HDR and Hay Bales
![thebigsky](https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/uploads/customavatars/77/navatar_7977.jpg)
Hi, sorry for the delay in responding, thanks for all your kind comments and critique.
Despite Photoshop advising that several exposures produce the best results when creating HDR images I found that despite using a tripod I could only capture 3-5 images realistically before the scene variations were too great, cloud/shadow movement etc.
After experimentation I settled for just 3 exposures for this image:-
![84390885-S.jpg](http://thebigsky.smugmug.com/photos/84390885-S.jpg)
![84390876-S.jpg](http://thebigsky.smugmug.com/photos/84390876-S.jpg)
![84390880-S.jpg](http://thebigsky.smugmug.com/photos/84390880-S.jpg)
Click on the images for the Exif.
I then used the merge to HDR function in Photoshop to create an HDR image. I then converted this to 16bit mode using the local adaptation method and slid both sliders all the way to the right.
I then created two points on the tone curve and manipulated them to give some contrast in the image, saved the image as a 16bit tif and imported the file into Lightroom (I know this seems odd but I'm much better accustomed to using Lightroom than Photoshop.) In Lightroom I set the white and black points and adjusted for shadow, luminance and contrast.
I saved the file again as a 16bit tif, loaded back into Photoshop, did some dust removal and some sharpening and saved the final image.
Now having done all that I repeated the process with some other shots I had taken on the same shoot and think it's an even better image.
Here's a link.
Phew, Charlie.
Despite Photoshop advising that several exposures produce the best results when creating HDR images I found that despite using a tripod I could only capture 3-5 images realistically before the scene variations were too great, cloud/shadow movement etc.
After experimentation I settled for just 3 exposures for this image:-
![84390885-S.jpg](http://thebigsky.smugmug.com/photos/84390885-S.jpg)
![84390876-S.jpg](http://thebigsky.smugmug.com/photos/84390876-S.jpg)
![84390880-S.jpg](http://thebigsky.smugmug.com/photos/84390880-S.jpg)
Click on the images for the Exif.
I then used the merge to HDR function in Photoshop to create an HDR image. I then converted this to 16bit mode using the local adaptation method and slid both sliders all the way to the right.
I then created two points on the tone curve and manipulated them to give some contrast in the image, saved the image as a 16bit tif and imported the file into Lightroom (I know this seems odd but I'm much better accustomed to using Lightroom than Photoshop.) In Lightroom I set the white and black points and adjusted for shadow, luminance and contrast.
I saved the file again as a 16bit tif, loaded back into Photoshop, did some dust removal and some sharpening and saved the final image.
Now having done all that I repeated the process with some other shots I had taken on the same shoot and think it's an even better image.
Here's a link.
Phew, Charlie.
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