HDR using Photomatix

I guess I should first explain what is High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is...

For the sake of a photography definition, High Dynamic Range imaging (HDRI or HDR) is a technique that produces a greater dynamic range of luminescence between the lightest and darkest areas of an image produced by today's normal photographic method.

The wider dynamic range that I am referring to allows HDR images to better present a representation of the wide range of intensity levels found in a scene that you took a photo of. The range encapsulates light intensities from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The two main sources to produce an HDR image are computer renderings and merging of multiple photographs, which in turn are known as low dynamic range (LDR) (also called standard dynamic range photographs.

Tone mapping techniques, which reduce overall contrast and noise to facilitate display of HDR images on devices with lower dynamic range, can be applied to produce images with preserved or exaggerated local contrast for artistic effect.

HDR images can range from a realistic look that mimics a standard photograph with more levels of light and darkness to a more advanced technique that can appear cartoonish with severe color and lighting contrasts.

There are numerous software's out there in the marketplace that produce an HDR image and all you have to do is Google the topic to start your research. HDR can be accomplished for example using Photoshop but after some research and using multiple HDR programs I really cannot say that Adobe has solved the HDR puzzle yet. HDR is still such an evolving form of editing that Adobe has yet to get its head around it, which I completely understand. There are a lot of smaller companies that offer a better software that perform regular updates – something Adobe cannot do. So, for the sake of this review I am going to focus on a program called Photomatix by HDRSoft. The best HDR program I had the chance to use.

Photomatix Pro from HDRSoft is a standalone application that allows you to use multiple bracketed exposures to create a single High Dynamic Range (HDR) image. This can be achieved in Photoshop but not as easily, or with the same amount of control that Photomatix provides.

As well as being able to blend multiple exposures you can also use what is called Tone Mapping to pull out amazing shadow detail from either multiple exposures or from a single image. You see, Photomatix allows you to create what is called a pseudo-HDR image from a single RAW file. This method can achieve very good results and often brings out far more detail than can be obtained by the RAW processing software itself

It uses a special approach that is intuitive, fast, and gives you instant feedback by showing you a real time view of the photo as you make adjustments with the various sliders. Its Tone Mapping tools lets you pull out impressive shadow detail from either multiple exposures or from a single image. It also automates conventional blending of multiple versions of the same image, and distributes the range of tones automatically, while converting the image to either 16-bits or even to 8-bits. This adds a new dimension to your photos and produces amazing results.

Unlike other HDR programs, Photomatix’s HDR creation and 16-bit conversion tools are more straightforward. Not only that, but this software is designed for productivity. Its unlimited stacking and easy comparison of results and batch processing save you hours of masking and its blending process is not just a layer of masking techniques.

Now, how do you create an HDR image in a couple easy steps? You need a camera, camera software or editing software, a tripod and Photomatix.

STEP ONE - Take at least 3 differently exposed photos of the same shot. It’s best that you manually set the exposures of your camera but i set the camera to bracket the image at a +/-1 EV. Use a sturdy tripod to minimize movement as possible, as this will save you time during post-processing. The program adjusts for subject movement but it's always smart to put in more effort in the beginning that leaving it up to the software to make guesses.

STEP TWO - Import your images into your computer. I import the three RAW images I have taken and perform RAW editing on these images as if I was editing them as individual photos. The only thing I do not touch is the exposure slider. Please note that you do not have to shoot in RAW. You can shoot in jpeg with a point and shoot and convert the jpeg photos to a tiff file before putting them into Photomatix. I prefer to use TIFF's in this instance, but it depends on what the image is that i am applying the HDR effect.

STEP THREE - Open Photomatix and click on “Generate HDR image”. Click “Browse” and select the 3 photos that you want to be in HDR image from your computer. Next click the alignment tools, followed by “Tone Mapping”. This is where your creativity sets in. Feel free to experiment with the tone mapping tools (sliders) and settings to get your desired result. You may want to achieve a surreal image or a more realistic, yet emotive photograph. You can easily compare the changes between settings because the image changes in real time as you edit, and if you’re happy with the preview, click “Process”. The save the file to your computer and you now have a beautifully crafted High Dynamic Range image. Congratulations!

Please note that if you want to do some further editing of the photo in your editing software you have to first convert the 16-bit image to an 8-bit image before you make those edits.

Now I simplified step three for the sake of time. There are quite a few sliders that will change many different aspects of the image... but with any software you just need to get in there and try it... you will be amazed at the results.

Here are some links to Photomatix tutorials that I found helpful...

The HDRSoft intro tutorial... http://www.hdrsoft.com/resources/tut_mac/index.html

HDR videos from hilomedia... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hxWI7SmssU

An excellent HDR resource... http://petemc.net/hdr-guide/

You don’t need to be a professional to achieve those ultra-rich pictures. With a little patience and the right tools, you can capture that perfect landscape into a single HDR image. Photomatix is very impressive editing software that lets you edit pictures to the maximum level.

Here is a 15% off promotional code to use online if you decide to buy online... Go to www.hdrsoft.com and enter in KPepPhoto

Long Exposure Landscape Photography

The word Photography is derived from two Greek words, photo - meaning “light” and graphy - meaning “to draw”. Enter long exposure photography in the digital age, and what better way to allow the light to draw the scene than letting the light scribe the definition and contours of the landscape in front of you.

Long exposure images elongate the moment that a photograph was taken until the reality of the scene before you takes on a surreal twist. Some even say they are an art form unto itself. Running water becomes a silky substance, raging oceans turn into calm pools of glass, stationary cumulous clouds turn into streaking light across the blue hour or night sky, and for the patient, even the bright stars above us can be transformed into bright trails that arc around the north star in the sky.

Personally, there are two reasons I enjoy long exposures. One reason is that it gives us the ability to remove texture from certain parts of the image. Take a waterfall, you can replace hard, high contrast falling water with a silky flow and then allow the eye to focus on the textures and structures of another part of the image. Or even take the water of an ocean, undulating, crashing waves can easily be transformed to placid glass and allow a wooden pier or rocks on a beach to punch out onto the image. The second reason I enjoy long exposure photography is that it allows you to control the introduction of light into an otherwise dull image. It evokes emotion in a photo and can, if done properly, force the eyes right through an image.

Hilton Falls, Milton, Ontario

Dave in Action, 3.2 second exposure, taken mid morning on a sunny day, ND8 filter

Fifty Point Conservation Area, Grimsby, Ontario

Nature Reclaims Industry, 15 second exposure, one hour after sunrise on a cloudy day, ND4 and graduated ND2 filter












White Lake, Haliburton Highlands, Ontario

Ethereal Reflections, 240 second exposure, taken 45 minutes before sunrise on a clear night, ND4 and graduated ND2 filter












Salerno Lake, Irondale Ontario

Midnight Winds, 240 second exposure, taken after sunset on a spring night, no filter












OK, now that we know what long exposure can do to your images and you have seen a few examples… How do we accomplish this type of photography?

Tools of the trade

1. A DSLR camera with the ability to shoot in RAW, set long exposures including BULB setting and also manipulate ISO and aperture.
2. A sturdy tripod to hold the camera in place while you are taking the image
3. A cable release to eliminate camera shake (or, a camera with a shutter delay)
4. Neutral density (ND) filters and graduated neutral density filters (not necessary, but in time, you will want them)
5. A flashlight and a glow stick … You are mostly doing this at night, the glow stick sits on the neck of the tripod so you know where your camera is at all times. The flashlight is so you can see in the dark
6. Appropriate clothing… you do more standing than pushing the shutter button. It can get a little chilly if you show up dressed for daylight and two hours later its black and you are on a windy beach somewhere.
7. Editing software. Nature is rarely perfect. So, using the RAW editor and giving you the ability to further manipulate will empower you to give the image some final tweaks.

Let me go into some details on the “tools of the trade”. My ideal setup for long exposures is to use a wide angle lens, mount the camera on the tripod, lower the camera close to the ground for a better perspective and I manually focus on the foreground about 1/4 or 1/3 up from the bottom of the image.

I set my aperture to f20 or f22 and put my shutter speed to BULB. I set my ISO around 400 (I use Olympus). If you are a NIKON or Canon shooter, try higher and lower ISO’s and see what it does to the shutter speeds. Your ISO capabilities are superior to mine.

I meter the light at the foreground, focal point first, and then I meter just the sky. I use the appropriate ND filter that will give me the desired length of exposure, and then apply a graduated Neutral Density (ND) filter to adjust the exposure of the sky to match the foreground. There are a few manufacturers of ND filters. You can screw on ND filters or use square filters that sit in front of your lens. ND filters come in different levels, each eliminating a percentage of the natural light. The graduated ND filters are just that, graduated from clear to a set ND strength… these are sometimes overlooked but make a huge difference in the final image. Some photographers prefer to have more control and do this in an editing program, me, I am more of a purist and like to do this in the field.

Then, when I am set, I take the image, holding the shutter release for the appropriate time, check the image in the viewfinder, and then take one longer exposure and one shorter exposure. I usually do not take anything less than 100 images when I am on a shoot… remember, this is the digital age, it does not cost you anything to take an image other than time.

Then, when I am in front of the computer at home and I have all the images downloaded. I open everything in a RAW editor. The RAW editor will allow you to adjust clarity, exposure, blacks, fine tune the colour and give you a chance to create a top notch base image.

Once the RAW editing is done, and because nature is rarely perfect, you can now clone out imperfections, eliminate digital noise and do any other editing you wish to do to your image to create a final product you can share with your friends or hang on your wall.

To see more of my landscape and nature photos please visit my Gallery

For more information, please contact me on my website

Raw vs. JPEG ... which format should you shoot in?

One of the most frequently debated topics inside the photographic community is whether to shoot in RAW or JPEG format. I have read a lot of articles on the topic yet several key discussion points are often ignored.

The Basics:
Before I start I would like to put everyone on the same playing field, whether you’re an experienced digital photographer or someone that is just getting into digital photography, the file formats in question should first be defined.

RAW format is often a proprietary format of a particular camera make. A Nikon RAW file will differ from the RAW file produced by an Olympus camera. RAW files hold all the RAW data captured by the camera. Unlike conventional photography where light is exposed against film with a specific chemical formulation to provide deep saturation or soft skin tones that would otherwise be automatically applied based on the type of film used, RAW digital files contain raw data that is uninterrupted and unaltered. RAW files in their simplest description can be thought of as digital negatives. They are a pre-production starting point, or the foundation of any digital image.

JPEG format compresses image data into a smaller file size. In theory, a JPEG file contains less data (how much depends on the specified size and compression/quality settings that you set on yoru camera) than an equivalent RAW file, but is able to closely reproduce an image once fully loaded. When saving an image with photo editing software it is possible to save an image with different levels of JPEG compression. This enables you to create files that take less storage space sacrificing how well the file displays or take up more storage space to more accurately reproduce the original image.

Before we decide which is better for you, let’s consider your needs. Lets first ask ourselves a few quetions to better understand whether to use RAW or JPEG file formats:

"How comfortable are you with editing images on a computer?"
Many long-time photographers are technically proficient at composing a fantastic photo in the camera; they seldom need to make substantial edits in post-production. Newer photographers that are just starting out in the digital format may need to employ many post-production editing features available to them in order to clean up their images. I would suggest that you realistically assess your technical skill level behind the camera and with a computer before deciding what file format to use.

"What are your goals as a photographer?"
Surprisingly, this is often alluded to in articles, seldom explicitly stated. The significance of this question is quite important, as you’ll want to select the right file format to match the following: your output goals (print, online display, etc), your technical comfort level, your available storage capacity of your computer and hard drives, your computer software/hardware aptitude, and the amount of time you’re willing to commit to the post-production of your work.

Pros & Cons of each format:
The Pros of RAW format:
• RAW is a digital negative holding all of the data captured by your camera providing you a foundational element to which to apply all of your edits to with no sacrifice of image quality or the original captured image.
• RAW file software editors allow you to quickly and easily change the output of your image such as adjusting exposure, white balance, noise reduction, image size (interpolation), saturation, contrast, levels, curves, sharpness, output resolution, bits/channel, etc.
• RAW file software editors allow you to load saved adjustment settings and some even enables users to batch process a group of files versus making changes to one file at a time.

The Cons of RAW format:
• RAW files take up more space on your camera's compact flash card or microdrive than other formats.
• RAW files require you conduct some degree of post processing via photo editing software to convert your image to an editable file type for editing, printing and/or online display. (PSD, JPEG or TIFF)
• RAW file software editors have a learning curve, even if mild, and for the uninitiated can be intimidating at first.
• Batch processing and/or loading multiple files may tax slower machines and require more computer RAM to keep your software running smoothly.

The Pros of JPEG format:
• JPEG is a file format that has been adopted as a standard and can be loaded in a variety of programs making display easy and simple.
• JPEG files take up less space on your camera's compact flash card or external drive than other formats.
• JPEGs can be loaded easily by most all image editing software applications, requiring no intermediate steps.
• Most dSLRs enable you to choose what size JPEG files (S, M, or L) to save to your compact flash card when shooting. This enables you to use smaller images that are easier to handle for email attachments, web display or as an alternate preview mechanism if your camera supports saving files in JPEG and RAW formats simultaneously.

The Cons of JPEG format:
• JPEGs are not a lossless file format. Each time the file is saved data is compressed, with some data being lost in the process. The net impact can be loss of color saturation, color range, clarity and sharpness.
• JPEG files reflect a one-time interpretation of your subject based on the settings of your camera (white balance, exposure settings and output resolution, etc.). Altering these settings and re-outputting a new file, as you can with a RAW file, is not possible. What you capture is what you get.
• Increasing the size of an image initially saved as a JPEG can result in less than ideal results. Some 3rd party software applications can do this better than others, but you’re still dependent on using another software application to get the job done.
• With specific types of photographed scenes JPEG compression artifacts can appear in prints.

Which Format Is The Better Format To Use?
Only you can say which is the correct file format to use after matching the pros and cons to your photographic needs and goals. An argument can be made for both formats. Many professional photographers only shoot RAW files and would never dream of using JPG images. But keep this important fact in mind: photography is their job

Since it is a full-time job, they can devote the hours it takes to process and edit RAW images so that they have complete control over the photo from start to finish. They already have special software that allows them to process RAW files, and the computer power to manipulate them. They also understand how levels, curves, color saturation and hue can alter their photos. Plus, by making the smallest of adjustments to each one of these they separate their photos from the average photographer.

In the end, using RAW files is all about control. If you're the sort of person who always dreamed of developing your own film, then RAW is the perfect choice. You can make each photo look exactly the way you want it to.

On the other hand, if you enjoy taking photos much more than manipulating them after the fact then JPG is a much better option.

My Suggestion
Every digital SLR camera sold today can capture photos as both RAW and JPG files...so why choose just yet… Go out and shoot in both, work with each type of image, see what the results are, then make the decision on what’s right for you.

Happy Shooting!

Kev