My first attempt at HDR

drodd

drodd

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Dawn
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Hiya

I have finally taken the plunge and thought I would try my hand at a bit of HDR. I must say this is all very new to me, having only ever delved into the very basic of post processing.

But I now have my grubby little paws on Lightroom 3 and Photomatix so who knows what I will be capable of doing now :LOL:

I'm still a firm believer in aiming to get the photo right at time of taking it, but the end result is not always as I saw it, so I suppose this is where some pp helps.

Last week Sunday I attended the TP Landscape meet in Kirkby Lonsdale and learned a lot from fellow members.

I took this particular photo with the intention of using it to process as HDR (I used 3 captures, 1 under-exposed, 1 standard, 1 over-exposed). This was all a learning curve for me and a big thank you to Paul (Pork) for his advice about how to do this.

So here goes (my radical move towards HDR and what a better subject than Radical Steps) .......

4779593229_4118365d11_b.jpg


Please let me know what you think, both positive or negative, be as harsh as you have to be because I want to learn from this starting point.

Thanks for looking and any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

D :)

I would like to say a very special big :ty: to Jon (Hepburn) for the 2 hour telephone guided tour of Lightroom and Photomatix. You are an absolute gem and a very good tutor (and very patient with me) :clap:
 
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I like the composition and the overall feel of the shot
But I think the green foliage on the right has been overcooked and a bit too green, maybe tone down the saturation for that bit if possible???
 
Sorry Dawn this just doesn't work for me at all. Way to over processed IMHO. The halo around the house and the bushes is a real no-no.
 
Go's off to get sunglasses.....
















I've done a few when I went to the lake district meet, it's all personal taste. I prefer the ones that don't look too over done, I think yours is a little too much for me. This one was taken with 7 images.


And stop looking at my bum or the wife won't let me out again ;)
 
Chris G said:
I like the composition and the overall feel of the shot
But I think the green foliage on the right has been overcooked and a bit too green, maybe tone down the saturation for that bit if possible???
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Thanks Chris for your feedback. I will see if I can tone down the saturation.

Kemble3 said:
Sorry Dawn this just doesn't work for me at all. Way to over processed IMHO. The halo around the house and the bushes is a real no-no.
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Ok Ian, thanks for your comments. As this was my first attempt I will have to revisit it. The halo around the house bugged me too. I will have another play.

D :)
 
foggy4ever said:
Go's off to get sunglasses.....

I've done a few when I went to the lake district meet, it's all personal taste. I prefer the ones that don't look too over done, I think yours is a little too much for me. This one was taken with 7 images.

And stop looking at my bum or the wife won't let me out again ;)
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Hiya Scott, sorry I should have put a WARNING :cool: needed to view this one.

I like your photo, that is great (y)

Not sure what you are on about in your last statement :thinking: You have me confused with someone else :LOL:

Thanks for you comments though, I will have another go and hopefully improve the photo.

Cheers

D :)
 
That would be interesting to shoot when it's just rained. But yes I think the greens are too much. Interesting are to shoot though.
 
horrocks said:
Dawn, it seems to be a rite of passage with HDR that we all go a bit wild with the saturation slider when we first use it. It really pays to be subtle with this technique.
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Indeed, thanks for the tip. I am doing a rework on this at the moment. Will post latest as soon as I can.

D :)
 
Dawn,
There's a halo around the building and wall top left, the greens are too vibrant for my taste and I have to agree with horrocks about it being a rite of passion with HDR we've all been there.

I think you'll find with time time that little and subtle come into play with HDR shots. But not bad for a first attempt.

Mick
 
Hi Dawn

Am always experimenting with HDR myself and, as already mentioned, people either love it or hate it. (It's always going to be down to personal opinion - but doesn't that apply to every photo anyway?) A work colleague absolutely hates the HDR stuff I produce. That said, last week I sold two copies of what she always considered to be a particular bad example - go figure! :shrug:

Would agree with Ian that the halo points to a bit of overcooking. The greens are a little OTT. If you were producing it for me, I'd ask you to be a little more subtle with the saturation. (But maybe that's not what you were looking to do. ;))

You're obviously enjoying messing about with Photomatix. Just keep doing that until you find the effect you're looking for! Enjoy.
 
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jpwild said:
That would be interesting to shoot when it's just rained. But yes I think the greens are too much. Interesting are to shoot though.
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It lashed it down shortly after taking the photo, typical. Looking at it again I can see the green is too harsh. Green is my favourite colour so what I perhaps need to do is put my personal preferences aside and start to look through the eyes of the viewer and what would be appealing to them.

Thanks

D :)
 
mickd300 said:
Dawn,
There's a halo around the building and wall top left, the greens are too vibrant for my taste and I have to agree with horrocks about it being a rite of passion with HDR we've all been there.

I think you'll find with time time that little and subtle come into play with HDR shots. But not bad for a first attempt.

Mick
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Hiya Mick,

Thanks for the feedback. I noticed the halo around the building, wall and bush on the right, but I just don't seem to be able to get rid of it (perhaps because of my lack of experience using these processing packages). Any suggestions on what I might be able to do to try to remove them?

I'm so glad to be getting feedback from people, the more critical the better because that is how I learn. I'm so glad that this wasn't a perfect first attempt because I wouldn't have anything to aim for otherwise. :LOL:

Thanks for your encouragement by saying that it is not a bad first attempt.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Tommo B said:
Hi Dawn

Am always experimenting with HDR myself and, as already mentioned, people either love it or hate it. (It's always going to be down to personal opinion - but doesn't that apply to every photo anyway?) A work colleague absolutely hates the HDR stuff I produce. That said, last week I sold two copies of what she always considered to be a particular bad example - go figure! :shrug:

Would agree with Ian that the halo points to a bit of overcooking. The greens are a little OTT. If you were producing it for me, I'd ask you to be a little more subtle with the saturation. (But maybe that's not what you were looking to do. ;))

You're obviously enjoying messing about with Photomatix. Just keep doing that until you find the effect you're looking for! Enjoy.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom for your input. This HDR process is something I was never too keen on viewing either, but heyho, strange things happen and I thought why not give it a go.

I have enjoyed my little play with the photo today and I am looking forward to doing more of this type of processing, and yes with practice it will improve. One thing it is teaching me is about all the various control levels, i.e., saturation, highlight, shadow, tones, etc which I am sure will all transfer to my whole photography experience when actually taking the photos.

Thanks

Dawn :)
 
drodd said:
I would like to say a very special big :ty: to Jon (Hepburn) for the 2 hour telephone guided tour of Lightroom and Photomatix. You are an absolute gem and a very good tutor (and very patient with me) :clap:
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Thank you :) You're always welcome Dawn.

I think I would re-iterate what has already been said, which is subtle subtle subtle... Halos are also a no-no. You'll get the hang of it in time :)

As for other crit.. hmm... well I think you really didn't process the steps warning sign very well, as it's missing some letters now :shrug: :LOL:

:exit:
 
hepburn said:
Thank you :) You're always welcome Dawn.

I think I would re-iterate what has already been said, which is subtle subtle subtle... Halos are also a no-no. You'll get the hang of it in time :)

As for other crit.. hmm... well I think you really didn't process the steps warning sign very well, as it's missing some letters now :shrug: :LOL:

:exit:
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Cheers Heps, I am working on the 'subtle', but as for the halo, not having any joy there :shrug:

As for the missing letters ...... what can I say, do you think I can edit them in? :LOL:

D :)
 
Dawn,
I assume you still have the original files? The only way is to start again from scratch.
Mick
 
mickd300 said:
Dawn,
I assume you still have the original files? The only way is to start again from scratch.
Mick
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Yes Mick, I have the original files, so am doing round 2, I will post the hopefully improved version soon.

D :)
 
The Halo is an annoying problem but can be reduced by following the following steps according to the Photomatrix site:-


How do I reduce/eliminate "halo" effects with tone mapping?

Increasing the value of the Highlights Smoothness setting (under the "miscellaneous" section) is useful for reducing halos around objects placed against bright backgrounds. The other adjustments that may help are lowering the Strength and/or increasing the value of the Smoothing setting.
An easier way to avoid halo artifacts is to either use the Tone Compressor method for tone mapping your image, or to process your bracketed photos with Exposure Fusion using the 'Adjust' method. The latter is particularly recommended if you are looking for natural-looking results.

Carl
 
Carl911 said:
The Halo is an annoying problem but can be reduced by following the following steps according to the Photomatrix site:-


How do I reduce/eliminate "halo" effects with tone mapping?

Increasing the value of the Highlights Smoothness setting (under the "miscellaneous" section) is useful for reducing halos around objects placed against bright backgrounds. The other adjustments that may help are lowering the Strength and/or increasing the value of the Smoothing setting.
An easier way to avoid halo artifacts is to either use the Tone Compressor method for tone mapping your image, or to process your bracketed photos with Exposure Fusion using the 'Adjust' method. The latter is particularly recommended if you are looking for natural-looking results.

Carl
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Hi Carl

Thanks for the information, I will try that.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread, with c&c, advice/tips and info.

I have now had time to re-work this and here is my 2nd attempt. I hope it is a marked improvement on the first .......

4780246607_109294edc6_b.jpg


Once again, any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Dawn :)

P.S. I won't be beat by this HDR processing and will continue to work at it :banana:
 
It doesn't look HDR so that's a start, can you post the image that was exposed correctly for comparison to see what details have been brought out.
 
I quite like the saturation, maybe a little overcooked and that grey sky isn't very nice, a blue one would have given the shot more dynamicity, lovely composition though.
 
foggy4ever said:
It doesn't look HDR so that's a start, can you post the image that was exposed correctly for comparison to see what details have been brought out.
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Okie dokie, give me a mo and I will post the original.

If you want I will post all 3 exposures and you can have a go if you like, then I can get an idea of what I should be working towards (I would appreciate that).

Cheers

D :)

Thanks for the PM, I have emailed the 3 files to you.
 
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Graham00 said:
I quite like the saturation, maybe a little overcooked and that grey sky isn't very nice, a blue one would have given the shot more dynamicity, lovely composition though.
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Hiya, thanks for your comments.

I have really had a battle with this today, but I persevere in my learning experience.

It was a very overcast day and didn't really have much choice as to the sky, maybe a filter would help? :shrug:

At least I have got the compsition right though, so that is a step in the right direction :)

If you want to have a go with them, send me a PM with your email addy and I will send the files to you (tell me if you want the RAW or JPG files). You are welcome to have a go if you like.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
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Hi Dawn, your second re-worked shot it miles better, and far less overcooked. Looks far more realistic. I don’t think you can do much with the sky as it was such a pure white. Unless you want to clone / replace it that is! Good on you for sticking with it. (y)
 
Pork said:
Hi Dawn, your second re-worked shot it miles better, and far less overcooked. Looks far more realistic. I don’t think you can do much with the sky as it was such a pure white. Unless you want to clone / replace it that is! Good on you for sticking with it. (y)
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Hiya Paul, thanks. Looking at the two photos I can see now how the first was over-cooked.

If anyone should know what it was like, you will because you were there to help me set up the camera. Thanks for helping me and teaching me about AEB.

I was also thinking that maybe if I had metered to compensate for the bright sky (like the way you showed me when I took the photo of the church) that may have helped this photo. What do you think?

Perhaps if I had also used an ND grad filter, that may have also been better.

I think I may have to visit there again to get another shot at it. Would be interesting to see what I can get next time. I might take a trip up there when Reuben is away on holiday.

I often go back to the same place to take photos of the same scene, it is all part of the learning experience (that way I can compare apples with apples).

Look forward to meeting up soon.

Take care

Dawn :)
 
:wave:

Metering to include the sky would have made do difference Dawn, as it was a pure white. You have done a good job with the second HDR as you have a uniformed darker sky. (y)

A ND grad would have made no difference to this sky as the graduated affect of the filter would have affected ALL the top of the pic, ie the house, wall and trees would have been darkened too. :thumbsdown:

Cheers
Paul :)
 
Pork said:
:wave:

Metering to include the sky would have made do difference Dawn, as it was a pure white. You have done a good job with the second HDR as you have a uniformed darker sky. (y)

A ND grad would have made no difference to this sky as the graduated affect of the filter would have affected ALL the top of the pic, ie the house, wall and trees would have been darkened too. :thumbsdown:

Cheers
Paul :)
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Paul, thanks for that, see I still have loads to learn :)

D :)
 
Way better Dawn. Well done for working through it.

When I look at the colour HDR images that I posted on here a year ago, I am absolutely horrified. At the time I thought they were quite good!

I have changed my PP a lot since then, and have reworked some of my earlier shots using Nik software. I tend to use the original HDR images as a reference, and see how I can gain the same advantages without using the HDR software at all, particularly with B&W. Having said, I still find there are some shots that need work in both HDR and then Nik/CS4. It is a useful technology, but I think that most of us find that we pull it right back once we are through the novelty.
 
Your second image is much much better. As with all things to do with Photoshop and Photomatix it's practice practice and more practice.

Excellent try and keep going, you'll get there in the end.
Mick
 
horrocks said:
Way better Dawn. Well done for working through it.

When I look at the colour HDR images that I posted on here a year ago, I am absolutely horrified. At the time I thought they were quite good!

I have changed my PP a lot since then, and have reworked some of my earlier shots using Nik software. I tend to use the original HDR images as a reference, and see how I can gain the same advantages without using the HDR software at all, particularly with B&W. Having said, I still find there are some shots that need work in both HDR and then Nik/CS4. It is a useful technology, but I think that most of us find that we pull it right back once we are through the novelty.
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Thanks Toby, i spent literally the whole day yesterday working and learning Lightroom and Photomatix and playing about with HDR. By the end of the day I was goggle eyed :LOL:

Good tip about keeping the original HDR image as a reference, I will keep that in mind on my journey to HDR processing. The bug has bitten and I look forward to doing more of this type of processing. I'm sure the novelty will wear off eventually but for now I am going to enjoy it.

mickd300 said:
Your second image is much much better. As with all things to do with Photoshop and Photomatix it's practice practice and more practice.

Excellent try and keep going, you'll get there in the end.
Mick
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Thanks Mick, I had a lot of help from Jon (Hepburn) he was a star yesterday helping me learn about Lightroom & Potomatix and HDR processing for which I am very greatful.

Now I'm off to to do more practice :D

Cheers

D :)
 
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