Questions about specific HDR techniques

[bpetruzzo]

I'm not a huge fan of the over the top HDR effects. I'd prefer things to remain subtle. But I came across what seems to be some pretty creative use of the HDR effects and I can't manage to construct how he did it. I'm a pretty experienced photoshop user, but this seems to evade me. Maybe I'm having a brain fart or something, so perhaps someone can help me out.

Check out this picture:
http://svensson.deviantart.com/art/Sunburst-70533946

Notice that there's some pretty healthy contrast throughout the image and a kind of glowing blue effect from below the water. The whole composition makes for a kind of fantasy-land image.

I gather this was a pretty heavy combination of various techniques in and out of the camera. What do you suppose they were?

[Garbz]

Looks like a healthy combination of not just running a few frames through photomatrix and calling it a day.
The last crazy HDR like that I did, http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/...c395f951_o.jpg, was done in camera as normal, in photomatix as normal, and then all matter of playing with in photoshop. The key thing here that seems to be similar to the one above is the use of multiple layers which are copies of the bottom one, blurred, and blended as either overlay layers or soft/hard light layers. That creates the smooth glow effect as well was the dynamic increase in saturation.

If you're a fan of those types of images I suggest you head over to www.stuckincustoms.com

[bpetruzzo]

Hmm. That's not as exciting as I had hoped.

I can't say that I'm a fan of those types of images. There's definitely some pretty cool ones out there though. But mostly I'd just like to have some working knowledge of many different photographic techniques. I wasn't at all familiar with photomatix until just a few weeks ago and I still have no first hand experience at all with it.

I guess there isn't a magic technique. I suppose if I'd like to know I ought to just fumble around with it and gain some working knowledge that way.

Thanks!