Single-shot HDR for landscapes?

Home · Register · Search · Software · Hosting · Software · Join Upload & Sell

FM Forum Rules
Landscape Posting Guidelines
One new topic per day

FM Forums \| Landscape Photographer \| Join Upload & Sell
end

justindong
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · Single-shot HDR for landscapes?

I'm not sure if this should go here or Photo Critique so sorry if this is in the wrong forum

Anyway, I have a RAW file I've been editing for a while with a bright sun in the background. My first thought was to tone map it in Photomatix but I went back later and just messed around in Lightroom for quite a while. I was able to get a result that is similar to the HDR version but I guess more natural looking? Anyway, here they are (first one is RAW touched up in LR; second one is HDR):

1. This image is copyrighted by the owner

The two differences I can see are (1) the sky is a bit washed out in the first, especially around the sun and between the supports of the bridge, but it's not too drastic (2) the moss on the rocks and the grass in the background on the right seem a bit dull in the first one, which is really driving me crazy. Any tips?

Aug 07, 2012 at 09:35 AM

morris
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · Single-shot HDR for landscapes?

It is a nice excersize, the first could use some vibrance

Morris

Aug 07, 2012 at 11:25 AM

another_mikey
Online
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #3 · Single-shot HDR for landscapes?

Honestly I think you have done such a good lob on your hand editting that I don't find it very much different in impact that the Photomatix output. And to me that is a good thing. I use Photomatix myself for HDR work, and have played around with using a single image but have not generally felt like the results were worthwhile. I usually get either something that adds nothing when compared to what I could do myself (as you have demonstrated here) or something that I have tried to make different but which then ends up looking just artificial.

Like the other poster I would very subtly push the vibrance a little tweak and then I think your top edit is the winner for me. I might play with seeing about healing out the lens flare - but I might decide to leave it in too as it gives the shot a 'real' feeling from a photographer's standpoint.

Nice work and thanks for sharing your editing experiment!

ML

ML

Aug 08, 2012 at 12:40 AM

parsons
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #4 · Single-shot HDR for landscapes?

a little trick, either for use in ps or elements is to make a high light selection, and narrow it down a few clicks. ctrl J will copy that selection and make a new layer, in tyhe layers blending mode change it to multiply.

i also prefer the 2nd, but it could still do with a few tweaks on the highlights, pperhaps using the method above. also, check out here for how to blend images to remove flare http://sussexlandscapephotography.co.uk/remove_lens_flare.html

simon

Aug 08, 2012 at 01:03 PM

end
FM Forums \| Landscape Photographer \| Join Upload & Sell end