Long way to go to master HDR

[JBW]

[DanK]

Why do you need HDR for this? The histogram shows a very limited tonal range, far less than your camera should handle without HDR. HDR--high dynamic range--is generally used when the dynamic (tonal) range is too great for the sensor to handle.

[JohnRostron]

There is nothing in this image to suggest that it has been processed with HDR. (This is meant as a complement.) What did the original images look like?
John

[Manfred M]

Brian - the image has the low contrast HDR look. Try playing with C1's contrast controls to see what that does to it. I find that is something that virtually every HDR image requires.

I agree with Dan, I see no reason why you would even consider using that in-camera functionality in a scene that clearly does not have a high dynamic range. If you get clipping on both ends of the histogram, that's when you should consider using it.

[rpcrowe]

Brian...

I agree with the above. Additionally, it seems that there might have been slight movement in the flower (petal at image right)...

When I am shooting a three image HDR sequence, I will most often have the camera in Aperture Priority (so the f/stop stays the same and only the shutter speed varies) and also have the camera in high speed burst. That way there is the least time between exposures and the chances of subject movement can be lessened.

I tend to select "Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images" in Photoshop which "MAY" prevent problems from subject or camera movement...

[JBW]

Why do you need HDR for this? The histogram shows a very limited tonal range, far less than your camera should handle without HDR. HDR--high dynamic range--is generally used when the dynamic (tonal) range is too great for the sensor to handle.

Because I was curious how it would work. The actual name for the in camera setting is HDR Painting.

[JBW]

There is nothing in this image to suggest that it has been processed with HDR. (This is meant as a complement.) What did the original images look like?
John

This was done in-camera. If i had shot it in RAW it would have looked much flatter.

[JBW]

Brian - the image has the low contrast HDR look. Try playing with C1's contrast controls to see what that does to it. I find that is something that virtually every HDR image requires.

I agree with Dan, I see no reason why you would even consider using that in-camera functionality in a scene that clearly does not have a high dynamic range. If you get clipping on both ends of the histogram, that's when you should consider using it.

The in camera name is HDR Painting. I was simply exploring the camera's potential. I've shot this flower fairly often and I'm pleased with the difference though there is a lot to learn before it begins to look good.

[JBW]

Brian...

I agree with the above. Additionally, it seems that there might have been slight movement in the flower (petal at image right)...

When I am shooting a three image HDR sequence, I will most often have the camera in Aperture Priority (so the f/stop stays the same and only the shutter speed varies) and also have the camera in high speed burst. That way there is the least time between exposures and the chances of subject movement can be lessened.

I tend to select "Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images" in Photoshop which "MAY" prevent problems from subject or camera movement...

I'll give your suggestions a try.

[MrB]

It might not be what we usually think of as HDR processing. Documentation for the A6000 says HDR Painting is a Picture Effect that creates the look of a painting, enhancing colour and detail. Seems to me that it is processing just one image.

Philip

[JBW]

It might not be what we usually think of as HDR processing. Documentation for the A6000 says HDR Painting is a Picture Effect that creates the look of a painting, enhancing colour and detail. Seems to me that it is processing just one image.

Philip

in the a68 I get three clicks

[rpcrowe]

I don't use the in-camera HDR capability of my Canon 6D2, primarily because I am restricted to shooting JPEG if I would want the in-camera HDR to function.

The camera does offer a lot of different ways to control the HDR, including the number of stops variance between the individual exposures - from one stop to three stops. The 6D2 also offers several processing methods for different HDR "looks".

The problem for me (in addition to only shooting HDR in JPEG) is the fact that if I chose HDR, the camera saves only the processed HDR image, not the three images shot to make up the HDR composite. This takes much of the control away from me. However, I can see how it might be of benefit to some photographers...

The camera also includes a capability to auto align the images if the camera was moved slightly in shooting the HDR series...

[Manfred M]

Testing out the functionality of the camera does make a lot of sense to me. I remember taking a few shots in HDRI mode when I first got the D800, just to see what it did. After that test, I never used it again and I have not used the functionality on the D810. I still use HDRI occasionally, but I use software that gives me the level of control that the camera does not.

That being said, using HDRI made a lot more sense when camera sensors were only getting 10 or 11 stops of dynamic range, but with modern cameras that can get to over 14 stops, the usefulness of that functionality is questionable. If your check your camera's specs on DxO Mark, it gets a very respectable 13.5 stop rating at base ISO.

https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Sony/SLT-Alpha-68

The other issue with in camera HDRI is the lack of control in the recipe that manages the tone mapping. I suspect that the name give to it "Painting" suggests they chosen a recipe that accomplishes a painterly look, rather than using a recipe that gives a natural look.

[MrB]

in the a68 I get three clicks

OK Brian. Do you get more control of the shooting parameters if you choose "Auto HDR" instead of "HDR Painting"?

Philip

[JBW]

OK Brian. Do you get more control of the shooting parameters if you choose "Auto HDR" instead of "HDR Painting"?

Philip

I'll look into your question

[James G]

I do not have the option of in camera HDR, but quite often shoot multiple exposures with the intent of using 'hdr' blending as an alternative to blending with masks.

I prefer my HDR processing to be 'light touch' and as near natural as possible, so mostly use it to reduce processing effort when 'blending' an interesting/moody sky in landscape. I use Photomatix since it gives quite a lot of control over the blending process.

More recently I have been 'experimenting' with the Adobe Camera Raw, HDR blending option in CC. In this case, with my stained glass imaging.

[JBW]

I do not have the option of in camera HDR, but quite often shoot multiple exposures with the intent of using 'hdr' blending as an alternative to blending with masks.

I prefer my HDR processing to be 'light touch' and as near natural as possible, so mostly use it to reduce processing effort when 'blending' an interesting/moody sky in landscape. I use Photomatix since it gives quite a lot of control over the blending process.

More recently I have been 'experimenting' with the Adobe Camera Raw, HDR blending option in CC. In this case, with my stained glass imaging.

looking forward to seeing some of your stained glass work.

[DanK]

I do not have the option of in camera HDR, but quite often shoot multiple exposures with the intent of using 'hdr' blending as an alternative to blending with masks.

I prefer my HDR processing to be 'light touch' and as near natural as possible, so mostly use it to reduce processing effort when 'blending' an interesting/moody sky in landscape. I use Photomatix since it gives quite a lot of control over the blending process.

More recently I have been 'experimenting' with the Adobe Camera Raw, HDR blending option in CC. In this case, with my stained glass imaging.

James,

If you like the light touch and simply want to extend dynamic range while avoiding the distortions of HDR, you might want to try exposure fusion. You can do it with a plugin within Lightroom. Search "Lightroom enfuse"

Dan

[James G]

If you like the light touch and simply want to extend dynamic range while avoiding the distortions of HDR, you might want to try exposure fusion. You can do it with a plugin within Lightroom. Search "Lightroom enfuse"

Dan, I have a CC subscription, but never downloaded Lightroom. It would be worth doing so to try this out. ... especially since it is included in the subscription
Thanks for the tip!

looking forward to seeing some of your stained glass work.

Brian, Just updated my old thread. If there is ageneral interest I'll post more
A Different Genre from those 'usually' posted

[DanK]

Dan, I have a CC subscription, but never downloaded Lightroom. It would be worth doing so to try this out. ... especially since it is included in the subscription
Thanks for the tip!

James,

Since the HDR merge function was added to LR and HDR, I haven't done all that much work where excessive dynamic range has been a problem. However, I have sometimes done both the LR HDR and exposure fusion to compare the two. LR HDR seems relatively low-touch; it doesn't create those awful painted-on-velvet unnatural colors that HDR often creates. However, the two sometimes differ, and I haven't entirely sorted out the differences yet. Some of it seems to be simply differences in the tonal adjustments made to cram the wider range into one photo. For now, I think I will continue do do both some of the time until I have a better understanding of their differences.

The LR merge produces a DNG; Enfuse produces a TIFF.