I Have Some Questions (Frustrated)

[rexbobcat]

So I've been trying to get HDR looking good on...well....ANY type of photograph with high dynamic range.

But I can't get it right....at least in my eyes. Maybe my eyes need calibration lol.

These are two photos where I used the Photoshop Merge to HDR function:

Now with this one, I manually composited two images in order to get more dynamic range. In my opinion, this photo looks better than the merged HDR images.

Why is it so damn difficult to get HDR to look right, even though all I've been told is to get different exposures, plug them into the program, and then tonemap them. On that matter, why does anyone tonemap at all? I can get much less ridiculous-looking results with the regular localized editing tools (levels, hue/saturation, sharpening, etc...)

 

[480sparky]

..................These are two photos where I used the Photoshop Merge to HDR function:

.....................

Why is it so damn difficult to get HDR to look right, .....................

Why are you trying to build an HDR with two totally different images? Not, not different in exposure, different in composition, angle, etc.... and taken more than half an hour apart?

 

[rexbobcat]

..................These are two photos where I used the Photoshop Merge to HDR function:

.....................

Why is it so damn difficult to get HDR to look right, .....................

Why are you trying to build an HDR with two totally different images? Not, not different in exposure, different in composition, angle, etc.

No, I mean these are two different HDR images.

Both were merged using 3 different exposures. They're two differently processed images.

I was just using them as multiple examples of how badly I do dedicated HDR as opposed to masking and manually bringing out the dynamic range.

 

[480sparky]

No, I mean these are two different HDR images.

Both were merged using 3 different exposures. They're two differently processed images.

I was just using them as multiple examples of how badly I do dedicated HDR as opposed to masking and manually bringing out the dynamic range.

Post the originals and your PP steps.

PS: You need to clean your sensor.

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

download the free trial of Photomatix and try it out. CS5 HDR merge is less than adequate in my experience.

 

[rexbobcat]

I put them into HDR Pro in CS5. I auto-aligned them. I upped the saturation and detail about 20%. That's all. I know I could have done more, but I didn't think that I could get them where I wanted them.

I processed both of them in the same way.

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

I put them into HDR Pro in CS5. I auto-aligned them. I upped the saturation and detail about 20%. That's all. I know I could have done more, but I didn't think that I could get them where I wanted them.

I processed both of them in the same way.

You didn't capture the full dynamic range. Your best exposed shot is still a stop or two underexposed for the foreground.

 

[vipgraphx]

+2 ^^^^

I get a way better job blending in raw files in photoshop than photshop hdr pro tool but, I use photomatix more than manually blending layers.

I think the third picture you posted does not look bad, very photo realistic!

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

I like your third image.

 

[480sparky]

I put them into HDR Pro in CS5. I auto-aligned them. I upped the saturation and detail about 20%. That's all. I know I could have done more, but I didn't think that I could get them where I wanted them.

I processed both of them in the same way.

You only have 2-2/3 stops range in your captures. You may have 10-12 stops of dynamic range in the scene.

Taking one frame over, one frame under and one middle ("correct") exposure is not suiatable for a one-size-fits-all approach.

 

[rexbobcat]

Ah. I kind of figured that I probably didn't get the full range. I have a hard time telling lol.

Do all HDR photographs has that washed out look before processing?

 

[480sparky]

..............Do all HDR photographs has that washed out look before processing?

All HDRs, well, look pretty much like a set of normal, ordinary, run-of-the-mill bracketed photos before processing.

 

[Bynx]

I would go a bit further and say that most or all HDR images look pretty flat after tone mapping without some further work in Photoshop or some such program to bring out the life of the image. De noise, Exposure alteration, Gamma Correction and Unsharp Mask.