Need help finding a video on HDR

[mitsugirly]

I was reading a forum (I don't think it was this one, but I can't find it anywhere else) and they were discussing how to take the pictures to make the HDR pictures. They had a video and he explained everything and showed you how to do the settings for the pictures.

I thought I had saved the video because I knew I wanted to come back to it for reference later when I wanted to try it.

Now, I can't find it or the forum/link where it was.

Does anyone know of this video or link?

I know when I do a search, I only seem to come up with HDR cam corders and such.

 

[chrisburke]

YouTube - how to make hdr in photoshop

 

[cosmoepic]

id also say if you can get your hands on a copy of photomatix, (dedicated HDR program thats free to download the trial) use that, for me it ws as a bit easier and i liked the results more that in CS3.

 

[mitsugirly]

id also say if you can get your hands on a copy of photomatix, (dedicated HDR program thats free to download the trial) use that, for me it ws as a bit easier and i liked the results more that in CS3.

I already have it...and PS3.

What I'm looking for is the "how to" on taking the pictures. The video I watched the other day had a photographer that showed you how to take some type of picture pointing the camera down, then forward, then up to the sky. Then check some kind of settings. Then he put the camera on the tripod and set it at the lowest setting first, took the picture, middle setting, took the picture and so on.

That's what I'm looking for.

 

[cosmoepic]

well if you're cam has bracketing on it set your exposures to -2, 0, +2. thats a good place to start i think. as far as the person shooting the sky, ground, etc. im sure he was just getting the exposure settings for all the different lighting around the subject?

im not sure why else, but bracketing and a tripod is a great way to start

 

[ANDS!]

The video I watched the other day had a photographer that showed you how to take some type of picture pointing the camera down, then forward, then up to the sky.

Thats a panoramic, combination of multiple shots to create a much larger print. Generally people will make panoramics horizontally, although vertically is certainly plausible, as is stiching several "layers" of shots to great a VERY LARGE photograph.

Then he put the camera on the tripod and set it at the lowest setting first, took the picture, middle setting, took the picture and so on.

This I imagine is the start of another tutorial on how to "bracket" your shots for an HDR.

This is a shot I did:



It was, if I remember correctly, 7 shots taken at around 7:00 am on the roof of a building in downtown Sacramento. The camera was set in "bracketing" mode, with exposures in one full stop so -3, -2, -1, 0 (this is your 'base' properly exposed shot), +1, +2, +3. The camera was set up on a flat surface as I was on my way to work, and while I always have my camera, I don't usually have a tripod with me. On a tripod however, it would be much easier to make sure you don't move anything (although, as you can see in the lower left, cars were moving, but thats ok, becasue the main portions of the photograph don't change and the streaks "add" to the shot).

Thats all you need. Generally you can get away with three shots, but I've found that 5 or more (I have done 9 image HDR shots) are where that sweet spot is as far as "range" is concerned.

 

[mitsugirly]

I found another tutorial that showed how to do the HDR shots like ANDS! described. But they said you set the camera a certain way, do the 5 shots and then you have your end result combined (in the camera). I thought you had to take all 5 shots and put them in photomatix to combine them, then tweak them in ps3??

The video I was looking for was definately for the HDR and not panaromic. He had said that you had to measure the darkest point up to the lightest point. Then that's what he used to start and end his settings on, then picked numbers in between for the extra photos.

But, after seeing other tutorials and listening to what others said about the settings, it sounds easier to just do it that way.

I'm still confused about the "camera" combining all the pictures for you. Does it do that???

 

[ANDS!]

Theres only one camera I know of that does in-camera HDR. I forget which one but if you're asking, you most likely do not have it.

And its much easier to just bracket off a proper exposure then going all "Calculator Man" and figuring out exposure in between.

 

[mitsugirly]

I think the guy had some type of Nikon or something. So, no that's not what I have.

Thanks everyone for your help. I think I understand it a little more now.

I'll have to try some shots later and see how it works out.