Another try at HDR

[Levina de Ruijter]

I've been browsing this forum and am very impressed with the images posted here, so I read some tutorials, tried out a few things and took a few shots tonight. It's a view from my rear window, taken at Sunset. I took 7 shots with shutter speeds from 1/320s to 1/5s with increments of 3 stops. I think I could've overexposed a bit more though. I used Photomatix to generate the HDR and edited that in Photoshop.

When I read that you can also generate a HDR from a single image, I tried that as well. The result is the second image. It's made of 3 differently exposed copies of the original.

What do you think, is this any good?

1. Sunset
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2. Snow
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[Levina de Ruijter]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of traffic going on here. It's either that, or these are really bad. If so, I would appreciate some pointers as to how I can do better.

[gonzogolf]

I'm not sure that either image really takes advantage of the HDR. The first looks like it could have been taken without HDR, although that may be a compliment to how well you've done the process. But its not a very interesting scene to me. The second one just doesnt work on any level for me.

[Likwid]

I agree this might not be the BEST use of HDR, but the pictures are great.

If you don't mind, I'd love to see the +0 on the first one. Since it's a night image your HDR lightens it up significantly, which can be distracting since the lighting on the subject (in this case the houses) makes it seem like the middle of day.

Keep it up!

[T.D.]

I think these are great. As suggested, they don't take full advantage of HDR, but they're still very nice images. Perhaps try it again creating 5 images? Maybe one more stop down and one more stop up? I think that would make them even more dramatic.

[Levina de Ruijter]

Thank you very much for commenting. I appreciate it.

You're right Gonzogolf, the scene isn't very interesting, but I wanted to try out what I learned by reading about the process and all I could think of was the view from my rear window :)

Thanks Likwid for your kind words. The thing is that I had tried HDR a month or so ago and found the results very harsh, with lots of halos and ugly colours, lots of cyans etc. But I didn't quite know how to work the settings in Photomatix. Now I am trying to tone it down and I like this much better than those first attempts because now at least none of the ugly side effects are showing. However, I may very well have toned it down too much. I will experiment some more and in due time post the results.

I also think you have a point about the night image being too bright, although it wasn't exactly night yet, but the lights had just be turned on. I think this source shot is closest to what it was like. This is straight out of the camera (with settings in camera all set to 0 and neutral).

[Levina de Ruijter]

You posted when I was writing the above T.D. Thanks for the nice comment. And I will follow your advice about taking it one stop further, both up and down.

I don't exactly understand what you and Gonzogolf and Likwid mean by not taking full advantage of HDR. Could you elaborate on that a bit maybe? Thanks!

[Likwid]

HDR is really meant to increase the visual range of lights and darks... to very closely simulate real life.

For your first image, looking at the raw and the HDR I'd recommend bringing your +2 image down a little bit in Photomatix, ideally you want the detail on the houses just visible, without making it look like you took the picture in bright sunlight. It's a tough image because of the grey sky, if it was a blue sky I imagine you'd be incredibly pleased with your results.

[Levina de Ruijter]

Thanks LIkwid. Will try that. And blue skies? What's that? I believe the last one we had over here was in October. It was a Tuesday I believe... :)

I did the snow image again, now making 5 differently exposed copies, just like T.D. suggested. Strange, but I failed to see that the first attempt had a pretty strong colour cast. Very blue-ish. Anyway, I generated a new image from the 5 copies, straightened it a bit and in PS increased contrast and saturation a little. I don't know if it's much better, but I really like this, so I'm uploading it.

I will be a regular visitor here from now on and post my attempts from time to time, but mostly learn from you guys, for if I have learned one thing these last few days, it's that I have much to learn about HDR images. For now, thank you all very much.

[Gary McDuffie]

Because of the lack of depth in the first image (it just isn't there in the original either), I like the 2nd one better, even with the blue. The one above is a good fix on the color, and I like it. This image pulls the background out of the snow and really shows the density. Very interesting how it came out.

[navydoc]

I like the first one since it shows balanced exposure for both the sky and buildings. I would just warm it up a bit and add a little brightness. The second image sure makes me feel cold. :)

[Levina de Ruijter]

The first image was really an excercise in HDR imaging, and not about the scenery. Still, I like it a lot, even though I agree with you, Gary, that it lacks depth. What I like is that it's so crisp and clear. Yet it's also still pretty natural I think.
The second shot is very dear to me. I love how it captured that moment: the heavy snowfall, the people on the bridge. I thought the original shot was already pretty decent, but the HDR is definitely an improvement, especially the second one. Well, at least I think so... :)

Thanks Gary and Gene for the comments. I really appreciate it.

[007]

I guess I am missing the point of these photographs..

[Levina de Ruijter]

You are entitled to your opinion, but this is a forum where people come to share and learn and I suggest that if you have nothing constructive to contribute, you refrain from making these kinds of pointless remarks.

[Hen3Ry]

I Like the first sunset shot. I especially like the clarity of the image.

I don't know how much more of the water you could have included in the shot, but I think it would have been interesting to see the houses and clouds both reflected in the sky.

[Levina de Ruijter]

Thank you Henry. Appreciate it.

This was taken from the third floor (fourth floor I think you would call it), so if I had included more water, the shot would've had a real downward angle. I didn't want that. But that particular shot was just an exercise. I find it quite difficult to find good subjects for HDR actually. I'm a bird photographer and am not used to having to look for interesting subjects, as all birds are interesting. Well, at least I think so... :)