HDR noob, with questions.

[PatrickJamesYu]

So I did my first-ish HDR yesterday.
I did it at night since most of my free time is then.

It was my first time using photomatix too (trial)

It's insanely noisy, and looks horrid.. haha.
Is there any pre-edit tips you guys can give me?

The exposures I did were from about 8 seconds to 2 minutes.

split with about 9 pictures in between.


I got the HDR effect, but the quality is really bad.

I've done hdr effects before, but not in the full picture.
I would open up 2 exposures in 2 different layers, than erase parts to give me the different exposure where I needed it.
But I want to try it the way many of the users here are.

Tips?

Sorry for the watermarks, I was using the trial


http://i53.tinypic.com/2irorkj.jpg



Update:
Quoted: "I did use the noise reduction feature on Photomatix.And in the originals there really isn't that much noise..

If this helps at all, I was shooting a Nikon D90
ISO on the Lo 1
I grabbed a cheap little Quantaray lens shot at 35mm
Fstop: 8 or 11 (I think it was 11)
With a polarizer filter that drops it about 1.5 stops.

I think..
I posted 3 of the shots with the most dramatic exposures.
Under, med, and over.

http://i51.tinypic.com/106ka3t.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/sb3eas.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/ae6xhh.jpg

"

 

[480sparky]

120 seconds to 8 seconds is only 5 stops, so am I correct in assuming your 9 frames are ½-stop apart?

Without knowing the dynamic range of the original scene, it's hard to say, but shooting frames ½-stop apart seems frivolous. May 1-stop apart and shoot just 5 frames.

Quality issues may be a result of the long exposures creating excessive noise in the images. Try cleaning them up first before you build the HDR.

 

[PatrickJamesYu]

I'm not really sure what I was doing, so I just started clicking back.
Once I pass 30 seconds and use my remote switch, I did it by timer, and just left it open for different periods of time :/

If I posted 3 of the pictures used, will that help you guys to help me?

 

[Bynx]

The more info you supply like images etc will help get a more accurate answer. Photomatix has a noise reduction feature. Im not sure how well it works. Your image might have a lot of noise but its not a bad image considering how dark it must have actually been.

 

[bazooka]

It might... do the originals have noise in them? I recall Photomatix has a noise reduction checkbox, did you use that?

I don't know if it matters, but it's probably best to use a set number (or fraction) of f/stops between shots... not just some arbitrary time. So if you stopped at 30 seconds and you are doing 1/2 stop between exposures (that's probably overkill), then you're next exposure would be 45 seconds, then 60, then 90... etc.

 

[PatrickJamesYu]

I did use the noise reduction feature on Photomatix.
And in the originals there really isn't that much noise..

If this helps at all, I was shooting a Nikon D90
ISO on the Lo 1
I grabbed a cheap little Quantaray lens shot at 35mm
Fstop: 8 or 11 (I think it was 11)
With a polarizer filter that drops it about 1.5 stops.

I think..
I posted 3 of the shots with the most dramatic exposures.
Under, med, and over.

http://i51.tinypic.com/106ka3t.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/sb3eas.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/ae6xhh.jpg

 

[480sparky]

Why are you using a polarizer at night?

 

[PatrickJamesYu]

Why are you using a polarizer at night?

It was an attempt to reduce reflections on the glass from an overhead street light,

It ended up showing a dirty window instead haha.

Are polarizers frowned upon when used at night?

 

[480sparky]

Are polarizers frowned upon when used at night?

Not necessarily, but if you're needing to shoot F/8 or 11 and your ISO is cranked up that high, losing 2 stops is a steep penalty to pay.

 

[PatrickJamesYu]

Okay for sure. Not sure what to say haha but i know what you mean
It was so dark to begin with, losing more light was a pretty big sacrifice


Any more tips?
Bump