Golf Course HDR

That looks good. No obvious halos or oversaturation. You've done a good job of using HDR to achieve a photo-realistic result rather than hyper-real.

My only suggestion is to take the final result into Photoshop or some other PP software and work on the contrast in the image, to give it a little more punch.

The sky also looks a little blue/magenta on my screen....and I'd either crop or clone out the rope in the foreground.

I'm having a hard time seeing anything that's in sharp focus...ditto on cropping out the chain/rope in the foreground. I don't see that the DR would have required an HDR image...maybe just a blend of two exposures would have been all that was necessary. Was this a multiple-shot HDR, or was it made from a single image that was pushed/pulled to account for the exposure variations? I do like the fact that the HDR isn't "overcooked" (as is usually the case).

argyle wrote in post #9891806
I'm having a hard time seeing anything that's in sharp focus...ditto on cropping out the chain/rope in the foreground. I don't see that the DR would have required an HDR image...maybe just a blend of two exposures would have been all that was necessary. Was this a multiple-shot HDR, or was it made from a single image that was pushed/pulled to account for the exposure variations? I do like the fact that the HDR isn't "overcooked" (as is usually the case).

i agree it is soft looking. i think i was steered that way by trying to keep it looking real in photomatix. i will check the originals but i think they are sharper.

it is from 3 shots btw.

here is a different one that is sharper and more contrasty but less real looking

2nd is much better. Cool!

#2 is way nice, very interesting, simple but pleasing to look at. Good work.

I agree with the previous posts. Those images are a good start with no obvious problems like halos, oversatuation or ghosting. They could definitely be improved by a tone curve which would improve the contrast.

Harlz wrote in post #9897011
I agree with the previous posts. Those images are a good start with no obvious problems like halos, oversatuation or ghosting. They could definitely be improved by a tone curve which would improve the contrast.

I am interested, can you explain further please? I can use the curve in photoshop but what am i trying to achieve. Feel free to show me on one of those photos if you like.

magwai wrote in post #9898215
I am interested, can you explain further please? I can use the curve in photoshop but what am i trying to achieve. Feel free to show me on one of those photos if you like.

Here's a real quick edit of your second shot. I didn't use a curve layer, just a Local Contrast Enhancement layer to improve the contrast, then a little output sharpening for the web. No color or saturation adjustments were made. It could probably use a little noise reduction on the sky (I just didn't bother with it). Took all of 30 seconds:

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

argyle wrote in post #9898699
Here's a real quick edit of your second shot. I didn't use a curve layer, just a Local Contrast Enhancement layer to improve the contrast, then a little output sharpening for the web. No color or saturation adjustments were made. It could probably use a little noise reduction on the sky (I just didn't bother with it). Took all of 30 seconds:

wow, that is a big improvement for 30 secs. thanks.

could that stuff be done in camera raw or are there advantages to using full photoshop?

You'd need to use Photoshop or similar image-editing software...but if you're not shooting in RAW, you should reconsider.

here is a very quick attempt to improve the first one.

Nice shots; I like the fact that there are no halo's. Argyle, nice edit; what settings for the sharpening did you use. I always seem to over-sharpen. I can't seem to get a crisp look like you did here; what's the secret? Wow; you have skills!

CameraBuff wrote in post #9927142
Nice shots; I like the fact that there are no halo's. Argyle, nice edit; what settings for the sharpening did you use. I always seem to over-sharpen. I can't seem to get a crisp look like you did here; what's the secret? Wow; you have skills!

The 'secret' is to get away from the unsharp mask filter in Photoshop. I use a plug-in called "Photokit Sharpener"...its downloadable, just can't recall if it had a free demo or not (its been awhile). Its based on the USM, but more customizable...its the only thing I use for sharpening.

Photokit Sharpener lets you do sharpening in several stages...Capture Sharpen to counteract the AA filter, Creative Sharpening to let you make specific tweaks in particular areas without having to use a layer mask and paint in black or white, and finall Output Sharpener...this lets you tailor the final sharpening to the end-use of the image (inkjet print, post on the web, or other printing method. The Creative portion also includes a haze cutter filter and some other goodies. All sharpening stages are done in layers, and you can adjust the opacity (amount of sharpening) on each. Plus, no masks and painting to mess with...just size the brush accordingly and that's it.

Thanks for the info; I will keep this plug in in mine. I am not quite ready for that; still learning photoshop.