Luminance HDR Raw Conversion

[Tiller]

Hey guys, so I'm trying to create some hdr images of a few shots I took yesterday. I was going to buy the 32 bit Photomatix plugin for LR4, but I decided I would try and find a free program first. I chose Luminance HDR.


Problem is, I can't figure out how to import my Raw images from Lightroom into Luminance. It just pops up with an error message, so I tried to use JPEG instead. With a portrait orientation, it seems to have worked fine, but with a horizontal image, it compresses the image, and just in general looks terrible.


So does anyone have any idea how I use Raw images? Or should I just break down and buy the Photomatix plugin?


Here are the images. The first one is the portrait. The second is the horizontal that came out bad.


1



untitled_pregamma_1_fattal_alpha_1_beta_0.9_saturation_1_noiseredux_0_fftsolver_1 by tsmcdona, on Flickr


2



bridge 2 by tsmcdona, on Flickr

 

[Tiller]

Bump! ✌

 

[480sparky]

I open raw files (Nikon NEFs) just fine, and not using any other program. You can import the images directly at the front end of Luminance.

Are you using a tripod when you take your bracketed images? If not, that will explain why they look bad... they're not aligned.

 

[Tiller]

Yes, I used a tripod on all images.

 

[480sparky]

Are you still checking them for alignment?

 

[Tiller]

No I wasn't. Ill try that when I get home and report back.

 

[480sparky]

Another issue might be, and I don't know if the works with Luminance or not... is if your edits in LR can be read by Luminence. It might be you need to create the JPEG so the edits a 'cooked' in instead of just a list of actions in a sidecar.

 

[Tiller]

Ok, I think the problem is there wasn't a great enough dynamic range in the photos. I tried a different set with a more even output (dark, med, bright) and it came out better.

 

[480sparky]

Ok, I think the problem is there wasn't a great enough dynamic range in the photos. I tried a different set with a more even output (dark, med, bright) and it came out better.

Wait..... are you starting out with just one image?

My preferred method is to take a frame that properly exposes the brightest highlight, then continue down until I expose a frame for the darkest shadow. If that takes 5 frames, or 6, or 7, or 8, or 10.... so be it.

 

[Tiller]

Hey, no I was using 3 images.

I finally figured out my real problem, and it was nothing to do with the dynamic range. Doh!

After I loaded my images, I would just click the quick preview of the different tonemapping options with the resolution set to the lowest setting. I figured out I had to set I to the highest setting. Really tough answer, I know!

But all's well that ends well. The images came out beautifully and exactly how I imagined them. Ill be posting a few of them in the landscape section tomorrow, so keep a look out!

Oh, and thanks for your help! :thumbup:

 

[480sparky]

Use the low res images to save time finding the results you want. Then use the higher resolution for the final image.