How to shoot HDR photos (High Dynamic Range)

Recently I gave a presentation to our local photography club on how to shoot HDR Photography and inside the presentation was a section on the importance of using RAW image format. Not only is RAW important with HDR but RAW image format gives the photographer so much more control over their image color/exposure corrections.

View the presentation outline with some photos below or you can download a copy of the presentation in PDF format here: HDR Photography & RAW Presentation – Web

Download the resource sheet and links here: HDR Presentation – Resource Sheet

Bob Randklev

http://CyberInnovation.com

http://BobFoto.com

Bob@CyberInnovation.com

Today’s Presentation Goals

· Understanding HDR Photography

• Who, What, Where, When, Why

· Understanding RAW Image format

• Who, What, Where, When, Why

· Giving you the tools/ideas to go create HDR

What is HDR?

· High Dynamic Range = HDR (HDRI)

· Your eyes & brain can view more than the camera

· HDR is combining/ merging/blending multiple shots of the same scene into one final photo

· Take the best parts of each image to create a final image

When to take HDR?

· High contrast compositions

· Sunrise or sunset with shadows

· Mid-day shots!

· Architecture, landscapes, objects

· Items which generally don’t move

· Interior shots with sunlit windows

· Not for high motion shots

· Advanced HDR fixes with Photoshop

How to take HDR photos

· Tripod is almost a requirement!

· You have to take 3 or more photos of the same composition

o Under exposed, correct exposure, Over-Exposed

o Shadows, Mid-tones, Highlights

· Understanding the histogram is required or

· You have to understand exposure bracketing

HDR Gear

· Digital SLR is almost a requirement

o Point/shoot or range finder cameras generally don’t have

o Manual Mode

o Histogram…. ????

o AEB bracketing (Auto Exposure Bracketing)…. ????

o RAW format…???

· Tripod and a cable/wireless shutter release

· (Optional) Adobe Lightroom

· Photomatix HDR software

· Computer with some horsepower (XP or Vista)

How I shoot HDR

· Set my camera in manual mode

· Lock my ISO (take off auto)

· Setup your tripod, camera & cable release

· Take first corrected exposure and look at histogram

Understanding Histograms

· Histogram is all of the pixels in the photo

· If the image is a perfect bell, little need for HDR

· Generally the left and right sides will crop off

· Next Step: “Roll shutter wheel” or take our shutter speed down one full stop

Shadows -Step down 1-3 stops

· Roll your wheel to change shutter down one stop

· Take another photo, look at the histogram

· Roll down another stop, look at the histogram

· Continue until trailing edge is in the mid tones of the histogram

· You now have all the images for the shadows now we do the same for highlights

Highlights – Step up 1-3 stops

· Roll wheel back to first exposure and then roll up one full stop and take a photo

· Look at the histogram

· If you took 3 shots under exposed you’ll need 3 shots over exposed

o The first shot is a balanced shot per the camera

· Compose the first image and don’t look at any others… look at the histogram!

Photo shoot summary

· Now have 3-7 photos over/under exposed

· Import them to a folder on your computer

· DO NOT crop cut or edit the images in any way!

· Install and start up Photomatix

· Lightroom users can select the images and right click to export to Photomatix

HDR via Bracketing

· Easier way of getting multiple images

· Results may be less but still a good way to start

· May be an option for point/shoot or range finder cameras

· Setup bracketing in your camera settings,

o Click the shutter 3-5 times

o Results are 3-5 images over/middle/under exposed

Single image HDR

Pros

· HDR from one image

· Create virtual copies of a RAW image

· Change exposure plus/minus 1-2 stops

· Merge images in Photomatix

Cons

· Not suggested

· Lower quality

· Original RAW image may not have details needed

· IF you have an old image may be your only option?

RAW format vs. jpg

· All cameras shoot RAW (proprietary format)

o From point-shoot to SLR’s

· Cameras are computers

o Cameras process, color correct and compress RAW images into JPG files

· Why a 10mb camera creates 5mb JPG’s

· JPG – 256 shades of gray

· 12 bit RAW – 4,096 shades

· 14 bit RAW – 16,384 shades

RAW RULES!

Why would you let your camera do that?

· I prefer to see my images RAW and then AFTER my corrections convert to JPG

· I’ve spent a lot of $$ on my gear, time to take the photo, setup, software that I’m not going to let my camera compress and process my photos!

· I have RAW images from years ago that I thought were great but now with what I’ve learned in Photoshop I can go back and make them better!

Objections to RAW

· RAW images are bigger so you need bigger:

o Memory cards in the camera

o Bigger hard drives in your computer

o Faster USB 2.0 to transfer

o More computer memory to load

· Consumer – Prosumer – Professional

o Your gear, computer, cameras must match

“RAW creates an extra step” I don’t know where the extra step is?

· Take a photo

· Import from memory card to computer

· Manage in Lightroom, Photoshop or Picasa

· Crop/edit/color correct

· Export to printer, web, Facebook, Twitter etc.

The extra step must have something to do with multiple programs out of the camera box?

Adobe DNG format

· DNG stand for Digital Negative

· Adobe standard being adopted over the past few years

· RAW format from Canon, Nikon, Leica and others is proprietary

· DNG is universal to all

· Convert RAW to DNG and save around 25% disk space

Questions on RAW?

First photo

· First
“Center Exposure Shot”

· “Balanced Exposure”

1 stop under ….. 2 stops under

1 stop over……. 2 stops over

Lightroom users

· From within Lightroom choose the first image then shift-click the last image to choose the group

· Right click and export to Photomatix

· This automates the create HDR process and takes you right to tone mapping

Next choose your settings

· Generate HDR

· Go directly to Tone Mapping

· Align Images

· Auto re-import

· Stack

· Name

· 16 bit – TIFF

HDR image will look rough!

Tone Mapped image

Tone Adjustments in Photomatix

· I change very little in Photomatix

· Use Photoshop for levels/color correction

· I suggest you don’t change anything at first to test and experiment

· To the right is the softer more “life” like HDR

· To the left is more “grunge” like HDR

· I make my levels/curves adjustments in Photoshop

Creating the HDR in Photomatix

1. Open Photomatix

2. Click generate HDR

3. Choose the 3-7 RAW or JPG images we took previously

4. Merges best pixels together to create RAW HDR

5. Won’t look too good yet!

6. Save the HDR file but it’s big!

7. Try different tone mapping from here!

Photomatix – Stand Alone

Choose file

1. Browse to choose files

2. RAW or JPG

Set your options

Final Image

· After image processing is complete you can crop/cut, color correct etc..

· Advanced editing in Photoshop:

o Replace fluffy sky with single layer

o Replace moving flag in wind

o Replace water layer

Final Images

Summary of HDR Process

1. Shoot 3-7 images 1 -2 stops apart

2. Tripod mounted (no movement)

3. RAW format

4. Import into Lightroom / Photoshop

5. Highlight images/export to Photomatix

6. Create HDR and save as TIFF back in LR

7. Stack all your images together in LR

8. Advanced editing in LR or Photoshop

HDR Resources Photography Resource Links:

Photomatix HDR Software: $99 (15% off link below)
Purchase HDR Software here: http://bit.ly/lapc15 enter bobfoto15 to get 15% discount
Trial Download: http://bit.ly/lapc-demo try HDR software for free and purchase later
Adobe Lightroom: $299 Photoshop Elements: $89

http://Adobe.com
NAPP – National Association of Photoshop Professionals – $120 annually
http://bit.ly/CyberNAPP
Adobe Photoshop CS4: $99 downloads only:
www.easy-software-store.com
Online Photography and software training: $25 per month
http://Lynda.com
Resources on High Dynamic Range photography
http://www.hdrsoft.com/resources/index.html

› References
FAQ on HDR images for photography
List of Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) settings by camera model.
› Online articles and tutorials
HDR and Tonemapping: Series of articles on HDR imaging techniques for photographers.  HDR Tutorial from artist Trey Ratcliff.
Beginner’s Guide to HDR
RAW HDR Processing: Using HDR techniques with a single RAW file (note: for most scenes, it is still highly recommended to take more than one exposure).
Photomatix Pro tutorial by Ferrell McCollough, author of the “Complete guide to High Dynamic Range digital photography” book.
How to create ‘High Dynamic Range’ images using Photomatix by Pete Carr.
Tone Mapping in Photomatix and other HDR tutorials.
High Dynamic Range digital photography: Well documented article published in the Royal Photographic Society Journal, November 2006.
HDR Landscape Photography Tutorial: very comprehensive article covering both theoretical and practical aspects of HDR photography.
› DVD/Video
HDR Mastery: Ben Willmore’s online class made into a DVD, showing step-by-step how to master HDR imaging.
HDR and Photoshop: Colin Smith’s guide to the world of HDR – 2 1/2 hours video of HDR and Photoshop CS3 Training.
HDR Photography Made Easy: Tony Sweet shows all the steps in capturing and processing HDR images.
› Books
Complete guide to High Dynamic Range digital photography by Ferrell McCollough: beautifully illustrated and practically oriented guide, including many technical advices you will not find anywhere else.
Mastering HDR Photography by Michael Freeman: well documented and researched book, covering essential elements of HDR and tonemapping, illustrating theory with practical examples, and including case studies.
The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists by Christian Bloch.
› Equipment
Promote Control: advanced bracketing control for DSLRs. Particularly useful for HDR time-lapse and for cameras that have limited bracketing options.
› Mailing list
HDR-photo list: discussions on High Dynamic Range photography, from capture of HDR scenes, to processing, display and tone mapping of HDR images.
HDR Software Yahoo Group: group designed to help photographers and graphic designers understand and either share their knowledge or gain knowledge from others in the use HDR Software

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