Improve your landscape pictures with HDR photography
Posted on August 14, 2008
Filed Under Photography Tips And Tricks
The purpose of the HDR technique is to create images that “see more like the human eye”. The results are images that have more detail and gradations between the shadows and the highlights. HDR images are created by combining multiple exposures of the same image using special software.
It is most used for taking pictures of landscapes, architecture and still life where the scene contains a high contrast between dark and light areas.
If you like these images you can also try your hand at taking your own HDR images. All it requires to get started are -
1. A Camera that supports Auto Exposure Bracketing, which is most cameras these days.
2. A software like PhotoMatix that combines images to create an HDR images. We have provided a link below.
3. We also recommend using a tripod, since the multiple images you take have to fit seamlessly on top of each other.
The basic process is relatively simple:
1. You set your camera on Auto Bracket; which means it automatically takes 3 or more shots of the same scene, each with a slightly different exposure. For example, one exposure for dark areas, another for the mid range and a third for the light areas of the scene.
2. Take 3 or more images of the scene, ensuring that your camera is steady, i.e. placed on a tripod.
3. The images are then combined using software such as Photomatix, which results in an HDR file that contains all the information from the three pictures.
4. Since the HDR image itself cannot be properly displayed on the screen, the software allows you to create a “normal” picture for printing or displaying on the computer screen.
For testing the technique you may try the demo versions of the software we have listed. We warn you, it’s very addictive!!!!!
Resources:
For a detailed introduction to HDR you can start with this tutorial by the Popular Photo Magazine:
http://www.popphoto.com/howto/3038/how-to-create-high-dynamic-range-images.html
Software that supports making HDR images –
PhotoMatix (http://www.hdrsoft.com/)
ArtizenHDR (http://www.supportingcomputers.net/Applications/Artizen/Artizen.htm)
And of course the massive professional package Photoshop.
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