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3483648992/in/photostream

I-5 freeway and Seattle Skyline, Seattle WA
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3389/3481818637_dfa030d00e.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3481818637/in/photostream

[anvilimage]

I like the last one best! The light streams are awesome and you've brought out the color well everywhere else. If I was to suggest one change, it would be to clone out the distracting halo in the top left next to the trees. Otherwise, great job!

-joe

[aprofetto]

Awesome series. I really like #3.

[CameraBuff]

Very nice series.

[Gary McDuffie]

I'm certainly no expert, having had less than success so far myself, but for my taste, I would try to reduce the bright spot that seems to appear in all of them except for the last one (love that one). The waterfall hot spot especially, needs to be brought out of clipping. Just my opinion. (It's free, and honest.) ;)

[canonloader]

The larger sizes are even better. Nice.

[eviltech]

I like the bright spot in the waterfalls, please share your process, what software are you using. I think they are great.

[Damn Rican]

#2 is amazing

[Simply Ravishing]

I like the bright spot in the waterfalls, please share your process, what software are you using. I think they are great.


I use Photomatix to make the HDR's then screw around with them in Photoshop to straighten, crop, sharpen and tweak the colors a bit... I know really nothing about Photoshop, it's all so complicated :( I need to learn about using layers the more advanced features, I guess I'm just too lazy to go through a tutorial! haha

[Simply Ravishing]

I agree about trying to tone down the hot spot in the waterfall picture, I just dont know how to do it!!

[X-images]

Great work! I love this one of yours as well... http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3503394616/in/photostream/

[Simply Ravishing]

I like that one too, although I am a little disapointed I didn't think about where I was putting that piling, right in the middle of the frame is kind of lame... =(

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3503394616_30d19c7d40.jpg

[Simply Ravishing]

Can somebody help me figure out how to fix that waterfall shot so that the water isn't so bright and blownout?? Thanks!

[anvilimage]

yea, it's a piece of cake! Pick one of the exposures that has that part of the waterfall looking the way that you want (or close to it). In Photoshop, put it in a layer underneath your HDR image. With the HDR image layer selected, add a layer mask. Make sure the mask is selected in the layers palette by clicking on the white square that will appear next to the thumbnail of the image of the HDR.

Select the paint brush tool, set the opacity to 20%, the flow to 75% and make sure that black is your foreground color. Paint over the blown out part of the image to slowly bring the details up from underneath.

Let us know how it turns out!

-joe

[Bsmooth]

Those are great shots indeed !.I'm using Photomatix as well,but I'm having a hard time with my blue skies.I read the tutorial at Stuck in Customs using masks,but the skies don't look half as good as the ones here.Mine get all blotchy and strange looking.But when I try and mask in one from the shots I used to make the HDR,they just don't look right.
I really like that lighthouse one,what settings in Photomatix did you use?
Any advice for the skies?

[Simply Ravishing]

Those are great shots indeed !.I'm using Photomatix as well,but I'm having a hard time with my blue skies.I read the tutorial at Stuck in Customs using masks,but the skies don't look half as good as the ones here.Mine get all blotchy and strange looking.But when I try and mask in one from the shots I used to make the HDR,they just don't look right.
I really like that lighthouse one,what settings in Photomatix did you use?
Any advice for the skies?


Oh man, I have no idea what settings I used. I do remember it being 9 exposures, and that it took a good while to get it how I wanted... But I really could not tell you which sliders ended up where.

As for the skies, I generally just get lucky I suppose. Although I've had more of an issue with ghosting clouds lately which really bothers me because I'm not good enough in photoshop to figure out how to fix them.

My usual method for making HDR's is to really experiment with the sliders until I get something in the ballpark of what I am looking for... and then I go back through again to fine tune everything.

[canonloader]

You do know you can save the settings in Photomatix? In the dropdown box at the bottom. It's saved as an .xmp file. You can save these and send them to other users to who can then load them and get the same settings. A lot easier that trying to tell someone what it was. :)

[Simply Ravishing]

Two more that are pretty similar to one's already posted...

An alternate take on the Snoqualmie Falls shot, this one taken vertical
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/3509417970_393c599051.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3509417970/sizes/l/


Another one from Alki Beach with a little bit different framing of the shot
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/3509417986_586e395c7d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinkraemer/3509417986/sizes/l/

[Simply Ravishing]

You do know you can save the settings in Photomatix? In the dropdown box at the bottom. It's saved as an .xmp file. You can save these and send them to other users to who can then load them and get the same settings. A lot easier that trying to tell someone what it was. :)


I did not know that, is this something that could be done after the fact? Like if I load the shot back into photomatix would it tell me?

[canonloader]

Not if you have since done another render with different serttings. If you haven't, then reopen those images and do another render, then look in the dropdown window and it should say Previous. Then you can save it at that point, since it is using the Previous settings, the ones you did that last render with. :)

[Simply Ravishing]

Not if you have since done another render with different serttings. If you haven't, then reopen those images and do another render, then look in the dropdown window and it should say Previous. Then you can save it at that point, since it is using the Previous settings, the ones you did that last render with. :)

Ah yea, I've done many more since then... I'll keep that in mind for the future. Thanks