Great HDR Images

[JulieM]

For those of you interested in HDR, here is a link to 35 Fantastic HDR Pictures (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/03/10/35-fantastic-hdr-pictures/). Really great stuff!

[billz]

Good find Julie ... thank you!

Bill

[sosdog]

Those are great pictures. they say that it is the way the picture are suppose to look not fake or surreal.But I personally like that look.

[lisabee]

thanks for the link Julie, there are some fab shots in there, I love the skies and the orange toned shots :)

Lisa

[kevq]

Julie,
thanks for the link, beautiful images!
Kev.

[christellf]

Awesome looking photos. Here is one of the links at bottom that give more of explanation of how they are done.
http://www.cre-aid.nl/2006/06/13/hdr-high-dynamic-range-workshop/
Now I need to take the time to try it out.
Christell

[JulieM]

Hi Christell,

Thanks for giving that link.

Here are a couple more sites with excellent HDR examples, tutorials, and coupon codes for discounts on Photomatix:

Before the Coffee (http://beforethecoffee.wordpress.com/photomatix-tutorial/)

Stuck in Customs (http://stuckincustoms.com/)

If you are a NAPP member, you can get Photomatix for 20% off.

[Joe M]

What is this HDR you speak of?

Just kidding, they are beautiful images Julie. Seeing images like that is what inspired me to give HDR a try.

Here is one I took yesterday. This was a hard image to process. When I got most of the image to look the way I wanted in Photomatix the sky looked like crap. So I processed it twice, once for the wood and stone, and once for the sky. I then combined them in PS.


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/14zG58GatMIPkqheBQYe57MidMHv1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=14zG58GatMIPkqheBQYe57MidMHv1)

[JulieM]

What is this HDR you speak of?

Just kidding, they are beautiful images Julie. Seeing images like that is what inspired me to give HDR a try.

Here is one I took yesterday. This was a hard image to process. When I got most of the image to look the way I wanted in Photomatix the sky looked like crap. So I processed it twice, once for the wood and stone, and once for the sky. I then combined them in PS.


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/14zG58GatMIPkqheBQYe57MidMHv1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=14zG58GatMIPkqheBQYe57MidMHv1)

Sorry, Joe! :o Now, I feel bad!

Before I slink away, let me just say that your water wheel image is very cool. I love how the technique 'finds' blues and greens that you might not notice otherwise.

[Joe M]

Julie I was joking, a joke, it was a joke.

A lot of people use HDR on sprawling landscapes and it does look good. But it can look good on images like this also. As you said, I think it finds colors, shades of color, and nooks and crannies you don't find by taking a single exposure.

I am going to take this photo again when the sun isn't so harsh. Either on a cloudy day or when the sun is setting. I think it will turn out to be a much better image. This old mill offers a lot of picture taking opportunities, so you will see it again.

[Ellen]

Thanks for those links Julie, I'd seen stuck in customs from a link you put in your gallery. I love the look. Is printing hdr images any different or does the limitations of the dynamic range of cameras not exist in printers?

[JulieM]

Ellen,

I've been wondering the same thing. I haven't tried to print any of the stuff I've tried. Maybe Joe as our resident HDR expert will have some experience with that...

[Joe M]

Thanks for those links Julie, I'd seen stuck in customs from a link you put in your gallery. I love the look. Is printing hdr images any different or does the limitations of the dynamic range of cameras not exist in printers?

Ellen the HDR images print much better than they look online or even on the computer. I've printed some on my home printer that look great. I recently did a photobook from Shutterfly with a bunch of HDR images and they looked fantastic.

I don't know the technical details of why they look better in print. It may be the printing actually has more of a dynamic range than our computer monitors.

[aggsys]

I have just started playing with HDR and love the technique and results. Living in Florida, I tend to take a lot of sunset photos over water and HDR seems to really help make the photos POP. I just posted a thread on one I did tonight to get some feedback since I am new to HDR processing so hopefully, Joe, you can take a look and help me improve this really cool way to show photos.

Later...