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Posted on 04/07/08 12:55:32 PM |
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michael sinclair
Off-Topic Opportunist Posts: 1869 Reply  |
Before and after
The first two shots show the before and after view in which the afterview has not only had the sky, and cornfields selected but has had poppies added seamlessly. The second set shows, again, the untouched original and the afterview of "photoshopped" ripened wheat--like a cornfield in Nebraska. 
Sorry about the small size (protecting my work), but click on these link for the usual standard1024 X 768 size: http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/sinclair97/GlasshamptonEditMaster4_1629.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/sinclair97/CornPoppyClump.jpg 
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Posted on 04/07/08 4:25:26 PM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Before and after
Nice work Michael Nick |
Posted on 04/07/08 8:36:22 PM |
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Paul 2007 thru 2010
Lego Legend Posts: 361 Reply |
Re: Before and after
I'm not sure what the purpose of this thread is. I presume you are open to criticism?
On the second photo I like the ripened colour. It makes the picture look more interesting to me and it's given it some warmth. Of course the wheat is still in it's unripend state, but the change in colour is great. On the first image your after version there is something a little incongruous. The lighting of the picture doesn't seem (to me) to match that which one would expect to come from the sky. The trees in the far distance seem to be hazy yet the sun is hidden behind clouds. Maybe it's because it seems like an impossible exposure. I'm sure if I took a photo like that and exposed for the field the sky would be burnt out. I've never got the hang of HDR photos. |
Posted on 05/07/08 04:09:41 AM |
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Luis
Six-String Synthesist Posts: 236 Reply  |
Re: Before and after
I think you did a good job. The one thing that I'm not sure about is the poppies in both after shots. To me, they appear to be to bright.
What are HDR Photos? Luis |
Posted on 05/07/08 10:57:22 AM |
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David Asch
Tech Support Posts: 1913 Reply  |
Re: Before and after
In a nutshell, HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos are perfectly balanced exposures. Normally, when you take a photo you have to expose for the sky so it it doesn't get blown out but that makes the land too dark or the other way round. HDR merges two or more images to get everything looking right.
_________________ It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays |
Posted on 05/07/08 11:34:27 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply |
Re: Before and after
Just to build on what Davis has said, multiple exposures, usually 2 stops apart are combined in special software, like photomatix Pro. The images are brought in and produce a full toned image. The magic part happens in the tonemapping stage. I'm very new to this, so the image below is from a real beginner, but I thought it would be useful to demonstrate what can be achieved. This is a RAW image shot on a very dull afternoon.  |
Posted on 05/07/08 11:36:27 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply |
Re: Before and after
And here is the HDR Four exposures were used, + 1 stop, Flat, - 1 stop, - 2 stops. As said, still learning. Some images seem to work better than others. If anyone has any sound advice, then please share! Nick  |
Posted on 05/07/08 12:22:18 PM |
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Luis
Six-String Synthesist Posts: 236 Reply |
Re: Before and after
Thanks David and Nick for the info on HDR. I was never clear about this subject before. Michael, the shots you took are exmaples of HDR? Before I wrote my first comment, I thought you use something like Levels or Curves in photoshop to lighten the scene. If I'm wrong, Sorry about that. Luis |
Posted on 11/07/08 6:04:19 PM |
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Babybiker
Shadow Spectaculator Posts: 151 Reply  |
Re: Before and after
There are some examples of HDR in this month's UK edition of Digital Camera Magazine (p64). After reading about it, and not quite understanding it, I thought I should come back to the font of knowledge! It seems quite a new technique(?) and from what I have read is a great way of emphasising shadows, mids and highlights, without any loss of quality. There is a great shot of a Scottish castle taken at night, but all lit up, in the magazine, that shows how HDR can be utilised. Obviously a tripod and remote are essential, as all the shots to be combined must be perfectly framed. Any idea how much the software is, and can similar effects be achieved just using Photoshop and blending layers? I'm off to Oslo this weekend (with the camera of course) so if the opportunity arises, I might have to take the various shots needed to create an HDR pic for when I get back... now subject matter - Steve's clock from Ackerbrigger Harbour, or perhaps the front of the University? (Steve - were the statues of the reclining ladies still next to the clock? If so, did you get any pics? they would make a Great Friday Challenge)
BB |
Posted on 31/07/08 3:54:23 PM |
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Pete
Body Booster Posts: 121 Reply  |
Re: Before and after
A good resource is the HDRi Handbook: (http://www.hdrlabs.com/news/index.php) Some good software is photomatix (http://www.hdrsoft.com/), it's pretty popular with photographers. It's pretty good at merging and tonemapping. Then you can save as a 16bit tiff and play with the image in photoshop. I've had a bit of a play with HDR with mixed results (mainly because my nikon D40 won't do automatic exposure braketing, a nightmare when getting the shots to line up). My first attempt was this picture of the view from my house, I wasn't too happy with the results but without HDR there would have been no way to get the light from inside the building, so I think it is a quite good example.  |
Posted on 31/07/08 4:01:16 PM |
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Pete
Body Booster Posts: 121 Reply |
Re: Before and after
Sorry nick, I didn't mean to repeat the photomatix reference. Babybiker, you can do it in CS3, but I've found the tonemapping (bringing the picture from High dynamic range back to a visible/displayable low dynamic range) is easier in photomatix. |