Mini HDR

[mdtusz]

I was out with a friend in his new mini so we decided we should take some shots but it was pitch black. This is a quick HDR + retouching I did on the drive home I always have my camera and laptop with me nowadays.

3 exposures (-2, 0, +2)
WB adjustment and de-noise in Aperture
Photomerge to HDR in Photoshop
Tonemapped in Photomatix
Retouched (a bit of flare... couldn't get it all) in Photoshop
Final sharpen (just a bit) back in Aperture
Done.

Looking now, I should have taken out the post on the left, but I'm tired and have work in 8 hours

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[LaFoto]

Hope you enjoy it!

I do!
ALTHOUGH it is a car.
But to know that you actually did not see much... and now we see WHAT we see: quite an improvement over "pitch black" .

 

[Tulsa]

IDK, seems overdone, there is something about it, that is too much.

What is with the wavy spots on the pavement passenger side? looks like too much editing caused that, and not there in real life.

 

[austriker]

i think its pretty sweet. i like the idea of HDR but i agree that it is overdone although most HDR nowadays seems way overdone

 

[D-B-J]

Whats up with the intense light stars?

 

[Ryan L]

Whats up with the intense light stars?

Must have had a star/cross filter on, they are pretty distracting.

 

[mdtusz]

No star filter, the longest exposure was just 30 seconds...

I agree about the overdone look, but if I was trying to make it look real, I would have just waited until there was natural light to take the picture with...

 

[AnneRiceBowl]

I like the light flares--adds a little punch by adding a bit of color to a photo that would otherwise be monochromatic.

Just clean-up the shadow from the car and correct what appear to be smudges on the asphalt, and I would call it finished.

I am torn between keeping or removing the light post on the left: keeping the light post shows a source for the lighting overhead and gives a reason for the light flares on top of the Mini; removing the light post on the left would question the existence of the light flares on top of the Mini or making the composition a little cleaner.

 

[mellowGOLD]

Very cool, it blends in with the pavement

The light flare could be toned down a little though

 

[Tulsa]

I agree about the overdone look, but if I was trying to make it look real, I would have just waited until there was natural light to take the picture with...

You can take a real picture at the time of day you did, it would have looked better with your novelty picture you posted.

 

[mdtusz]

This picture was taken at 11... it was black except for the sodium lights above which didn't illuminate much. For a single exposure I couldn't have gotten anything near what this did.

 

[pbelarge]

MDtusz

If your goal was to highlight the yellow and white lights, you did well.
If your goal was to highlight the car, not so well.


My eye keeps being drawn away from the car.

While you fix this, clone out the pole as well

 

[KmH]

Whats up with the intense light stars?

Must have had a star/cross filter on, they are pretty distracting.

Diffraction spikes from using a small aperture is a likely cause.

 

[ababysean]

I like the star lights....