Best general HDR formula?

[slackercruster]

What sort of bracketing did you find works best for the average HDR shot?


Is there a point of diminishing returns? Where too many images don't work as well as less? Or where the bracketing is too close together or too far apart for each shot?

Thanks

 

[Bynx]

Im trying to imagine what you consider the average HDR shot. If you determine what the exposure is for the brightest area of the scene then the number of exposures you need is the number to get you to the darkest area of the scene. If it takes 3, 5, 7, or 9 then thats what you have to take. If there is a big range between the darkest and lightest areas then 9 shots are called for. Less if the range isnt that great. Always take more than you need. You can always toss out what you dont need. But if you go cheap and dont take enough what do you do then?

 

[slackercruster]

Thanks! I was thinking a sunset at the beach type of shot. I didn't know how many exposures were too much.

Are 1 stop changes between exposures the norm?

Do you use a handheld meter or 'in camera' meter for your exposure range?

 

[grapnell]

I usually find that slightly over-exposing my bracket by .3 to .6 usually gives me better results. I tend to get less noise when I compensate for EV by lowering it in the software, then when I have to compensate by raising. Just my two cents.

 

[vipgraphx]

average HDR usually will work with +2,0,-2 @ ISO 100 and F8-11

I have shot many many photos with those settings and had great success capturing the dynamic range. When you need more range is in low light where 7-9 exposures at 1 stop apart is better -4,-3,-2,-1,0,+1,+2,+3,+4..Need less is really bright situations where 3 frames at 1 stop apart like -1,0,+1 works.

Also make sure you have long exposure noise reduction on in your camera for longer exposures.

 

[GnipGnop]

The best general advice for a proper looking HDR is to not follow anyone's general advice in the first place. Every HDR should be a carefully composed and exposed capture of the highlights, mids, lows and shadows. Then each of these exposures should be carefully blended in Photoshop. Note that it may take you only 2 exposures, or it could take you 10.

If you follow a general recipe, you're going to get cheap looking, fake, over saturated and gimmicky creations.

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

If you follow a general recipe, you're going to get cheap looking, fake, over saturated and gimmicky creations.

Not necessarily, I'd have to disagree with your last statement. Just because you follow some general guidelines doesn't mean your photos are going to turn out crappy. The photographer has control over the saturation and the look of the image through the entire process, regardless of the recipe they follow. That's where the error is in your statement (it's just too much of a generalization: classic slippery slope fallacy) but I do see the spirit of what you're trying to say. The spirit being figure out what the DR is on the spot, don't just shoot blindly and hope to capture the full DR.

It's not a bad thing to capture more DR at a scene than necessary, and just toss out the useless images on either end of the bracket during processing. Conversely, it is a bad thing if the proper DR is not captured.

What sort of bracketing did you find works best for the average HDR shot?

OP, if you're looking for a "recipe" to follow, just bracket shots and review the images on the back of your camera on the spot-- you should be able to tell when you've got adequate shadow and highlight detail. If your highlights are way blown out on your overexposure, then move your bracket to the left so you get a useful overexposure. If your camera allows deep bracketing, bracket at 1 stop increments. If I'm shooting handheld and have no other choice, i'll shoot -2, 0, +2... but at the cost of missing DR in some scenes.

Is there a point of diminishing returns? Where too many images don't work as well as less?

This is an excellent question and not often discussed. There is absolutely a point of diminishing returns. You'll find that images on the extreme end of either side of your bracket may hurt the resulting photo. The extreme highlight exposure may creep into shadows and midtones and wash out the image, or underexposures may relay a great deal of noise in shadow areas in the image. Sometimes, too much information can be a bad thing. You can't always rely on photomatix algorithms to produce the most pleasing result. Sometimes it's best to remove exposures that harm the final image, and you'll get better at this with time.

 

[slackercruster]

I was looking to streamline my HDR. Not take tons of wasted, usless pix and doing all sorts of brackets.

Can we say that 1/2 stop brackets are a waste of time generally speaking?

Do any of you shoot more than 10 exposures for HDR?

Can one get by with a +2, 0 and -2 just as well as a +2, +1, 0, -1, -2 thereby cutting down on 2 exposures?

Just trying to figure some limits...if it is possible.

 

[shiftingcolors]

Here's another way to look at it... Instead of shooting multiple shots and hoping you got the EV bracketing right, have you considering just shooting one EV 0 RAW image, and doing the rest of the bracketing and processing at home?

If you'd like me to clarify, please let me know.

 

[Trever1t]

^ That''s not HDR, that's simply tone-mapping.

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

Can we say that 1/2 stop brackets are a waste of time generally speaking?

Can one get by with a +2, 0 and -2 just as well as a +2, +1, 0, -1, -2 thereby cutting down on 2 exposures?

Just trying to figure some limits...if it is possible.

Already addressed this one...

OP, if you're looking for a "recipe" to follow, just bracket shots and review the images on the back of your camera on the spot-- you should be able to tell when you've got adequate shadow and highlight detail. If your highlights are way blown out on your overexposure, then move your bracket to the left so you get a useful overexposure. If your camera allows deep bracketing, bracket at 1 stop increments. If I'm shooting handheld and have no other choice, i'll shoot -2, 0, +2... but at the cost of missing DR in some scenes.

I was looking to streamline my HDR. Not take tons of wasted, usless pix and doing all sorts of brackets.

Don't try to take shortcuts. Trust me, you'd rather have "extra pics" on a memory card, then not have adequate DR for the scene. Storage is cheap. Re-shooting is often hard and/or impossible. For any given scene, the DR can vary WIDELY. You as the photographer need to establish what that range is.

Do any of you shoot more than 10 exposures for HDR?

Rarely necessary. If necessary, it's usually at night or inside in low light.

 

[shiftingcolors]

^ That''s not HDR, that's simply tone-mapping.

You can call it what you want, but if the results are satisfactory to the person composing the image, it doesn't matter which method is used. If I showed 5 of my HDR images, you'd never be able to tell which are tone mapped and which are HDR by your definition.

 

[GnipGnop]

If you follow a general recipe, you're going to get cheap looking, fake, over saturated and gimmicky creations.

Not necessarily, I'd have to disagree with your last statement. Just because you follow some general guidelines doesn't mean your photos are going to turn out crappy. The photographer has control over the saturation and the look of the image through the entire process, regardless of the recipe they follow. That's where the error is in your statement (it's just too much of a generalization: classic slippery slope fallacy) but I do see the spirit of what you're trying to say. The spirit being figure out what the DR is on the spot, don't just shoot blindly and hope to capture the full DR.


Sorry but I disagree. And also you mentioned I shouldn't generalize, but you're advice is to not go into specific and just shoot a "genera" recipe for HDR. Photomatix is a wonderful program to use to achieve slight bumps in contrast, but it is also used widely to produce muddy, colour blasted fake looking HDR images.

Again, the best advice is to expose for the highlights, mids, lows and shadows and blend appropriately in Photoshop by layer masking each photo to remove the unwanted parts and save the areas with the shadow,mid,low and high details you want to keep.

How many stops above the highs are and how many stops below the shadows and dark pictures require for proper exposure can vary. Why do you need a rushed way to produce an HDR image? Rushed production almost always ensures rushed results. Take your time. Study the scene. Compose. Expose.

 

[Bynx]

As pingpong says...Take your time. Study the scene. Compose. Expose.
Best advice Ive seen on here.