1st attempt at HDR

red_zonered_zone Registered Users Posts: 533 Major grins
edited August 31, 2010 in Other Cool Shots
Hi,
I'm trying out Photomatix, and wanted to get some reactions about how these turned out. They're not the best framed, and may not be in the best focus, but here goes:

#1
985788753_EAXgd-L.jpg

#2
985788725_6TkpJ-L.jpg

The watermarks are because I haven't purchased the licence yet, so I'm gearing up for that... it won't let you tonemap without paying (go figure!) but I'm just experimenting for now.

Do most people use Photomatix (heard about it here) or are there other HDR (standalone - I don't have PhotoShop anything) that people use?

Thanks,
~~Jake~~
________________________________________________
Jake

Comments

  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited August 28, 2010
    currently started reading.....Practical HDR by David Nightinggale and his top 3 are
    Photoshop, Photomatix and FDR tools ......
    and it looks like he breaks down what the pros and cons are of each.........

    There are quite a few Photoamtix users on here.....................
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • sixdaemonbagsixdaemonbag Registered Users Posts: 85 Big grins
    edited August 29, 2010
    Were these single shots you used or were they multiple exposures? Could you post one of the original images from each for comparison? I'd be curious to see what you started with.
    http://sixdaemonbag.smugmug.com
  • misterbmisterb Banned Posts: 601 Major grins
    edited August 30, 2010
    I shot a bunch of HDR- really easy to do and great results! Photomatix was worth the money.

    http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=176571

    NIK has their version of HDR software coming out too.. and you can use ONE shot instead of multiple shots.
  • InsuredDisasterInsuredDisaster Registered Users Posts: 1,132 Major grins
    edited August 30, 2010
    Did you use a tripod for #2? If not, you need to get one.
    My blog
  • red_zonered_zone Registered Users Posts: 533 Major grins
    edited August 30, 2010
    Mr.B - I just got the standalone Photomatrix 'Light', and have been playing with different settings.

    re: original shots - I'll put 'em up when I get home, didn't load them online yet - they are all 3-exposure shots, although I'm not sure I got the proper range of exposures.
    re: tripod - yes, but it's pretty flimsy, and I don't have a remote shutter release (yet!) and I got tired of waiting 10s for the self timer to activate (there's a 2s timer, but I think it's for the remote!)
    ________________________________________________
    Jake
  • rookieshooterrookieshooter Registered Users Posts: 540 Major grins
    edited August 31, 2010
    I don't think they are too bad really -- at least they aren't psychedelic. HDR is harder than most people think it is -- it all really boils down to the composition IMO. That said it takes a lot of practice with Photomatix to figure out what the sliders do (the naming is really horrible).
  • sixdaemonbagsixdaemonbag Registered Users Posts: 85 Big grins
    edited August 31, 2010
    Rookie's got it right, HDR can be tricky to learn, and different people want different things out of it. I'm not sure where you're wanting to go with these but the cool thing about digital media is that you can play with them to your heart's content if you're not happy with the end result. Just remember to keep your originals safe and work with copies. The more you tweak and play, the more you'll see what does and doesn't work, and what suits your style.
    http://sixdaemonbag.smugmug.com
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