Another Sunny Day Scenic

Joel_W · May 2, 2012

While I was out on Monday concentrating on the local few Pigeons that make this small grist mill pond their home, I liked this scene as I looked out over the pond. With it being late morning, extremely sunny, and contrasty, I thought that this would make a perfect subject for yet another HDR scenic image. As in my previous HDR scenics, I'm trying to use this process to help create a more realistic image then the more traditional HDR imaging.

My work flow is to create a default Tone mapped TIFF image from 3 NEF images, then process in Nikon Capture NX 2.3.

vipgraphx · May 2, 2012

Joel looks like a nice place for photo ops. I think you accomplished your goal as to be it looks like a single exposure rather than an HDR.

Personally I would like to see a little more detail in the closest tree along with some of the darker black areas. It seems like you have lost some of the dynamic range but if this is what you were going for then it makes sense.

Joel_W · May 2, 2012

Vipgraphx, thanks so much for the kind words. I really tried on this one to produce the kind of image I was after. Sounds like I came real close. As for more detail in the tree on the right foreground, in the original image, it was almost completely void of detail. I'm not sure how to add any more detail to it. As for the blacks, I changed the black point so that I was actually getting some more black in the shade and shadows.

fenderjaguar · May 2, 2012

I like it. I don't know what program you are using for HDR but does it allow you to selectively effect certain parts of the image without effecting the rest?

vipgraphx · May 2, 2012

Joel- if you use photo shop and can dodge and burn more detail into the tree, that is a simple way. Or you can duplicate layer and bump of the brightness and and then mask it in those areas that are dark..Another simple and easy way. I use nik color effects and a filter called detail enhance and I brings up detail like crazy. I then mask in a little to a lot depending on what I am after...

Majeed Badizadegan · May 2, 2012

Very realistic HDR here. Interesting framing with the trees. I think the composition feels a little busy because of the weeds in the bottom 1/3 frame.

Joel_W · May 3, 2012

I don't have any photoshop, Elements, nor Lightroom editing programs. I use Nikon Capture NX 2.3. If you're some what familiar with it, you use color points to adjust local areas. I'm still learning all the nuances, nooks, & crannies, as I consider myself just ok at editing at this point. I did spend quite a bit of time editing many areas to tone down the greens, highlights, and background trees, etc, to achieve a more realistic image. Then I worked on the foreground tree trunks, as in the original HDR Image they were almost black.

vipgraphx · May 3, 2012

Yes I have it however I would strongly recommend you getting photo shop or light room. It will make your world so much better. I very rarely use nikon software.

Bynx · May 3, 2012

I applied Auto Color in Photoshop. It immediately went to a more warm color than the cool blue of your original. Does it look more real to you Joel?

vipgraphx · May 4, 2012

I think the edited version Bynx did is on the other side of yours joel, I would suggest somewhere in between the two would be a more realistic look but Joel, you were there are we were not so you could be the judge of that.

Joel_W · May 4, 2012

Bynx, thanks for the effort. As VIP said it's more like somewhere in between, but closer to the tones I ended up with. Right now everything here is new growth, and we've had tons of rain, coolish damp weather, so everything is growing, and hasn't been bleached out by the sun. It also was a brilliant cloudless day with almost no haze. By mid summer these type of days will be long gone.

Bynx · May 4, 2012

Joel would you please post your middle shot untouched. Lo res is ok.

EDL · May 4, 2012

I like both versions of the HDR,, but to my eye there is something fake looking about the upper leaves, primarily the group about 1/3 from the left. Not sure of it is lack of detail or they seem too bright, like they are over exposed. That's my only nit pick. Other than that I think the color range looks very nice. Vibrant, but not over processed.

Joel_W · May 5, 2012

Bynx said:
Joel would you please post your middle shot untouched. Lo res is ok.

Bynx, I usually don't save the individual bracketed shots once I finish with creating the HDR TIFF file, since I only use the default image, then edit it like a regular file.

Joel_W · May 5, 2012

EDL said:
I like both versions of the HDR,, but to my eye there is something fake looking about the upper leaves, primarily the group about 1/3 from the left. Not sure of it is lack of detail or they seem too bright, like they are over exposed. That's my only nit pick. Other than that I think the color range looks very nice. Vibrant, but not over processed.

EDL, thank you for your comments. It was a very bright, cloudless sky, so you can just image how bad the contrast issues were.