Exposure merge.

[HaseebM]

I am pondering over the idea of investing in either Photomatix or Oloneo. The Oloneo version looks simple and pretty powerful. However except for landscapes and other daylight shooting, I am stuck as to what other objects and situations can benefit from exposure merge.

I have taken a few bracketed exposures but mainly landscapes and outdoors but yet to try indoors. I am not sure if auto bracketing will work indoors or will it work with a speedlite? By indoors I mean at home with different objects like books for instance or macro.

Your replies would be highly appreciated. Thank you!

[chauncey]

Are you referring to "merge to HDR"...none of the software is exactly "plug and play" as there is some finesse involved.

[Geoff F]

What software are you currently using? Can that do what you require, once you work out where it is and how to use the option.

I sometimes take two or three shots and merge them using layers and masks. But preferably shooting on a tripod.

Stack the images as layers; auto align the images; add masks and edit the masks to just show the areas which you want to use.

Having tried a few auto HDR options, I have rejected them and returned to that layer and mask method, which gives me full control over exactly what I wish to achieve. Yes it does mean being reasonably proficient with layers and masks but that isn't too difficult if you have suitable editing software.

[Manfred M]

Hasseb - I use both Photomatix and Oloneo. I'm not sure why, but I personally prefer Oloneo; it just seems to be more intuitive and runs more quickly. Photomatix is the more popular of the two.

HDRI is not a process that lends itself to every photographic situation, it is really meant to be applied in situations where the dynamic range is so large that you need to use some tool to give you a good image. Your example of using in an indoor environment would, on the surface, not be one that jumps to mind as needing an HDRI approach. Shots where you are blowing out highlights and losing shadow detail, would be suitable for this process.

I very rarely use either anymore as I find I have to spend a lot of time tweaking the output images. Generally I find I prefer hand-blend my images; often worked in conjuction with other software (Nik Color Efex Pro 2, is what I usually go with). The Nik suite does include HDR software.

[HaseebM]

Thank you for the replies:

Boyer, yes I mean finally obtaining a HDR image.

Geoff, I have PSE 9, PSP X6 and LR5. The PSE 9 and PSP X6 do have photomerge or exposure merger capabilities but I quite like the results output by Oloneo hence my question.

Manfred, I tried both and I too felt the Oloneo version's interface is suitable for my tastes. My main doubt being shooting indoors on objects or macro would be worth the investment in Oloneo. From what I understand from above replies, maybe its not worth the effort for indoor shooting unless someone comes up with something that warrants a second look.

[Manfred M]

Manfred, I tried both and I too felt the Oloneo version's interface is suitable for my tastes. My main doubt being shooting indoors on objects or macro would be worth the investment in Oloneo. From what I understand from above replies, maybe its not worth the effort for indoor shooting unless someone comes up with something that warrants a second look.

Haseeb - it really depends on what you are trying to do. There are people out there that consistently apply a tone-mapped "grunge" filter of a single image and tell the world that they are doing HDRI photography. They may be tone mapping, but it does not meet any definition of HDRI (although it is possible to construct separate views with the RAW data to produce pseudo-HDRI).

This is photography, and ithere is absolutely nothing to prevent you from exploring using HDRI for indoor shots. I have certainly seen instances where this might work well for indoor work.

[John 2]

Haseeb - it really depends on what you are trying to do. There are people out there that consistently apply a tone-mapped "grunge" filter of a single image and tell the world that they are doing HDRI photography. They may be tone mapping, but it does not meet any definition of HDRI (although it is possible to construct separate views with the RAW data to produce pseudo-HDRI).

This is photography, and ithere is absolutely nothing to prevent you from exploring using HDRI for indoor shots. I have certainly seen instances where this might work well for indoor work.

I agree. I frequently use tone mapping software just to compensate for a lack of dynamic range which by definition, could be anywhere. I trialled about four different applications and finally settled on SNS HDR simply because it gave a more natural looking result. However, it is not so good at producing what has become known as an "HDR" image where the dynamic range is stretched to the limit. Photomatics and others are better for that. I still have the results of the trial shots somewhere if anyone is interested.

[HaseebM]

Haseeb - it really depends on what you are trying to do. There are people out there that consistently apply a tone-mapped "grunge" filter of a single image and tell the world that they are doing HDRI photography. They may be tone mapping, but it does not meet any definition of HDRI (although it is possible to construct separate views with the RAW data to produce pseudo-HDRI).

This is photography, and ithere is absolutely nothing to prevent you from exploring using HDRI for indoor shots. I have certainly seen instances where this might work well for indoor work.

That's encouraging Manfred, thank you. FWIW, I also have Topaz Adjust and Topaz Restyle. The Topaz Adjust has grunge effects for single shots which I tried on few and liked the results.