# HDR Bracket (3 raw photos attached)



## gunnyz39 (Feb 16, 2012)

I was hoping, if anyone has some free time. I want to see how some of you edit and post process photos for hdr. I took these -2.0, 0 , 2.0 I batched in photo matix and my image came out ok but i just could never get the picture to POP with good cloud views. Any help would be appreciated. 


Dropbox - RAW Files - Simplify your life

that link should work


----------



## Bynx (Feb 16, 2012)

Nice shot. The kind of country I like to shoot.


----------



## Majeed Badizadegan (Feb 16, 2012)




----------



## Syco (Feb 16, 2012)




----------



## Compaq (Feb 16, 2012)




----------



## Rephargotohp (Feb 16, 2012)

The problem is, You didn't need HDR to capture that scene, The dynamic range /contrast ratio of the combined 32 bit file is only 149:1 You could have got that in a single exposure. Nice scene though


----------



## Compaq (Feb 16, 2012)

Rephargotohp said:


> The problem is, You didn't need HDR to capture that scene, The dynamic range /contrast ratio of the combined 32 bit file is only 149:1 You could have got that in a single exposure. Nice scene though




You're right. Here's one where all editing is done in adobe camera raw. I used the middle exposure for this.






And I much prefer this over my tonemapped version, which I sort of hate.


----------



## mistermonday (Feb 16, 2012)

Nice scene. Yes, it merged and mapped very smoothly.
Regards, Murray


----------



## Majeed Badizadegan (Feb 16, 2012)

Honestly the scene is very flat in all edits. It's more the original photo and less the fault of the editing. 

Also, one RAW file here had sufficient dynamic range to capture the full scene. 

Some of these edits have some cloud ghosting as a bi-product of photomatix. I used it, I de-ghosted (because I always de-ghost foliage/clouds) but probably a similar result could be extracted from one of the raw files, as Compaq has demonstrated.


----------



## Bynx (Feb 16, 2012)

Rephargotohp said:


> The problem is, You didn't need HDR to capture that scene, The dynamic range /contrast ratio of the combined 32 bit file is only 149:1 You could have got that in a single exposure. Nice scene though



Bozo alert!! Ignore this comment.


----------



## Majeed Badizadegan (Feb 16, 2012)

Bynx said:


> Rephargotohp said:
> 
> 
> > The problem is, You didn't need HDR to capture that scene, The dynamic range /contrast ratio of the combined 32 bit file is only 149:1 You could have got that in a single exposure. Nice scene though
> ...



He's not too far off base Bynx, at least with this particular set of RAW files.


----------



## Rephargotohp (Feb 16, 2012)

Bynx said:


> Rephargotohp said:
> 
> 
> > The problem is, You didn't need HDR to capture that scene, The dynamic range /contrast ratio of the combined 32 bit file is only 149:1 You could have got that in a single exposure. Nice scene though
> ...



Hahaha..So funny.

yes ignore me

Hahaha...LMAO


----------



## Bynx (Feb 16, 2012)

I react too quickly when someone comes into the HDR forum and says not to do the shot with HDR. In this case he is right as you noted. I was in the process of working on the files properly instead of the hasty slipshod method I used earlier just to prove him wrong. However, the middle shot was actually better than my HDR process of the 3 shots. But I still believe that an HDR composite will be better than any of the three individual shots.


----------



## Compaq (Feb 16, 2012)

One thing I noticed in this picture is that the textures in the old ruin and the textures in the background, are "too alike". Of course, this is personal opinion. The only things that really stand out here are the tree and the sky, the rest is much the same. This is really emphasized by the ruin not going above the horizon, which is due to the OPs perspective and the topography. Just my own observations and opinions.

Beautiful landscape, though imo, the capture probably could have been better.


----------



## Rephargotohp (Feb 16, 2012)

You just don't like me that's fine. If you think I am coming in as someone oppsoed to HDR, YOU're just wrong. I use it very often when nessesary.
But you kjust don't like me...soooo you wouldn't really listen to anything.
Check the Middle Exposre Histogram
Check the 32 bit Histogram in Photomatix...If you know how.
It willtel what needs to be known.

Have a super day


----------



## Majeed Badizadegan (Feb 16, 2012)

Compaq said:


> One thing I noticed in this picture is that the textures in the old ruin and the textures in the background, are "too alike". Of course, this is personal opinion. The only things that really stand out here are the tree and the sky, the rest is much the same. This is really emphasized by the ruin not going above the horizon, which is due to the OPs perspective and the topography. Just my own observations and opinions.
> 
> Beautiful landscape, though imo, the capture probably could have been better.



Agreed, it was very difficult to get the stonework to stand apart from the background because the textures/colors ran together. 

Composition is OK, but could be improved.


----------



## vipgraphx (Feb 16, 2012)

cleaned up my flickr sorry no photos


----------



## gunnyz39 (Feb 16, 2012)

Absolutely phenomenal! Great editing skills guys. Looks good. I agree with the comment about the target (ruins style rock house) and background looking very similar. Like camouflage.

I always assume I needed to take multiple shots in order to obtain a great image. Apparently that's not the case as you all have made some great edits. Looks good. 

Clouds in all look smooth and the "pop" is obtained. Photomatix gives odd cloud ghosting at times. I feel I need to expand my abilities after seeing such great work here. 

Thank you again!


----------



## kinghen (Feb 17, 2012)

gunnyz39,
Was this taken in Tucon Az?
Henry


----------



## gunnyz39 (Feb 17, 2012)

kinghen said:
			
		

> gunnyz39,
> Was this taken in Tucon Az?
> Henry



It's actually in the foothills of Albuquerque, NM. Since I have been photographing targets etc as a hobby and reading/learning things here on the forum I found this state has some great sunset and sunrises I have ever seen. The "golden hour" often times last for 2+ hours of fantastic views. At times the Sandia Mountains turn pink and purple. Looks gorgeous.


----------



## WMplus (Feb 20, 2012)

Here's my HDR edit.


----------



## robolepa (Feb 20, 2012)

Rotanimod said:


> Honestly the scene is very flat in all edits. It's more the original photo and less the fault of the editing.
> 
> Also, one RAW file here had sufficient dynamic range to capture the full scene.
> 
> Some of these edits have some cloud ghosting as a bi-product of photomatix. I used it, I de-ghosted (because I always de-ghost foliage/clouds) but probably a similar result could be extracted from one of the raw files, as Compaq has demonstrated.



I do like the shot, but you are right - it is kind of flat.  I'm only commenting on this because I run into this issue frequently with my own photos.  It's a nice composition, but the foreground and background don't really stand out from one another.  What, in your opinion, is the problem, and how could it have been done differently?


----------



## Syco (Feb 20, 2012)

Ansel Adams discovered that you have to get up off the ground.  Most of his shots were taken from the roof of his car.  The angle helps to separate the foreground from the background.


----------



## manaheim (Feb 20, 2012)

Whoa.  Someone mark today on a calendar.


----------



## manaheim (Feb 20, 2012)

Rephargotohp said:


> The problem is, You didn't need HDR to capture that scene, The dynamic range /contrast ratio of the combined 32 bit file is only 149:1 You could have got that in a single exposure. Nice scene though



Hey, I'm very curious how you got this number and what scale you're comparing it to?  I didn't know there was a subjective way to analyze something like this, and I'm very interested to know more.


----------



## gunnyz39 (Feb 23, 2012)

WMplus said:
			
		

> Here's my HDR edit.



Very eery! I dig it!!


----------

