I recently became familiar with the concept of HDR. Well, that is, I finally learned what is was all about. First of all, you need a DSLR with Manual setting, a tripod (or concrete hands), and Photoshop (or the like) to combine your great shots.
What is HDR?
HDR = High Dynamic Range. It is a way to make up for the limits of the technology in a camera that creates over- or underexposed photos - a fallback of the camera compared to the human eye, that is superior to any technology available. The camera can not contain the wide spectre of tone and color that range from black to white, which is the reason that some of the shots you bring home are either over- or underexposed. However, HDR brings a solution to this problem, by manually combining several shots of the same composition at different exposure settings. Although shooting in the RAW-format, and then lifting the shadows of the photo, may seem like a possible alternative, it does not give the same effect as HDR does.
How to shoot
Step 1: Setup your camera on your tripod and take your first shot in the A-setting, setting aperture to high depth definition; around f/16 (and low ISO). Note the shutterspeed for the photo and switch to Manual setting (M).
Step 2: Make sure the manual settings are exactly as it was in your first shot, and shift to manual focus so that focus does not shift during your next shots. (Use a self timer or remote for the following shots).
Step 3: Adjust the shutterspeed so that it is twice as fast as your first shot. Shoot again. Repeat once or twice at faster shutterspeeds to get the underexposed shots.
Step 4: Repeat step 3 making the shutterspeed slower than the original shot. Repeat once or twice to get a couple of overexposed shots. Now you have 5-7 shots with different shutterspeeds and thereby photos with a wide range of tone and color.
Editing for perfection
For editing I use Photoshop CS3 (following steps are when using Photoshop), and my advice would be to use either Photoshop og Elements or your favorite editor with the same functionality.
Step 1: Choose File > Automate > Merge to HDR. Browse for the photos you shot above, tick the box Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images. Click OK.
Step 2: When the dialog appears choose 32 Bit/Channel. If necessary you can adjust the white balance with the Set White Point Preview.
Step 3: Now the photo needs to be converted. Choose Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel. Use the method of Local Adaption (or try some of the other methods to get experience). Now make sure you can se the histogram, and adjust the Toning Curve to adjust the light distribution.
Step 4: Now create a copy of the initial layer and pick Overlay. This will give you a very powerful color spectre, so adjust this by setting the opacity of the layer - try around 30 %.
Congratulations - You just made your first HDR photo!
HDR is suitable for a number of photo types:
- Sunsets
- Photos with backlight
- Night Photography
- Landscapes
- Photos without too much movement in general
Other articles on the same topic:
* Please leave other examples in your comments, thanks
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3 comments:
hi torben!
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please have time to visit their and i will also link you..
thanks!
A bit to technical for me !
Thanks a lot for your comment home :-)
Good blog,you have many useful tips and information for photography.I've already picked my top ten blogs which will be posted this Tuesday but you are still in the running for December's list.Thanks for your interest in The Top Ten.
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