High Dynamic Range--Great or Gaudy?

I should have looked at the posting date!

The basic difference is that there is no tone mapping in exposure blending. It is similar, but not identical, to manual "HDR" with layers, where you stack images with several exposures and use masks to retain only well exposed areas. Check out the link in my earlier posting, and compare the wikipedia entry on tone mapping.

In terms of the two images I posted: the point they illustrate is that exposure blending produced entirely natural colors, with no tweaking needed. HDR Pro (in CS5) didn't. Perhaps I could have made the HDR image similar, but it wouldn't have been simple--e.g., I would have had to mess around with the color balance in the sky to get rid of the turquoise tint and the rocks to get rid of the unnatural reddish tint. And why bother? If all you want is to combine different exposures, exposure blending does it simply. On the other hand, lots of people really like the effects you can get with tone mapping. To each his or her own.

I don't own photomatix, but someone recently told me that one of the options it provides is exposure fusion.

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Originally Posted by DanK

I don't own photomatix, but someone recently told me that one of the options it provides is exposure fusion.

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I just downloaded the trial and yes, Exposure Fusion is a setting/option.

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Originally Posted by DanK

I don't own photomatix, but someone recently told me that one of the options it provides is exposure fusion.

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It does, which allows to select a subset of the supplied images for the merge, for example, the first and third or the second, third and fourth. You can freely download Photomatix and play with it as a trial version that will post a watermark on the output file.

I use tonemapping or exposure blending as the situation warrants, and, if appropriate for the image, may do both. Most often, if I tonemap the image I will need to blend back in some of the original to address image specific issues the tonemapping process may produce. Most of the overcooked HDR images I have seen have been the result of using the image straight out of the tonemapping process without any further post processing.

Like any tool, you aren't likely able to produce great results until you learn how the use the tool effectively but just because the results aren't great, don't blame the tool. You can use a hammer to install and remove screws but that doesn't mean that the hammer is a poor tool or that a different technique isn't appropriate for better results. :D

I think Dank somes up what can be achieved in HDR pro and the reasons to use it,to be able to capture the full dynamic range of an image and produce it is one of the reasons photography excites me today,when you have spent a good part of your life shooting trannies HDR seems like manner from heaven,image taking and making is very subjective and long may it continue.