Perspective on HDR

Can you send me an original TIFF of the leaf? I'd like to play with it.

Sure ... they are obviously huge, so I'll put it on senduit. Which file do you want exactly?

is your email on your profile? PM me otherwise.

These are Jeremy's pictures loaded consecutively into ColorThink for gamut analysis and plotted with an sRGB frame overlay. First the sRGB original TIFF, then the sRGB HDR, then the ProPhoto original TIFF followed by the ProPhoto HDR.

Clearly taking an out of gamut image to start and then doing HDR results in even more out of gamut information when you try to view it again on an sRGB monitor. Just another pitfall with HDR and I thank Jeremy for pointing it out.

Two things I take from this; do an out of gamut check before doing HDR if using Prophoto or AdobeRGB and convert to sRGB first if there are significant areas outside of the sRGB gamut - at least for web use

For printing HDR it may be important to look carefully at your printer / paper profile and checking gamut issues when choosing and then using AdobeRGB or sRGB most of the time.

With present output devices, it may be more trouble than it's worth to use Prophoto at all.

Thanks so much, Jeff! I would be lying if I said we hadn't crossed the boundary of my knowledge of digital color ... but I'll process all this information in good time

What is also interesting is that when I load the PhotoPro TIFF into CS3, it gives no out of gamut warnings ... but the final tone-mapped image does.

I'm gonna create the 32 bit images in CS3 and see what happens.

Thanks so much, Jeff! I would be lying if I said we hadn't crossed the boundary of my knowledge of digital color ... but I'll process all this information in good time

 

What is also interesting is that when I load the PhotoPro TIFF into CS3, it gives no out of gamut warnings ... but the final tone-mapped image does.

 

I'm gonna create the 32 bit images in CS3 and see what happens.

The Gamut warning will show out of gamut only if your Proof Setup is for a more restrictive gamut than your ProphotoTIFF. Most likely the original TIFF even though in Prophoto is still within your Proof Setup choice, but then when you do the HDR there is just too much information outside of your Proof Setup Gamut.

The Gamut warning will show out of gamut only if your Proof Setup is for a more restrictive gamut than your ProphotoTIFF. Most likely the original TIFF even though in Prophoto is still within your Proof Setup choice, but then when you do the HDR there is just too much information outside of your Proof Setup Gamut.

I was being following your interesting discussion about HDR and the different program to process it.

Diving on the CHDK forum, i found a free program to process HDR images, and the developer says that this sofware don't make any maping of tones.

I'm not an expert like you guys to find out if this software give a better result or no, may be you can compare.

You can find the software here:

Zero Noise Download

Hope it helps to your discussion.

Luis

Interesting ... I'm not 100% sure, but it looks like this program may do what the Photomatix application calls "Exposure Blending" as opposed to one of the other methods they call "Details Enhancement".

Photomatix can also do the "exposure blending" kind of combinations - which (as I understand) can reduce noise, whereas "Details Enhancement" tends to exagerate noise.

The CHDK app can also combine multiple exposures as well to reduce noise ... I've seen a few outrageaously clean looking images that started out as a set of noisy RAW Powershot images.

Thanks for the tip!

Great post and extremely informative. Thanks.

I would absolutely agree that using sRGB for anything monitor related makes absolute sense. For print output, I use Adobe 98 because the better 8 to 10 ink inkjet printers now on the market can accommodate the color space, assuming something like a photo glossy paper. That is why it is so important to have accurate .icc profiles for the printer and paper you are targeting for final output.

This reminds me of my early college days when I worked as a grunt engineering assistant at GRP records. We were making the switch to an all digital studio and had just received a new bazillion dollar 36 track mixing console from Neve. The chief engineer turned to me one evening while we were entangled in 5 miles of new cabling and said, "all this and in the end its going to come out of a 3" sunburnt car speaker".

So true, professor!

Jeff & Jeremy

First off make sure I do not EVER go into a thread where you guys are discussing D700s, I started playing around with HDR a few months back and went and got the book Jeff recommended, bought Photomatix Pro, about to probably will get AutoPan program (played with that a bit) and started shooting. I think in August in San Diego I started paying a bit more attention to trying to get HDR. Mostly hand held at the time, but it really is addictive working with this.

Anyway one of the series I got (From Upper Left, Original Exposure (I usually step down 1/3 or so), UR Under, LL Over, LR the HDR) - actually did this one off the JPGs and will go back to try the RAW and some more fine tuning and get a better handle the ins and outs of the programs.

I think this nicely demonstrates that HDR is not just a gimmick, with a very 'normal' looking picture that exhibits a tonal range that's difficult to achieve with any single exposure. It is addicting, no question.

I think this nicely demonstrates that HDR is not just a gimmick, with a very 'normal' looking picture that exhibits a tonal range that's difficult to achieve with any single exposure. It is addicting, no question.

Still have many to go through at this time and the Taj is something different, at least the day we were there (some shots looked surreal right out of the camera), but shot many shots and thought of you and Jeremy often

Still have many to go through at this time and the Taj is something different, at least the day we were there (some shots looked surreal right out of the camera), but shot many shots and thought of you and Jeremy often

 

Wow ... sadly, I was in India all those times and never made it to the Taj (or anywhere cool, to tell the truth) ... two trips planned, both canceled for bad reasons (in hindsight).

My dream HDR locale is Rome I think ... you could get some insane stuff in the Vatican.

You should come into town with your laptop and we can have a one-on-one HDR processing session at the bar.

Wow ... sadly, I was in India all those times and never made it to the Taj (or anywhere cool, to tell the truth) ... two trips planned, both canceled for bad reasons (in hindsight).

 

My dream HDR locale is Rome I think ... you could get some insane stuff in the Vatican.

 

You should come into town with your laptop and we can have a one-on-one HDR processing session at the bar.

I was determined to make the Taj no matter what and was able to pull it off the last day. Came up through the south, two plane flights back to Dehli. Then a car trip to Agra (wound up abo0ut 6 hours with traffic). Got to Agra about 11:00PM or so. Got up the next day pretty early and spent about 3 hours plus at the Taj, then went to the fort. Then back into the car for a trip back to the airport, about 6 hours again with traffic and onto the planee for 14 hour ride home But it was worth it. Took tons of shots and will have to wind through them all. Pretty much each shot was 3 shots for the HDR, burned through the cards quickly that way.

The Vatican would be cool, as would many things in Europe. Wish I had a digital camera way back when on the first trip through Europe, but of course no digital back then. The EXIF data woulld be great, but I have sheets and sheets of slides with post-its of information. I really need to get a scanner at some point and get all my slides onto th computer.

The HDR session sounds like a good one, still getting back in the groove of being home but it would be fun. (Is it too geeky to sit in a bar with a computer and work on photos?)

(Is it too geeky to sit in a bar with a computer and work on photos?)

That would be a definite Yes. Unless they are the kind of images that draw the nice looking women over to see what you are doing. But in your case, your beautiful wife might not appreciate the adoring fans.

Steve

That would be a definite Yes. Unless they are the kind of images that draw the nice looking women over to see what you are doing. But in your case, your beautiful wife might not appreciate the adoring fans.

 

Steve

I always defer to your judgment Mr. Williams, so what photos should Jeremy and I load up to ensure the results you have described?

As to my wife, she is used to my adoring fans, but somehow she keeps on thinking the fans are only in my mind for some reason.

Ok, twist my arm ... let's just get some drinks and talk sh*t.

so what photos should Jeremy and I load up to ensure the results you have described?

Fortunately for your marital bliss that must remain proprietary information. Besides, I think Jeremy wants to talk about HDR stuff some more.

Steve

The caymans was my first trip trying hdr. I feel these often look too photoshopped even if they arent

anther same beach

Very nice pics Vazuw. I am just getting into the HDR scene and am enjoying it. Ive never been one to spend much time on the editing end, but this certainly requires the attention...and yes it is addicting. I just purchased PhotoMatix to play with so will hopefully have some pics to share soon.

Here's a couple from this weekend.

This one is a true, multi-exposure HDR image:

This one was "faked" by taking three different conversions from the same RAW file and compositing them into an HDR image. Following the HDR conversion, the resulting image was blended with the 0 EV image in PS.