Tag: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

More with HDR Express

One thing I find I like about HDR, if not pushed too far, is that it can create a good sense of the original light without a loss of detail. I still have 8 days left on my trial version of HDR Express, so that is the toy I chose to play with this morning. Yesterday’s picture shooting up into the tulip tree was the subject.

Manipulating images in other software, such as Photoscape or FastStone, allows me to lighten and darken them. I did this with the idea of merging multiple images in HDR Express, but HDR Express likes being boss, and reads the metadata from the same 3 images, and shuts its processes down – it realizes that you’ve got the same picture. That is a frustrating limitation. Removing all the metadata doesn’t change the situation. However! There is a work-around that is rather nice.

In Lightroom, open up the image you want, adjust the image so it is dark, and then right click on the image and export to HDR Express. It then pops open HDR Express, and HDR Express takes a few minutes, and creates 5 images, ranging from dark to light for your viewing pleasure. The differences are not immense, but if you watch the histogram on the upper right of the screen, you can see what the program is doing to your picture.

Below is a composite picture of the tulip tree out front. The top one is the original one I shot, which was dark to begin with, so I didn’t change it when I sent it to HDR Express via Lightroom. The middle one is my adjustment in Photoscape, which did a good job, but the intensity of the blue sky was a bit lacking. Finally, the bottom image is the one I exported to HDR Express, and it produced a rather pleasant image, with all the detail of the trunk, while retaining the colors of the leaves against that intensely blue sky I saw in my lens.

Top to Bottom - Original Picture - Lightened in Photoscape - HDR Express Image from Original

The Nikon Hit Man doesn’t like the idea of having to use lighting or post-processing to get the perfect image. I disagree.  Post-processing is often necessary, and has been done forever by artists in the darkroom – dodging and burning are forms of post-processing. The thing is, sitting at a computer putzing with software is pretty dull stuff, so for us restless souls, it’s something of a nuisance. In a darkroom, you are moving around, not sitting at a desk. Big difference. Modern technology has its points, but movement is not often one of them!

I am in agreement, though, with the Nikon Hit Man about the original image: it should be as perfect as possible. This means you think about it before hand (if you can) by choosing the right lens, exposure settings on your camera, and so on. Not always easy to do – or remember – because there are so many things you can forget as well! And that is why programs which allow image manipulation are assets to the photographer. Nonetheless, for people who like the physical realities of art, software is more challenging than trying out a new medium, and often far more frustrating.

Life isn’t perfect, but we adapt!

HDR, i

HDR – high dynamic range – is an area of photography that you can love or hate.  Some people push it and produce very dramatic images, which can be good or bad, depending on perspective.  Other people are more subtle about it, and the result is equally good or bad.  All this is, of course, a matter of opinion.  My opinion, here, is what counts!

At times, I rather like the gaudiness that HDR can produce.  Other times, I dislike it.  I think that the colors involved often influence my reactions, as there are some colors I prefer more than others.  Subject matter, as well, will influence my opinion.  You?

The point of HDR is to merge multiple image files so that the details in the shadows are visible – seen in overexposed images – and the highlights are also visible – seen in underexposed images.

I have been looking at different software for HDR.  The one I like the most so far, out of of three that I have looked at, is HDR Express, by Unified Color.

In my own portfolio, I don’t have a series of pictures with variations in f/stops or exposure, so what I did was take a NEF (raw Nikon image) file and, in Lightroom, adjust the color a bit, and then change it to -2.00 through +2.00 for exposure, and export each one to CS5.  From there I saved each as a .tif file.  Finally, I imported and merged them in HDR Express.

Below is the original image used for the HDR.

These are the images I used with the changes in exposure – all lined up so you can see the gradations.

I imported all five of these pictures into HDR Express, merged them, and then saved them in the different “styles”.  Below is a merged image of the different styles.  The first image, in the upper left hand corner, is the original image.

So far, I have only positive things to say about HDR Express.  It is very easy to use.  The website has good tutorial videos – check the sound volume on them as it varies – and the 30-day trial period is unrestricted, meaning no size limitations of the pictures, no watermarks, or other points of frustration.

This software is my first foray into HDR that has been enjoyable.  I will be trying other free versions over the next several weeks before deciding which, if any, I will purchase.  I will also confess that while I have Lightroom and CS5, I am only scratching the surface of what these programs can do.

If you want to see the images I used in larger format, check them out on my Flickr site.