# The HDRI Handbook 2.0



## mistermonday (Feb 25, 2013)

Some folks may be interested to know that Christian Bloch's new book was released in last month and is now readily available.
I believe it is the most comprehensive book on HDRI that has ever been  published -  660 pages of high quality paper stock plus a DVD full of  goodies and weighing about 3 Kilos (6 lbs). The quality of the content  and writing is equally high.
The book has an excellent flow to it, starting with a thorough  explanation of what HDR is, reviewing the HDR tools and s/w including  all of the popular HDR apps, actual capture, tonemapping, and post  processing. While you do not need to be a tekkie to enjoy the book,  every topic has very detailed technical information / explanation for  those who want the additional depth. After the first 434 pgs of  regularHDR, there is a 110pg chapter on panoramas and it is mind  twisting in places. The last chapter on Image Based Lighting and HDR  is  aimed mostly at CGI artists.
The physical book with DVD lists for $59 US but can be purchased online  from Amazon or Chapters in N/A for between $35-39. I would expect it to  be equivalent around the world.
For those who prefer e-books there is a e version with DRM from Kindle  and Kobo for around $10. I bought the Kindle version as well as the hard  copy. The DRM e-version is pretty disappointing and I do not recommend  it because the conversion is not great the image quality is poor and a  two page huge table comparng all the key attributes of  more than a  dozen HDR apps is microscopic and can not be viewed using the Kindle  reader for Desktop PC let alone a Kindle mobile device. It's also clunky  and slow. I think that Photography books such as these were not really  meant to run in e-form.
There is however a DRM free version available from O'Reilly at $19 which  is in Adobe PDF format where the images may possibly be scalable, not  sure. Also note the DVD  and all of its contents are only available with  the hard copy book. 
For those who are primarily interested in the info and the theory, the text in all the e-versions is readable. 
If you would like a detailed description of the content of the book you can find it here directly from Christian:
HDRI Handbook
You can also get some sample extracts from the website of the publisher Rocky Nook whose link can be found at the link above.
*Conclusion:* Is this book for you? Is it worth the money? 
The book has way more value than its cost for the tremendous content -  practical, technical and referential. If you really want to understand  and learn about HDRI this is an incredible value.
If you are looking for a quick recipe on how to photograph images and  merge them in an HDR app, you can find that for free here in the HDR  forum or on a number of other websites. If HDR is a quick passing fancy /  "let's give this a quick try", you might want to try it and buy the  book if you become serious. If you are someone who can not learn from  text books, there may not be any magic in it for you.
If you have an interest, the entire table of contents is available for  you to view and I always recommend you do that. If you have specific  questions you can email the author who is a really nice guy.
*Disclaimer:* I have no affiliation with this book, its author, its publishers etc..etc..
Cheers, Murray


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## ann (Feb 25, 2013)

I have his book "The HDRI Handbook", perhaps it is the first edition. It is a great book with valuable information.


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