# Playing with HDR



## MarkY (Apr 4, 2012)

I had no idea what HDR photography was until I discovered Trey Ratcliff on G+ (check out his photos here: Trey Ratcliff | Stuck In Customs | HDR Photography Portfolio)

 I realize that his techniques won't translate directly to taking photos of pens but I wanted to give it a try (maybe it'd increase the quality of what I could get out of my old camera)

Basically (if you don't know) HDR involves combining several exposures into one photo. I found some free software here: Luminance HDR

I noticed that Scott (SDB777) is using an online HDR service for his photos (which are much better than mine).
Anyway here's my first go:

IAP Home - Photos - Plum Vertex


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## MrDave (Apr 4, 2012)

This is a free program (autohdr) 
I have used it and like it.  It will work with one photo or more it is simple to use and it is free...  this is a good place to start in hdr for free.

AutoHDR - One-click HDR Imaging from single photos


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## MrDave (Apr 4, 2012)

...


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## 76winger (Apr 4, 2012)

Yes, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for created photos with a high dynamic range. I haven't tried it out (yet) but plan on it in the not too distant future.


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## MarkY (Apr 4, 2012)

*Thanks*



MrDave said:


> This is a free program (autohdr)
> I have used it and like it.  It will work with one photo or more it is simple to use and it is free...  this is a good place to start in hdr for free.
> 
> AutoHDR - One-click HDR Imaging from single photos



I just downloaded that software, thanks. Much simpler than the one I mentioned (Luminance HDR).


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## azamiryou (Apr 4, 2012)

There's a lengthy thread full of many details about HDR here: http://www.penturners.org/forum/f24/my-method-photoing-pen-67214/

(Or just look a few posts down in the forum for "My method of photoing a pen" - it's on the first page.)


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## EarlD (Apr 6, 2012)

MrDave said:


> This is a free program (autohdr)
> I have used it and like it.  It will work with one photo or more it is simple to use and it is free...  this is a good place to start in hdr for free.
> 
> AutoHDR - One-click HDR Imaging from single photos



Thanks for the link!!!  This program is really good and easy to use.  I didn't realize so much could be done with one photograph.  My camera doesn't allow for aperture priority exposure so other HDR programs that require 3 exposures haven't worked very well for me.


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## Xander (Apr 6, 2012)

I just tried this program, AutoHDR - One-click HDR Imaging from single photos and it made NO DIFFERENCE at all to the original photo. None, nada, zip. I had the new and original photos side by side and I could not tell them apart. 

So, what is up? Is my photo that good? No way. Did I do something wrong? Possible.

More investigation required.


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## 76winger (Apr 7, 2012)

The only problem I have with HDR photos (from the perspective of an online seller) is they provide an unrealistic view of your pen, or whatever item your photographing and trying to sell. I've recently refunded a good repeat customer for a pen she purchased because my own non-HDR photos provided some unrealistic (although very nice looking photos) representation of a pen she purchased from me. And when she opened up the box she was quite surprised that the color of the real pen didn't match what I had in photos. 

I guess what I'm trying to state is: a good quality photo tends to enhance the overall view of the subject (our pens) but doesn't provide a realistic image for customers to evaluate what we are trying to sell to them. So be careful how you use these ultra-enhanced photos so you don't end up mid-representing your creations.


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## azamiryou (Apr 7, 2012)

Xander said:


> ... it made NO DIFFERENCE at all to the original photo. None, nada, zip. I had the new and original photos side by side and I could not tell them apart.



HDR starts with multiple photos, and combines data from them all to arrive at the final photo. If you start with one photo, there's no additional data available for it to use to "enhance" the photo.




			
				76winger said:
			
		

> The only problem I have with HDR photos (from the perspective of an  online seller) is they provide an unrealistic view of your pen, or  whatever item your photographing and trying to sell.



This is exactly opposite of what HDR does. The human visual system can handle a MUCH higher dynamic range than a camera. Stand in your living room and look out the window on a sunny day - you can see what's inside the living room as well as what's out side. Try to take a photo of the same scene, and if your exposure is set for outside, the interior stuff will be too dark to see; set your exposure for the interior, and the window will just be a blaze of light.

With HDR you use both exposures, and the software combines the window from the first shot with the interior from the second. The result is a photo where you can simultaneously see the interior and the outdoors - way closer to what a human eye sees than either of the original photos.

In the same way, if a pen has both light and dark detail, you can easily see it in person, but it's very difficult to take a single photo that shows both light and dark detail. The HDR image is _more _accurate than any single photo can be.

(This is very different from anything I would call "ultra-enhanced", which is what you get by playing with software to make your photo "pop" - increasing the saturation and contrast or even using the software's automatic "enhance" feature which results in terrible, garish photos that look nothing like reality. Sorry for the diatribe, but I strongly believe that HDR should not be lumped in with those, because a) it's using more data, not changing the data that's there and b) it makes the photo look more like the real thing rather than less.)


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## toolcrazy (Apr 7, 2012)

Picturenaut Overview has been rated as one of the best HDR programs around, and it is free. I've watched the reviews for a while and this program continues to come to the top.


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## 76winger (Apr 8, 2012)

azamiryou said:
			
		

> In the same way, if a pen has both light and dark detail, you can easily see it in person, but it's very difficult to take a single photo that shows both light and dark detail. The HDR image is more accurate than any single photo can be.
> 
> (This is very different from anything I would call "ultra-enhanced", which is what you get by playing with software to make your photo "pop" - increasing the saturation and contrast or even using the software's automatic "enhance" feature which results in terrible, garish photos that look nothing like reality. Sorry for the diatribe, but I strongly believe that HDR should not be lumped in with those, because a) it's using more data, not changing the data that's there and b) it makes the photo look more like the real thing rather than less.)



This may be, as I mentioned above I haven't tried it yet. I was just throwing up the red flag because I've seen some photos that have HDR enhancements that have looked overly embellished. Granted I don't know what else may have been done to them.

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner


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