HDR stands for “high dynamic range”. Basically you take several shots and using software you get a better range between the darkest shadows and the lightest highlights in an image. Unlike an HD picture which just has more picture information, HDR represents a range that’s usually unattainable with just one exposure. The finished product has such a stark contrast between shadow and highlight that it looks almost surreal, taking on the appearance of being animated or lit by Hollywood. Photomatix Pro by HDRsoft is one such software, and I have to say I’m highly impressed with the results.
Taking The Shot
There are two major steps to taking a great HDR photograph. The first is to get several exposures (think 3-5) over a varied range of the same photograph. Many DSLR cameras have the option to shoot bracketed photos (AEB), which is basically several shots with varied exposure settings with one trigger push.
One thing I found helpful was to use a remote trigger when taking your shot so you don’t offset your picture. My Canon camera also has a live view mode which disables the mirror and further reduces shake , although mounted on a stable Manfrotto tripod I didn’t really have to worry about camera mirror shake too much. It’s also recommended to use an ISO 100 to reduce noise. Once you have your bracketed photos, it’s time to let Photomatix Pro do it’s magic.
Editing HDR
After you select your shot, it’s time to open Photomatix Pro. The process is super easy! You load your bracketed photos and Photomatix will work with varied numbers of shots so you can take the best dynamic range from your AEB. Then you tell Photomatix about the E.V. spacing if it doesn’t read the info from your shots.
If something changed between shots, that can produce a “ghost”, but Photomatix gives you the option to remove ghosts as you import your shots. After importing, you’re taken to the preprocessing where the real magic happens!
The number of HDR Options is staggering. You can do tone mapping for shots with a limited dynamic range to produce a brilliant HDR image, or you can do exposure fusion to produce an image with a wide dynamic range produced by blending images together. From there, you can tweak color saturation, contrast, lighting, sharpness and more. By moving sliders or selecting presets, with Photomatix Pro you have a large amount of control over how your HDR image works. By the time you’ve played just a few minutes, you’ll forever disable the HDR option on your iPhone, because it will feel cheap by comparison.
The end result is really whatever you want it to be. You can have high shadow, low shadow, realistic or surrealistic images. One set of bracketed photos can make a whole series of different types of shots. I was amazed at the power and the amount of control I had over my pictures before I even dared to venture into the “Advanced Options” tabs. You can even batch process, making this a potentially very powerful tool in the hands of a professional.
Using Photomatix is very easy to do. The interface has a default “help mode” built in where just hovering over a control will tell you what it does. You can watch built in tutorials as well for further explanation, and the manufacturer’s website offers additional videos on how to use the software.
I highly recommend Photomatix Pro to anyone wanting to get into HDR photography. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner there are varied degrees to the depth of Photomatix Pro. Anyone can use it straight away but the more you tinker with it, the more you can do with it. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can produce with the help of this great photographic editing tool!
(Some Photos courtesy of DanelleAlexisPhotography.com)