Anyone here works on 32bit HDR?

I've been reading articles and watching on youtube quite a lot about HDR, and from what I can tell working on 32bit will give the cleanest, sharpest, most contrasted and detailed final photo than any work on 15bit can give. However, I've seen that you need to work on ACR+Photoshop(I don't like Lightroom)+an HDR program, and use TIFF files in order to achieve this. I wonder if it's worth all the effort...

Can anyone give his opinion on this?

TIA

I've messed with them a bit but I'm terrible at it. You don't need additional HDR software if you have photoshop. After you merge all the bracketed shots into a tiff file, you can open it with ACR.

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=vHNfNNCLPQY#t​=208

I know you don't like Lightroom but I use the Merge to 32-Bit HDR plugin for LR from Photomatix. According to Photomatix LR does the merge, not Photomatix. 32-bit files are great to work with.

I merge with Photomatix then save the intermediate 32 bit file to a tiff. Then open it in Photoshop and play with Topaz Adjust. Doing this seems to eliminate the halos which I don't like. I've had good luck saving it to a 16 bit tiff and using Perfect Photo Suite also.

Yup - use Photoshop to create the 32bit HDR file and then Lightroom to adjust it. Back into Photoshop for the final bits like Viveza and ColorEfex. Again, you might not like LR but it is a powerful and effective tool that works exceptionally well. The use of virtual copies in LR allows you to create a few different versions of the 32bit file (optimise highlights, shadows etc.) then blend them in PS for a very natural result.

bunyarra wrote in post #16349382
Again, you might not like LR but it is a powerful and effective tool that works exceptionally well.

The most powerful and effective tool is the one you know how to use.

GaryS1964 wrote in post #16349405
The most powerful and effective tool is the one you know how to use.

Only if the tool you currently use is indeed effective. Not unlike the old saying of don't bring a knife to a gunfight

Thanks everyone for your replies

So, if I get this right, I need to use Lightroom in order to work effectively on 32bit files? If I use an HDR program+Photoshop then it won't be on par as with Lightroom?

I don't get it. Photoshop is supposed to be the most powerful photo editing program there is, so why use Lightroom as well?

rfe777 wrote in post #16349923
Thanks everyone for your replies

So, if I get this right, I need to use Lightroom in order to work effectively on 32bit files? If I use an HDR program+Photoshop then it won't be on par as with Lightroom?

I don't get it. Photoshop is supposed to be the most powerful photo editing program there is, so why use Lightroom as well?

No you don't need Lightroom if you already have Photoshop. Photoshop has tools that are superior to LR. If you do not have Photoshop then LR will allow you to make adjustments to a 32 bit HDR file produced by another HDR program. When I first heard of this method I tried it on a few HDR files produced by Photomatix. With a few I achieved acceptable results and with a few I wasn't satisfied.

The reason the LR method is discussed is because Photoshop is expensive and the latest version is only available by subscription which is expensive if you don't have a previous version of Photoshop. LR is cheaper, you can buy a license, and like Photoshop it will open a 32 bit file which some other programs like PS Elements can't do.

If you already have Photoshop then use it on the 32 bit files produced by your HDR program. That's what I do but I also have the Nik bundle and Topaz bundle Photoshop plugins. I have also gotten some good results by tweaking the 32 bit HDR file in Photoshop and saving it as a 16 bit Tiff file and finishing it with Perfect Photo Suite 7 which can't open 32 bit files.

Why do I need to use a TIFF file for saving a 32bit file? why not jpeg?

Also, I haven't seen any way to create or save a 32bit file on Photomatix. Anyone knows?

rfe777 wrote in post #16350272
Why do I need to use a TIFF file for saving a 32bit file? why not jpeg?

Jpegs are 8 bit files. They contain less of the data needed for processing a good image in Photoshop, Lightroom, or some other PP programs. That's why so many photographers shoot RAW rather than jpeg. If you don't want to save it in Tiff format then save it in DNG which is also a 32 bit file although I'm not sure Photomatix will save to a DNG file.

rfe777 wrote in post #16350272
Also, I haven't seen any way to create or save a 32bit file on Photomatix. Anyone knows?

I'm not sure exactly where it appears in the process but there is a checkbox in Photomatix that says something like, "show 32-bit intermediate HDR." Check this checkbox. After the initial combining of images occurs an image will appear. That is the 32 bit image. Click on File and save it as a Tiff.

rfe777 wrote in post #16349923
Thanks everyone for your replies

So, if I get this right, I need to use Lightroom in order to work effectively on 32bit files? If I use an HDR program+Photoshop then it won't be on par as with Lightroom?

That's incorrect. All you need is the latest version (CC) of Photoshop and ACR 8. Merge to HDR pro from Bridge and save as 32 bit instead of 16, open in ACR directly from HDR pro, and process. Save as anything when you're done, PSD, TIFF, whatever. No LR needed.

If you want to work with actual 32bit data (that is, not simply opening a single 16 or 8 bit file to make it look HDRish) then you will need:

1) A 32bit file, or a method of creating a 32bit file from lower bit depth (8 or 16bit) images, by merging them to 32bit;

2) A method for compressing, or "tonemapping," the 32bit file into a lower bit depth (16bit or 8bit) file.

That's what you need. There are many ways to do this. You do not need Lightroom and DNG is not a 32bit file format. If you insist on using LR for HDR toning, then you must save your HDR data in the 32bit (floating point) TIFF file format to import it into LR (why Adobe does not use EXR, who knows).

It is assumed that you understand when I write "32bit" or "16bit" or "8bit" I mean N bits per channel.

kirk

kirkt wrote in post #16362982
(why Adobe does not use EXR, who knows).

kirk

No longer any need. in CC, use Bridge to select multiple images and Tools==>Photoshop==>Merge to HDR Pro

In HDR Pro click on Remove Ghosts if necessary, and Click on the "Tone in Camera Raw" button.

In ACR 8, apply toning as a 32 bit object. When done, click on Open Image and you are in PS CC with a 32 bit Smart Object with a Camera Raw Filter applied.

You will need to change Mode to 16 bit before any really useful filters aside from Exposure and Levels are available.

Naturally, you can only do this with ACR 8, and the only way you get that, as far as I know, is if you sign up for CC.

I never used to Sharpen in ACR, but it makes sense to do so now.

Hen3Ry wrote in post #16365797
No longer any need. in CC, use Bridge to select multiple images and Tools==>Photoshop==>Merge to HDR Pro

In HDR Pro click on Remove Ghosts if necessary, and Click on the "Tone in Camera Raw" button.

In ACR 8, apply toning as a 32 bit object. When done, click on Open Image and you are in PS CC with a 32 bit Smart Object with a Camera Raw Filter applied.

You will need to change Mode to 16 bit before any really useful filters aside from Exposure and Levels are available.

Naturally, you can only do this with ACR 8, and the only way you get that, as far as I know, is if you sign up for CC.

I never used to Sharpen in ACR, but it makes sense to do so now.

If I get this correctly then if I use Photoshop CC I don't need to use an HDR program right? everything is done inside Photoshop?

However, I will not hire anything from Adobe, which is essentially what you're doing if you purchase Photoshop CC, so I'm staying with CS6+an HDR program.