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Thread: HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

  1. #1

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    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    Here's something of interest that I'm swiping third-hand:

    A Flickr photo-pool devoted to a Photoshop plugin has accumulated hundreds of beautiful pictures. The "High Dynamic Range" plugin merges several shots of the same scene taken at different exposures, producing pictures that have breathtaking, vivid, hyperreal colors. The HDR pool on Flickr is filled with astonishing examples of the form, and active discussions of the best way to capture great HDR images. link
    I dunno. Maybe if it were better executed instead of just showing off what's possible. Does anybody have any links to some good HDR images?

  2. #2
    Donald Qualls's Avatar
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    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    I don't know that tool, but I've seen some examples where the technique it represents overcomes one of the basic shortcomings of digital -- dynamic range more like older slide film than modern negative stock. I don't know that it'd be that much help for most of what we do, though I can see that something similar could be used to extract a broader range from a B&W negative than my scanner will do with one compromise setting.
    If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D

  3. #3

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    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    To me many of the examples with 'sky' in them look like those badly shot commercials you see on tv or in magazine ads where the conditions weren't photographically 'ideal' but the photographer was under the gun by the art director to shoot anyways. Digital effects, like anything, can be taken too far.

  4. #4

    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    You don't need to buy a plug-in to do what's built into PhotoShop already.

    Blending Mode always image makers to extend the tonal range of all images. A very powerful tool.

    Works very well when scanning too. It's not just for digital anymore (HA!).

    Take a color neg that is perfect, scan it for the shadows, then scan it for the mid-tones, then scan it for the highlights, and then merge all three images together using the best information from each scan to make a complete photograph. With this technique a photographer can overcome a lot of lost information when translating the negative to an ink-jet print.

  5. #5

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    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    I know, I've done it with architectural interiors for years. But the idea behind HDR is to make it easier and more widespread. I guess what is making me uncomfortable about the image is seeing "too much."

    How many stops does an adjusted (not dialated) human eye see? I've always though we could see much more than the ten stop Zone System range, but now I am starting to wonder if we simply ignore a lot of the excess info and only see into the shadows and highlights selectively, when we make a subconcious choice...? Seeing "14-stops" really bothers me.

    For that matter, how many people really see the difference between Zone 0 and 1, and 9 and 10? Much less Zone -2 and Zone 12?

  6. #6

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    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    OK, nice postcard. How come it's a blue sky sunny day, with no directional light? What planet was that taken on?

  7. #7

    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    Donald,

    I'm not sure where your dynamic range information comes from. Digital sensors do not have the dynamic range of old slide film. That is a saying that is thrown around simply because highlights can be blown out with the same effect as slide film. In fact, modern day DSLRs have a dynamic range of between 9.5 & 10 stops. This is a pretty close match to color neg film. The idea behind HDR shots is to provide a range of between 14-15 stops. This can't be used for every target as it may not appear natural to the eye.

    Walter, HDR is NOT designed for film use from a single color negative for example. Scanning for shadows, midtones & highlights does not give the same effect from a single negative due to the limited dynamic range of the negative....approx 10 stops. Running multiple scans still leaves you with 10 stops, whether or not you are using HDR in CS2. The idea behind HDR is to make multiple exposures (5) with digital RAW files that are underexposed by 2 to 3 stops and over exposed by 2 to 3 stops.....with shots in the middle range as well. This gives you between 14 & 15 stops.

    This old idea of saying a digital sensor has a 5 to 7 stop dynamic range like slide film comes from people who don't know how to expose a scence to maintain highlights. This does not hold up under tests though.

  8. #8

    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    You hit the nail on the head Jim.

    It is possible to extract nominal portions of tonalities beyond what is considered to be a conventional "range" with conventional materials. See Barnbaums book The Art Of Photography.

    However, if you were to stand at this precise point and experience the situation for yourself it would still be beautiful. But it would not be bathed in the surreal.

    This technology is great if you want to sell vacations or cars, but that is where the buck stops for me. Present this as art and that is when I am heading for the door....

    Cheers!

  9. #9

    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    Jim,

    You can see the direction of the light in the rock straight ahead. The sun is towards the right. The lack of directional light on the person is probably because they are in the shadow of the trees and a cliff. However, I'll agree that this shot doesn't look that natural....mainly because we aren't used to seeing the compression of such a large dynamic range.

  10. #10
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
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    HDR High Dynamic Range Examples

    "Works very well when scanning too. It's not just for digital anymore (HA!)."

    This technique with color negatives does help some with a long dynamic range scene but it is hardly a panacaea. You are still stuck with the dynamic range of a color negative range as Dave says. Also flatbed scanners are generally not accurate enough to get two scans identical in size to precisely overlay, because of temperature differentials, slop in the gearing etc. Silverfast is attempting in its next release to upgrade its registration feature to help more with this.
    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

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