As we've been discussing HDRs here a bit lately, I figured I'd post a link to one I was working on last night.
This image was a 12,000 x 4,250 panorama made from 4 HDR images. I intended for there to be a 5th image, but I had trouble with some strong wind and a moving tree in the foreground.
This "print" has some ghosting and pixelation that I'd like to fix and will - either with local correction tools or a new attempt from the ground up with different "anti-ghosting" settings and approach.
I was also debating whether I should go black and white ... any thoughts on that?
Great job Jeremy! Talk about a workflow headache! I attempted a few tonemapped panos this summer so I feel your pain (mine weren't nearly as well done as yours). Are you still using Photomatix? It would be quite interesting to see what it would look like in B&W, various methods of conversion, etc.
I just finished a shoot in Turks and have shot a few 3 shot U/W series per your suggestion and will post an example if anything comes out. Pretty active surge on all the dives though so I am doubtful.
How many shots per and what EV steps did you use?
Great job Jeremy! Talk about a workflow headache! I attempted a few tonemapped panos this summer so I feel your pain (mine weren't nearly as well done as yours). Are you still using Photomatix? It would be quite interesting to see what it would look like in B&W, various methods of conversion, etc.
I just finished a shoot in Turks and have shot a few 3 shot U/W series per your suggestion and will post an example if anything comes out. Pretty active surge on all the dives though so I am doubtful.
How many shots per and what EV steps did you use?
Thanks! The workflow is a bit tedious ... I have been importing RAW to lightroom, exporting lightly processed TIFFs, using Photomatix to make the HDRs and then publishing to TIFF and stitching in CS3, reimporting into LR and doing a little touch up there before publishing to JPEG.
For this I shot 5 sets of 5 x 1EV exposures. The final image is 4 of those sets stitched together ... so 20 exposures all together.
I'm liking the color this morning more than I did last night ... I will play with B&W tonight ... and may start from the beginning and do 3 shot HDRs instead of 5 and trying the "high" sensitivity on the anti-ghosting stuff.
Very nice Jeremy; I like the color. I'd be surprised if I'd prefer B&W, as I don't think the lighting / time of day would lend it self to B&W, but hey if you've got time to play, why not.
Matthew, I'm headed to Sipadan in 3 weeks, and I'm hoping to find some protected reefs - maybe the house reef they speak of, to give underwater HDR a go. I have my Gorillapod in the bag already
Matthew, I'm headed to Sipadan in 3 weeks, and I'm hoping to find some protected reefs - maybe the house reef they speak of, to give underwater HDR a go. I have my Gorillapod in the bag already
Excellent! Will the GorillaPod support your system underwater? I'm in Grand Bahama right now holed up in a hotel room with what I am convinced is the Ebola virus, even though my dive buddy says it's just a cold. I'm hoping to get out tomorrow and do some HDR shots in quieter water. The 3 shot series from Turks were less than impressive due to post hurricane particulate & surge and the EV spacing.
I believe that UW, smaller spacing will give better results. The shots with 1 EV spacing just don't have any subtlety.
Excellent! Will the GorillaPod support your system underwater? I'm in Grand Bahama right now holed up in a hotel room with what I am convinced is the Ebola virus, even though my dive buddy says it's just a cold. I'm hoping to get out tomorrow and do some HDR shots in quieter water. The 3 shot series from Turks were less than impressive due to post hurricane particulate & surge and the EV spacing.
I believe that UW, smaller spacing will give better results. The shots with 1 EV spacing just don't have any subtlety.
I plan to play with it in the pool this weekend. I have the one that supports 6 pounds, so it should be OK. Hope your crud clears quickly!
I was also debating whether I should go black and white ... any thoughts on that?
Love the image and I am insanely in love with B & W images. It does have strong compositional elements that work for B & W. That said, I think you should stay with the color rendition. The warm graze helps draw the eye into the picture; otherwise I would suggest burning down the lighter foreground for a monochrome.
Nice photo, but wheres the fish?
B&W? I like it the way it is, but do play with the colour balance in the B&W image.
I plan to play with it in the pool this weekend. I have the one that supports 6 pounds, so it should be OK. Hope your crud clears quickly!
Ive been dragging a full sized cheapie aluminum tripod with me because I wasn't too sure that a gorillapod or other small tripod would play nice with an hyper buoyant 8" dome attached. It's not so much the weight as the imbalance from front to back that made me decide to go full size. So I have a vested interest in the outcome of your testing. I stopped down to visit Ryan at Reef Photo before hopping the boat to GB and picked up a Zen dome. Ryan says that it will not be nearly as front buoyant as the S&S acrylic, so a Gorillapod may just do the trick. Now there is a guy who has forgotten more about photography than most people will ever know. Really nice guy too.
Getting back to Jeremys' tonemapped pano, I think you may find some interesting and pleasant surprises converting this image. Since you are using LR, I would be interested as to what the program will make of the image in high contrast B&W.
I think I'm getting ready to leave the R&D phase and go into "production"with HDR imagery.
I like this one - and I think I've got the hang of going from LR->Photomatix->PS->LR.
The colors by my place in CT are just boomin' --->
Very nice Jeremy!
I think I'm getting ready to leave the R&D phase and go into "production"with HDR imagery.
I like this one - and I think I've got the hang of going from LR->Photomatix->PS->LR.
The colors by my place in CT are just boomin' --->
Love that shot.
As an aside was going to ask you and others, any good books on HDR that you would recommend? Getting close to breaking out the tripod and playing around, figured the fall colors will work well as you have shown.
I don't like the panorama that much. It looks like ...HDR i.e. artificial.
But that second one is great. It does not scream "HDR!".
Looks natural.
I tried some hdrs myself, but I'm not happy with them. They look weird, which fits only some subjects.
I don't like the panorama that much. It looks like ...HDR i.e. artificial.
But that second one is great. It does not scream "HDR!".
Looks natural.
I agree on the pano ... it is work in progress. I have been in the R&D phase since I got the D700 in June - but I think I have figured some important stuff out and will go back and try this pano and some other older attempts again.
The workflow for an HDR pano is tricky - but the real trick is getting good HDR conversions that don't look "weird". I think I'm on to something and will likely write a tutorial once I get it all 100% settled.
So ... Drew ... you'll have to wait until my book/tutorial comes out ...
So ... Drew ... you'll have to wait until my book/tutorial comes out ...
Tell the publisher you have a sale waiting in case it helps move things along. Cannot believe you have the D700 since June, time flies fast. It seems like you were considering just yesterday. Really like what you are doing with it....
I don't like the panorama that much. It looks like ...HDR i.e. artificial.
But that second one is great. It does not scream "HDR!".
Looks natural.
I tried some hdrs myself, but I'm not happy with them. They look weird, which fits only some subjects.
HDR is a technique like any other; with so many variables. I also do not think HDR works for every image.
Personally I think the goal of HDR should be to try to simulate within the restrictions of our non-HDR screens and prints, the effect that our HDR eyes perceived when we experienced the scene. I like your second image.
Ultimately only you can answer whether your HDR attempt has succeeded in this or not.
