Subtle HDR for Real Estate

3 shot blend at 1 1/2 stop increments. Goal was to bring the front door out of the shadows. Pulled thru latest version of Photomatix to CS4, where I still dodged the door a bit.

The mailbox would be fine except that it's cut off. I'd leave it. That's too many areas to cut and paste.

The customer is gonna make me lose the mailbox -- its for a newspaper ad. Cloning the box is part of the assignment.

I asked if they'd let me pull it out of the ground, but they said no.

I think the mailbox is going to be hard to remove because you'll have to replace the background somehow.

Very nice work, under very challenging sunlight. I thought I'd give it just a tiny boost, hope you don;t mind.

Kirk

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

see i dont like ^^^ too processed... he wanted it to be subtle.. there is no way that is subtle.. it doesnt look real at this point..

Actually, I kind of like what kirkt did. I think mine is a little flat. My challenge is that, when they use this in newsprint, the process tends to saturate some of the midtones a bit. If this were just for the web, I would go with something more along the lines of kirks look, I think. But newsprint -- I feel sorry for photojournalists. It must suck to have your perfectly good pictures ruined every day!!!

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #8356826
I think the mailbox is going to be hard to remove because you'll have to replace the background somehow.

It's not a five minute job, for sure. But they're paying for it!

Neither are "subtle" IMO.

As for removing the mailbox: The smart thing to do in a case like that is:

• Shoot the image
  
• Take a step (or two) to the left
  
• Shoot another image
  

René Damkot wrote in post #8356910
Neither are "subtle" IMO.

Expound?

As for removing the mailbox: The smart thing to do in a case like that is:

• Shoot the image
  
• Take a step (or two) to the left
  
• Shoot another image

That way you at least have the "information" that is behind the mailbox. Lot easier to transform that second shot to get it to (sort of) fit, then to "hand draw" a new background by cloning and such.

In that case it is a five minute job (but the customer doesn't need to know that )

I have that shot..... I'm just slow!

mattograph wrote in post #8357267
Expound?

"A bit overdone", "Painterish", "too much"

René Damkot wrote in post #8357361
"A bit overdone", "Painterish", "too much"

I just think it looks a bit flat...but as the OP said in newsprint..this might not even matter much

I'm just stirring the pot a little....

I have no concept of the effect of printing on newsprint, so take the edits for what they are worth - the observation about the final output for the intended medium is a great one though. On this forum, I find making too subtle adjustments is of limited use, typically, as one may not be able to appreciate what was done without a long boring explanation- if subtlety is the end goal, then this doesn't work. However, I tend to go a bit exaggerated on this forum so that the differences are more noticeable. The original appears slightly flat, with a "grayish" film, for lack of a better term, across the image. It could use a little more pop. Mattograph got the gist, which was my point. I don;t think the original looks overcooked at all, especially considering the light in which the shot was taken. However, what the client thinks takes precedence over what I think.

This is another experiment worth doing for anyone interested in HDR and exposure blending. I have had to shoot images in harsh bright sunlight with no flash or reflectors and have purposely planned the shots with blending in mind because of the heavy shadows and blown out highlights that invariably crop up under these conditions. I think Mattograph did a nice job of methodically addressing these issues, particularly with the door, which is a nice element on the front of the house.

kirk

René Damkot wrote in post #8357361
"A bit overdone", "Painterish", "too much"

I love the quotes!

I am beginning to feel that way about the sky.

I keep wanting to see more of the front door. But then you'd end up with the mailbox.
If they won't let you pull it out, can you back over it?

Seriously, the front door is so important for selling a "home". They need to pull out the box and have more of the door in the pic.

The blinds in the far right window should be set the same. One side is tilted open the other closed.

From the standpoint of a former agent, those are my two concerns.