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HDR photograph. What am I doing wrong/right?

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Mike Duncan

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Hi all,

I've been wanting to try an HDR photo for a while, but I just can't seem to get one that looks decent. I've tried to do it in Photoshop CS2, but they come out horribly.

So, I downloaded the trial of Photomatix to give it a shot (I haven't bought it yet, so that's why there's still a watermark on this picture.

Can you give me some advice on what I'm doing right and wrong, and what you think about this picture? I was in Kyoto and the clouds were really nice looking so I figured it'd be a good chance to give HDR a shot.

Here is my attempt at HDR. The photo is of Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto.

 
It was a -+ 2 exposure bracket (3 pictures total). I have a Digital Rebel XT, so I just used the auto-exposure bracketing from the camera
 
You've got a great composition but you need to totally dial back the saturation on this. Also, using the "white sample" tool in the curves window of Photoshop would help set the white point. It's a good start.

This is a perfect example of what these HDR programs due quite often. I've been taking bracketed shots for years and I don't use a set program. I make sure I do it all by hand. No software is smart enough to figure out what is right and what is wrong.

Sure you can get some lucky shots that work well, but I find these tend to be only overcast days with a lot of clouds and shadows.

The problem here, if you want to continue to use this program, is lack of any real contrast and the sky is WAY too bright.

I spent 2 minutes and brought this back to somewhat of a normal state doing what I mentioned above.

I think you'll find that decreasing your saturation will help a lot on this photo.

I also want to say that what I've done isn't a great job or much time spent on it. However it would be best if you avoided these programs in my opinion. You've got the photos there. Try to learn image masks and overlays. I think you'll be quite impressed once you learn to use those.

That's how I do most of my photos.



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http://www.vandervalk.ca
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I don't know, but this scene looks like it would work better without hdr.

Some pics just don't benifit from hdr when processed in photomatix because it tries to extend the dynamic range of a scene that doesn't need extending. The result is what your getting it seems.

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I have no problem sharing but I don't have a certain recipe that I follow, unfortunately.

I take most photos on a tripod whether I need to or not and I'll also take multiple images of the same scene for each "zone". I'll shoot the sky as one image. I'll shoot the middle ground as one image and I'll shoot the foreground as one image.

I'll open the raw files and basically just place each image on it's own layer and with masks and erasers do my thing.

It takes a lot of time, but if you think you've got a winner, what's a few hours? :)

I tend to play with the layer styles as well and see what gives me the best tones and contrast.

But I make sure everything is subtle. Like many posters here I find the programs just add WAY too much and it ends up unreal looking.

I wish I had a certain formula to share but it's really up to the scene as to how I approach.

I've been using Photoshop since version 2 so I have a pretty good understanding what it can do and what all the tools are about. That's probably the best insight. Learn it inside out.

Hope that helps a little. Sorry I can't offer more. It's just a feeling and vision.

--
Check out my photo galleries !!

http://www.vandervalk.ca
http://www.tidescape.com

 
Thanks a lot for all the responses everyone. I thought something looked a bit off when I did it, but I'm still new at HDR and wasn't sure what I was doing wrong.

I thought that because of the clouds and the subject, this would be a good subject for HDR. I've tried a couple times in CS2 to do the HDR, but it looks horrible (as I'm sure I'm doing something wrong).

I'll take a look at all the links posted. Thanks again for helping a newbie ^^
 
your clouds have giant red rings around them, those have got to go. i'm not sure if that's something that you introduced with the hdr or if it's just CA from your lens. fix it.

it looks like your entire scene was hdr'd. instead, try erasing areas that don't need the HDR treatment leaving only the normally exposed image. use the gradient tool to make a smooth transition on large areas that need to be erased, or just set the flow on the eraser tool real high and use a big wide brush.

the image definitely looks "overcooked". the lighting was harsh to begin with so i don't really think it needed more. try to get just the sky back down to proper exposure levels with your hdr and see how it works. you might need to adjust the reflection in the water to make it look right as well.
 
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