Tractor HDR

[sparkie1263]

Here is my attempt at HDR again.

Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorHDR2.jpg

[DonSchap]

I have to admit, Frank ... I am seeing things in this image I just would not have "normally" seen in the original. LOL Blue tires?

Welcome back to the early seventies, eh? Just like the stock market is going.

[sparkie1263]

LOL I give up. I am going to send you a link that says you can do a HDR from a single RAW file but I cannot get it to work. If you have time maybe you can tell me where I am going wrong.
Thanks
Frank

http://jakob.montrasio.net/2007/03/26/d50-raw-to-hdr-tutorial/

[sparkie1263]

I took the RAW file and processed it +2.00 and -2.00. They used Photomatrix and got this.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorfromRawPS.jpg

[Visual Reality]

Looks like that image was much better off being left as a single capture, before this "HDR" butchering.

If you want to do HDR the right way, you need to take at least 3 shots.

[sparkie1263]

I know I butchered that HDR however I tried to work with the original image and I was not happy with that either.
Thanks Frank

[dr4gon]

Try going back at around sunset or sunrise when it's dim out. You gotta have a dynamic range to make it look good, otherwise a standard exposure looks best. HDR isn't quite the end all of the ideal exposure.

[Visual Reality]

Try going back at around sunset or sunrise when it's dim out. You gotta have a dynamic range to make it look good, otherwise a standard exposure looks best. HDR isn't quite the end all of the ideal exposure.
Depends on your processing.

Hell if I could design a camera to take 3-5 pictures with every click, I would. Somehow having that many sensors doesn't seem practical though so I'll stick with bracketing.

[TenD]

How does the base image look? I would bet it's similar to what you got here, with blown out highlights in the background. You can get a decent HDR from a single exposure, but that first exposure needs to have a neutral exposure with equally blown out highlights and black darks.

The first thing I would have done with this one is PP the original file: Set my WB(remove the blue tires and blue tinges in the grass). Set my Exposure compensation for about -1.5, and sharpen as needed. At that point I would have used that as my base exposure and processed for +/- EC at that point. Then I would have finally loaded the 3 exposures into photomatix. Do you have an original to post or a link to an original, I would like to give it a wack, this will improve my skills.

[TenD]

Looks like that image was much better off being left as a single capture, before this "HDR" butchering.

If you want to do HDR the right way, you need to take at least 3 shots.

While I agree the best way to do HDR is with a tripod and multiple exposures, HDR can be done quite nicely from a single RAW exposure. Check out Delobbo's stuff in the "Picture of the Day" threads, a lot of it is very nicely done HDR using a single RAW exposure.

[sparkie1263]

Here is the original. I don't know how to upload the Raw file.
Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/DSC01215.jpg

[DonSchap]

Here is the original. I don't know how to upload the Raw file.
Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/DSC01215.jpg

First off, Frank ... gotta watch your WB setting (when you go outside -> 5600K to 6600K or even "flash"!) ... that's where all that blue came from.

40849

I'll keep working on it ...

[DonSchap]

Here is my attempt at HDR again.

Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorHDR2.jpg

Frank ... I noticed that this original is not really the original. What gives?

Anyway ... here was my shot at it ... with a totally blown out backdrop:

40850

Note the enchanced details of the wheel rims and such ... impossible to detect in the upper image.

Just shows to go ya, that you can get a heck of a lot out of one exposure! :eek: My apologies to 'TenD' for not getting the clouds correctly. :p

Advice on future shots of this kind, Frank, use fill flash to assist in reducing the impact of the background and aloow for a more even exposire. I had the same kind of problem with the "Woodnymph" at the Ren Faire ... she looked like a living HDR all by her lonesome.

40851

I kind of reversed rule of thumb, where it states that "the brightest object in the image is usually the subject."
Here, the MOST saturated object became the subject. Photographic terrorism, huh?

[sparkie1263]

Don I took several shots. The image I Butchered was the image that I took to try to make the HDR of. The other image was the jpeg of the RAW file. I couldn't figure out how to post a RAW file.
Frank

[DonSchap]

Well, that's best I could get out of it. So ... you know ... back to re-snap, eh? Use a tripod and fill flash ... please :D on just one exposure.

[sparkie1263]

I will go back and bring all the gear. I like to travel light. This is what I should have done from the beginning.LOL
Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorBW.jpg

[DonSchap]

I will go back and bring all the gear. I like to travel light. This is what I should have done from the beginning.LOL
Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorBW.jpg

Here's the desaturated HDR:

40861

Move on to the film grain filter:

40862

Works for me! :D

[sparkie1263]

Good job. I have alot to learn. First I need to get glasses.
Frank

[TenD]

OK I have to admit that this one is probably beyond help. I gave it a shot though. The W/B being off, the blown out background, made this difficult. I like your B&W version of it before noise best.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r7/casaflyer/DSC01215_-3_-2_tonemapped.jpg

[sparkie1263]

Not bad TenD . I am going to shoot it again. It might rain the next few days. Maybe Saturday.
Thanks for giving it a try
Frank

[TenD]

Working from the jpg I was unable to extract any information from the blown out highlights, with a jpg there isn't much room to change the exposure.

[sparkie1263]

I have a RAW image but don't know how to upload it.
Frank

[TenD]

Do you have a host site?(photobucket, Pbase, Flickr, etc.) I can't process a Sony RAW file anyway. But if you would use your Sony RAW processor and process the RAW file at -1EC to a .tif, then do the same at -3EC, and then the same at +1EC. Then upload the .tif files to your host and allow me access to the files. The .tif files are uncompressed and give a lot of information to work with. I am just curious at what can be done in Photomatix with this file. Then I'll try to describe all of the steps I used to get to the final result.

[sparkie1263]

Photobucket won't let me upload a tiff file.
Frank

[TenD]

Hmmm. Do you have photomatix?

[sparkie1263]

yes I have photomatix

[sparkie1263]

I opened the three files in Photmatix and processed it to a jpeg. Here it is.
Frank

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/DSC01216tractor-2_2_-.jpg

[TenD]

Do as I suggested. First on the original photo process the RAW file for -1 and put the White balance correction that Don suggested, save it as a jpeg. Then process the file twice more using the same WB correction but once at -3 and once at +1, saving each as a .jpg. Then open photomatix and chose generate HDR. Load the three processed .jpgs click OK and specify 2 as the EV spacing. OK. Check align source images, uncheck attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts, and leave the bottom radio button where it is(recommended). OK.
The HDR generated is going to look semi ugly, if you mouse over the resulting photo you'll see the information that is there. Click Tone Mapping. Move the sliders in the tone mapping section to your taste. I would recommend backing off the strength a little, and upping the luminosity a little for starters. Good luck

[TenD]

That one came out pretty well, those highlights in the house in the background are too far gone for any recovery there. When you shoot RAW(or anything for that matter)make sure your histogram bumps the right side, but doesn't slam up against it clipping off the highlights which makes them completely unrecoverable. Look at how good your last attempt looks compared to your first attempt. You are on the right track now.

[sparkie1263]

I will give it a try tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to explain how to do an HDR. I really appreciate the lessons.
Frank

[TenD]

I will give it a try tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to explain how to do an HDR. I really appreciate the lessons.
Frank

Just to clarify, the only reason I chose -1, -3, +1 is because that first exposure had such horribly blow highlights and I was trying my best to recover some of the highlights. In a normal HDR from a single RAW file, you'd go 0, -2, +2 in processing. The EV values in either case are still +/-2, I just tried to tone down the overexposure.

[dr4gon]

Check this out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/valpopando/2925692583/

similar subject, but wow look at that color!

I guess he finds the middle point of an exposure and then does an "HDR" from that single exposure.

[sparkie1263]

I have seen his images. I just sent him an email to see if he has a tutorial on how he dose his HDR's.
Frank

[dr4gon]

I have seen his images. I just sent him an email to see if he has a tutorial on how he dose his HDR's.
Frank

Let us know if he responds. I would seriously like to know. I suspect a few are multiple, many are single.

[sparkie1263]

Went back and took a few more images no tripod (sorry Don I left it in the wife's car) I shot it in the morning. I didn't try for HDR. I cleaned up the background and did some PS on it. Here is the original and the final.
Frank

Original

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/DSC01238.jpg

Final

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorFinal.jpg

[DonSchap]

Oh, I give up, too ...

40896

[sparkie1263]

Here is another one I cleaned the background some more and brightened it.
Frank


http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorPS2.jpg

[DonSchap]

That grass is definitely ... bright. New Jersey, right? Toxic waste nearby?

If my grass was that bright ... I'd be looking around for a reason. Try draining some of the saturation out of the image. That might help some.

It definitely is an improvement, though ... like anything ... massage it.

[sparkie1263]

The land is at sea level so it gets plenty of water. Over on Long Beach Island you dig down six inches and you hit water. I will try again. Next time just lie and say it is great. LOL If this was film I would be selling all my gear.
Frank

[sparkie1263]

Here is the million dollar image of the week. That is how much time went into this image with a combined effort from the Sony and Cannon crew.LOL I am going to print this just because of all the time I put into it.
Frank












http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/sparkie1263/Sony%20A100/TractorPS3.jpg

[DonSchap]

Great job, Frank !!!

Psst ... Frank, is that good enough?

[sparkie1263]

Really I will wait for all the Canon people to confirm it.
Frank

[DonSchap]

Yeah ... best let the "authoritative" aspect of photographic integrity have their crack at it. :rolleyes:

You are doing a terrific job with this effort ... as practice makes perfecto mundo. :D