Is this shot worth the editing trouble?

[JustJazzie]

This is FAR from a good edit of corse, but I need some honest opinions please.

I took this shot a few days ago, and was going to try an HDR. That is not working for what I had in mind. I was hoping to get the beautiful sunset behind the flower, and get the flower white. We were out of town on a family emergency, so I didn't have any gear with me except my camera. Would a flash have fixed all the issues I am having?

As it stands, I am thinking the only option for removing the burn halo is to painstakingly use the pen tool around the flowers..... I am trying to figure out if this is actually worth the time, or if its even possible to get the result I had in mind before I spend a few hours in editing. Edit away? Or scrap the shot? If it is, I would love some ideas on the best editing route. This is the middle of 3 brackets, so I have some available options if It can be accomplished.....

Thanks in advance!
Hand edited:

Attempt at HDR: I still had to burn in the flowers.....

 

[fjrabon]

In general, I think if you have to ask yourself this question, the answer is probably no.

Is this just a tonemapped single image or a bracketed set? I'm not sure what you mean by "this is the middle of 3 brackets." HDR combines 3 bracketed images together, so saying "this is the middle of 3 brackets" doesn't really make sense unless you're just tonemapping a single image.

I would have probably hand blended the exposures as different overlaid layers with something like this instead of HDR. In my experience HDR programs get really confused with very subtle whites. They either want to make it all grey, or just lump it all together as a sort of uniform white. Generally how HDR programs work is by compressing the highlights a lot, which totally kills an image like this that is primarily about soft, subtle tonal variations in white.

 

[JustJazzie]

In general, I think if you have to ask yourself this question, the answer is probably no.

Is this just a tonemapped single image or a bracketed set? I'm not sure what you mean by "this is the middle of 3 brackets." HDR combines 3 bracketed images together, so saying "this is the middle of 3 brackets" doesn't really make sense unless you're just tonemapping a single image.

I would have probably hand blended the exposures as different overlaid layers with something like this instead of HDR. In my experience HDR programs get really confused with very subtle whites. They either want to make it all grey, or just lump it all together as a sort of uniform white. Generally how HDR programs work is by compressing the highlights a lot, which totally kills an image like this that is primarily about soft, subtle tonal variations in white.

Interesting idea! Yes the issue with the her was it kept the flowers grey. I think I saw a phlern video once that might be the overlaying technique you are referring too. I'll have to see if I can dig it up again and give it a go! I do have a bracketed ser to work with.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[sm4him]

If it were MY picture…no, it's not worth the editing trouble.

I'd just bin it. Sorry. For me, it just wouldn't be worth the effort to get a really good editing result because it would STILL "just" be a picture of some pretty flowers with nothing all that remarkable about it to take it from "pretty flowers" to incredible shot.

 

[JustJazzie]

@fjrabon - I tried the blending video from phlern- no go! Not sure if it was the same as you were discussing or not. It used "apply image" to blend the layers.....

If it were MY picture…no, it's not worth the editing trouble.

I'd just bin it. Sorry. For me, it just wouldn't be worth the effort to get a really good editing result because it would STILL "just" be a picture of some pretty flowers with nothing all that remarkable about it to take it from "pretty flowers" to incredible shot.

Thanks for the input! I had a feeling that might be the case.

 

[fjrabon]

@fjrabon - I tried the blending video from phlern- no go! Not sure if it was the same as you were discussing or not. It used "apply image" to blend the layers.....

If it were MY picture…no, it's not worth the editing trouble.

I'd just bin it. Sorry. For me, it just wouldn't be worth the effort to get a really good editing result because it would STILL "just" be a picture of some pretty flowers with nothing all that remarkable about it to take it from "pretty flowers" to incredible shot.

Thanks for the input! I had a feeling that might be the case.

You mind posting the 3 unedited brackets?

 

[JustJazzie]

@fjrabon - I tried the blending video from phlern- no go! Not sure if it was the same as you were discussing or not. It used "apply image" to blend the layers.....

If it were MY picture…no, it's not worth the editing trouble.

I'd just bin it. Sorry. For me, it just wouldn't be worth the effort to get a really good editing result because it would STILL "just" be a picture of some pretty flowers with nothing all that remarkable about it to take it from "pretty flowers" to incredible shot.

Thanks for the input! I had a feeling that might be the case.

You mind posting the 3 unedited brackets?

Id be happy to! This was hand held so it definitely will need some alignment.....

 

[DarkShadow]

Bin it and try again,and again and again until you either get it or your shutter craps out,which ever comes first.

 

[JustJazzie]

Bin it and try again,and again and again until you either get it or your shutter craps out,which ever comes first.

Good advice! Except- these don't grow where I live. It May be years before I can't try again. ;-) lol but I bet I'll remember my flash when I do! Hahaha.

 

[fjrabon]

your issue isn't too much dynamic range and a need for HDR, it's that you're trying to essentially create a different background than what existed. The entire dynamic range exists in the second shot, nothing is clipped and nothing is blocked out. However, to get your subject as bright as you want, the background will have to completely blow out.

The way to fix this has nothing to do with HDR, it would be straight photo shop layer blending. Ie blending in the background of one exposure with the flowers from another.

The best way to fix this is to only shoot into the light if you want to blow the background out.

Kinda funny that this is the exact scenario another poster was trying to achieve earlier.

All HDR does is allows you to capture dynamic range wider than a sensor can record. However, it isn't meant to turn inverse a background that is too bright and a subject that is too dark.

TO me, the only fix for this is to just let the background blow completely out.

 

[JustJazzie]

your issue isn't too much dynamic range and a need for HDR, it's that you're trying to essentially create a different background than what existed. The entire dynamic range exists in the second shot, nothing is clipped and nothing is blocked out. However, to get your subject as bright as you want, the background will have to completely blow out.

The way to fix this has nothing to do with HDR, it would be straight photo shop layer blending. Ie blending in the background of one exposure with the flowers from another.

The best way to fix this is to only shoot into the light if you want to blow the background out.

Kinda funny that this is the exact scenario another poster was trying to achieve earlier.

All HDR does is allows you to capture dynamic range wider than a sensor can record. However, it isn't meant to turn inverse a background that is too bright and a subject that is too dark.

TO me, the only fix for this is to just let the background blow completely out.

Wonderful information thank you! Perhaps this is why all my her attempts are terrible. I suppose I need to research this much further....

Had I remembered my flash, would that have enabled me to do this without so much pp? Or am I still not understanding?

 

[fjrabon]

your issue isn't too much dynamic range and a need for HDR, it's that you're trying to essentially create a different background than what existed. The entire dynamic range exists in the second shot, nothing is clipped and nothing is blocked out. However, to get your subject as bright as you want, the background will have to completely blow out.

The way to fix this has nothing to do with HDR, it would be straight photo shop layer blending. Ie blending in the background of one exposure with the flowers from another.

The best way to fix this is to only shoot into the light if you want to blow the background out.

Kinda funny that this is the exact scenario another poster was trying to achieve earlier.

All HDR does is allows you to capture dynamic range wider than a sensor can record. However, it isn't meant to turn inverse a background that is too bright and a subject that is too dark.

TO me, the only fix for this is to just let the background blow completely out.

Wonderful information thank you! Perhaps this is why all my her attempts are terrible. I suppose I need to research this much further....

Had I remembered my flash, would that have enabled me to do this without so much pp? Or am I still not understanding?

A single flash would have helped the light background but dark subject issue. However it would have likely created hard shadows on the flowers themselves.

 

[JustJazzie]

your issue isn't too much dynamic range and a need for HDR, it's that you're trying to essentially create a different background than what existed. The entire dynamic range exists in the second shot, nothing is clipped and nothing is blocked out. However, to get your subject as bright as you want, the background will have to completely blow out.

The way to fix this has nothing to do with HDR, it would be straight photo shop layer blending. Ie blending in the background of one exposure with the flowers from another.

The best way to fix this is to only shoot into the light if you want to blow the background out.

Kinda funny that this is the exact scenario another poster was trying to achieve earlier.

All HDR does is allows you to capture dynamic range wider than a sensor can record. However, it isn't meant to turn inverse a background that is too bright and a subject that is too dark.

TO me, the only fix for this is to just let the background blow completely out.

Wonderful information thank you! Perhaps this is why all my her attempts are terrible. I suppose I need to research this much further....

Had I remembered my flash, would that have enabled me to do this without so much pp? Or am I still not understanding?

A single flash would have helped the light background but dark subject issue. However it would have likely created hard shadows on the flowers themselves.

Great! Thank you for all your help!