HDR Tools: DPP vs. Photomatix

I recently bought Photomatix Light and am using V2.0.2 (32 bit on a 64bit PC). I am pretty happy with the results, but after I bought Photomatix I updated Canon DPP to V 3.12.52.0, which includes an HDR tool. I am very impressed with the DPP HDR tool. It gives, IMO, a bit more control and keeps the colors generally as they should be. Here's an example. You can see how Photomatix changed the clouds to a reddish color, where DPP left them white. Depending on the subject, DPP HDR tools may be a better choice. And it's free! See for yourself and let me know if you agree. The top version was processed using DPP (Art Vivid with some adjustments) and the bottom using Photomatix (Details Enhancer, Painterly with some adjustments).

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/a_roadbiker/8​636605301/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/a_roadbiker/8​635276253/

Your clouds appear like that because they are clipped - that is, there is no data in those areas, even from your shortest exposure. Each image contains artifact in those areas, t just appears differently. This can be avoided by proper capture of the scene's dynamic range. One huge disadvantage of DPP's HDR tool is the inability to save a 32bit file for further processing. That, and little control over the tonal range blending/compression, or whatever strategy DPP uses to generate the composite image. I have tried DPP's tool once and did not spend much time with it, and I do not know whether it performs exposure blending or actually merges the three exposures into a single HDR dataset for tonal range compression. If I had to guess, it would be the former (exposure blending).

kirk

kirkt wrote in post #15811396
Your clouds appear like that because they are clipped - that is, there is no data in those areas, even from your shortest exposure. Each image contains artifact in those areas, t just appears differently. This can be avoided by proper capture of the scene's dynamic range. One huge disadvantage of DPP's HDR tool is the inability to save a 32bit file for further processing. That, and little control over the tonal range blending/compression, or whatever strategy DPP uses to generate the composite image. I have tried DPP's tool once and did not spend much time with it, and I do not know whether it performs exposure blending or actually merges the three exposures into a single HDR dataset for tonal range compression. If I had to guess, it would be the former (exposure blending).

kirk

Thanks for the reply and explanation. It makes sense. How do you think I can correct the clipping? I assume it is happening in the over-exposed shot. I used AEB with three high speed shots to capture the images and I had the AEB set to 2 ticks left and right of center. Maybe 1 tick would have produced a better result?

Thanks again,
Jim

Do yourself a favor, take those images (or a new set of images) and run them through Photomatix with the Auto setting (or Natural), then take the image and process it in Lr or DPP as you would a normal raw file. You'll get much better results.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #15811539
Do yourself a favor, take those images (or a new set of images) and run them through Photomatix with the Auto setting (or Natural), then take the image and process it in Lr or DPP as you would a normal raw file. You'll get much better results.

I tried something like that. I processed the pictures in Photomatix, but as described above, then I opened the result in Lightroom 4 and made some additional (minor adjustments). I'll try as you suggested... that might work better. As you can tell, I'm no HDR expert, but I do like the effect as long as it is not overcooked (as I have seen many people do).

Thanks!
Jim

The clouds are overexposed in the areas where they are magenta (photomatix) or grayish-greenish (DPP). You need to use a higher shutter speed to capture the brightest highlights without clipping (you need to underexpose more).

As you have discovered, Canon just will not budge on making AEB more useful on all of their cameras, limiting the AEB to 3 images, with a maximum range of -2EV to +2EV.

If you require a greater range, it is easier to set your camera to M (manual mode), fix the aperture, ISO and WB and change shutter speed manually to get the braketing range your scene requires. It is so bizarre that Canon do not make their AEB more useful, as I cannot imagine it would take much of a change in firmware to do so.

If you shoot with one of the supported cameras, you can use the Magic Lantern firmware for Canon cameras to automate the process and break the shackles of the Canon AEB. However, manually changing the shutter speed is easy enough. To make things more manageable, put your camera on a tripod and gentle spin the shutter speed dial so the camera does not shift on the tripod too much during shutter speed adjustment. My camera is set to 1/3 EV increments, so I just dial in three clicks on the dial to change the shutter speed by 1EV - no need to look at a display, etc.

In your image, let's say you shot at ISO 200, f/8. Let's say your shutter speeds for AEB -2, 0, +2 were something like 1/30, 1/125, 1/500 - in this case, 1/500 was not fast enough to capture the brightest highlights in the clouds, so you would need something like a 1/2000 shot in addition (i.e., +4).

Good luck!

kirk

a_roadbiker wrote in post #15811642
I tried something like that. I processed the pictures in Photomatix, but as described above, then I opened the result in Lightroom 4 and made some additional (minor adjustments). I'll try as you suggested... that might work better. As you can tell, I'm no HDR expert, but I do like the effect as long as it is not overcooked (as I have seen many people do).

Thanks!
Jim

If you do the HDR merge in Photomatix and do not necessarily like the way PM tonemaps the image, you can save the untonemapped, 32 bit HDR image as a TIFF (floating point TIFF, not a 16 or 8 bit TIFF) and bring THAT into LR4.1 or greater. LR will accept HDR data in this form and you can use the tone controls (particularly Highlights and Whites) to bring your full tonal range into line, with very natural results. Then you can export a 16bit TIFF for further processing in Photoshop, etc.

kirk

kirkt wrote in post #15811650
As you have discovered, Canon just will not budge on making AEB more useful on all of their cameras, limiting the AEB to 3 images...

Unless I'm mistaken, you can select 2,3,5, or 7 exposures on the 5DIII.

You're correct LV, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most of us do not possess the 5DIII - you're one of the lucky ones! But, unless DPP has changed since the last time I tried the HDR feature, you can only combine 3 images. The 1D's also shot more than 3 images in a bracket, but again, most of us do not shoot with those cameras. I have a 5D and a 5DII, both with crippled AEB. Instead of spending $3k on a marginally improved 5DIII, I spent a few hundred dollars on a Promote Control - now my 5D and 5DII can shoot a bracket of 27 images if I want it to (and focus stack and time-lapse and bulb ramp SIMULTANEOUSLY). More cash to save up for a Zeiss 100MP!

It seems like a firmware update would solve the issue, but, whatever. The 5DII is supported by Magic Lantern, so a bunch of talented hackers already took care of it for me - now my 5DII even shoots HDR video.

kirk

kirkt wrote in post #15811713
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most of us do not possess the 5DIII. The 1D's also did more, but again, most of us do not shoot with those cameras.
kirk

Understood. It just sounded like you making a blanket statement about all Canon cameras.

LV Moose wrote in post #15811727
Understood. It just sounded like you making a blanket statement about all Canon cameras.

I pretty much was.

kirk

If you are adventurous and need to bracket more than 3 images, you can try Magic Lantern. You have to do a firmware update though which scares some people and add software to your CF/SD cards. It's not that hard. It gives you new menus with all kinds of shooting options for both photo and video. For HDR it lets you bracket up to 9 I think and also has an autobracket feature where the camera selects the number of images based on its evaluation of the dynamic range (have not used it so I don't know how well it does). I installed it on my 600D and 5Dmk2 and it works great for me.

http://www.magiclanter​n.fm/

I'm guessing that the Magic Lantern firmware is not supported by the 40D, which is the body that I have.

Thanks for all of the great feedback!
Jim

a_roadbiker wrote in post #15812682
I'm guessing that the Magic Lantern firmware is not supported by the 40D, which is the body that I have.

Thanks for all of the great feedback!
Jim

According to the website, no. It works with the 50D if you can find 10 more somewhere.