I want to shoot HDR now...
Thanks for the tips

It would be great if we could save all the tutorials in a PDF and link to it at the top of the page, just like some of the other forums on here. Can we do this??

mrtwister wrote:
It would be great if we could save all the tutorials in a PDF and link to it at the top of the page, just like some of the other forums on here. Can we do this??

Good idea! I'll look into it.

Thanks Mahesh! I've been learning so much just hanging out here =) You should have these posted with the other tutorials for future reference. I'm sure many will benefit from it.

Another great tutorial, Mahesh. Thank you for taking the time to write this up. Both your tutorials are phenominal!

Refraction wrote:
I'm often frustrated with the 3 bracket limit as well. Not only does it introduce the possibility of movement, but it takes more time to set up and HDR images tend to show up best when the time between shots is minimized.

You could bracket three shots, the quickly dial in a +-1 exposure compensation and bracket another three to get 6 shots in in stop increments.

thapamd wrote:

Hi Al,

My camera can't do 9 braketed exposures either (one of the features I envy on the Nikon D2X). I'm forced to touch the camera. The first bracket set is -4,-3,-2; second set is -1, 0, +1; 3rd set is +2, +3, +4. After you change a bracket set, the key is to wait a few seconds. This allows the little vibrations from your touch to dampen. If you truly have a very steady setup, the camera should "rest" back to the same position. Another pretty cool feature about HDR in PS is that if there are minimal movements, the software corrects for them. I've noticed that a few of my shots have actually been rotated and cropped automatically.


Are you telling me that your $7k camera doesn't have a bracketing custom function? I'm surprised I don't hear more complaints about this. I'm even more surprised someone hasn't written a firmware hack for this. It would be pretty easy I would imagine...

holmespun wrote:
Refraction wrote:
I'm often frustrated with the 3 bracket limit as well. Not only does it introduce the possibility of movement, but it takes more time to set up and HDR images tend to show up best when the time between shots is minimized.

You could bracket three shots, the quickly dial in a +-1 exposure compensation and bracket another three to get 6 shots in in stop increments.


That's exactly what I do, Steve.

ajkessler wrote:
thapamd wrote:

Hi Al,

My camera can't do 9 braketed exposures either (one of the features I envy on the Nikon D2X). I'm forced to touch the camera. The first bracket set is -4,-3,-2; second set is -1, 0, +1; 3rd set is +2, +3, +4. After you change a bracket set, the key is to wait a few seconds. This allows the little vibrations from your touch to dampen. If you truly have a very steady setup, the camera should "rest" back to the same position. Another pretty cool feature about HDR in PS is that if there are minimal movements, the software corrects for them. I've noticed that a few of my shots have actually been rotated and cropped automatically.


Are you telling me that your $7k camera doesn't have a bracketing custom function? I'm surprised I don't hear more complaints about this. I'm even more surprised someone hasn't written a firmware hack for this. It would be pretty easy I would imagine...

It's a shame, isn't it? A camera that expensive and no option to bracket more than 3 shots...oh well.

as a d2x owner, i didn't realize i had it so good! thanks for the tutorial. I put together an HDR image last night so I'll see if I can appy some of the insight you shared!

chris

It's a shame, isn't it? A camera that expensive and no option to bracket more than 3 shots...oh well.


What kind of camera do you have? I've read Canon 1 series cameras can be set to bracket up to seven shots at +/- 3 EV

holmespun wrote:

It's a shame, isn't it? A camera that expensive and no option to bracket more than 3 shots...oh well.


What kind of camera do you have? I've read Canon 1 series cameras can be set to bracket up to seven shots at +/- 3 EV


That's news to me...I'd love to know how. I shoot with Canon's flagship camera: 1Ds MarkII

I'm not sure how to do it because I don't have one, but I read it here:

http://www.naturescapes.net/072006/rh0706_3.htm#camera

holmespun wrote:
I'm not sure how to do it because I don't have one, but I read it here:

http://www.naturescapes.net/072006/rh0706_3.htm#camera

Thanks, I'll look at my owner's manual more carefully. I may have missed something.

I think P.Fn-08 may be able to do it. I'd be curious to here if this works for you.

Here's more on the function:

http://www.naturescapes.net/082004/ej0804.htm

Well done , Steve. I have never had cause to look closely at Canon's Personal Functions before to-day ! Moral here somewhere ! It does indeed appear that the Canon 1 series can be set to do up to 7 different exposures using Personal Function 8 --- that is , +/ - 1 , 2 and 3 stops . As usual , the Canon manual is pretty reticent on how to do this , but the function has to be activated with the camera connected via firewire to the computer . Apparently once the function has been activated in the camera's firmware it can be switched on and off at the camera .

I have yet to discover how this is done ; any advice from Canon 1 series users as to how to do this will be very welcome to me --- and doubtless others baffled by Canon's lack of a decent users' manual !

Afternote : Now set up and working fine . For the Canon 1 Ds , the instructions are contained in section 4 of the software manual .

Edited by Adrian Cray on Jan 31, 2007 at 10:34 AM GMT

Yeah, it does seem pretty obscure. Odd you have to enable the functions on the computer. I'm thinking about getting a 1 series camera--maybe a new one if released this spring--and this seems like a great function for doing HDR work.

Another wonderful turorial Mahesh. I too am interested in squeezing 7 exposures out of my 1Ds, and If i find I way, I'll post it.

Thank you for your great efforts here.

Bart Carrig

Yahoo! Totally worked, Steve! Now I have automatic 7 bracketed images...this is so cool! Thanks a bunch, my friend, for letting me know...hey, I thought I was the one giving the tutorial.

That's great to hear. Yet another reason for me to get a 1 series camera ;-)

BTW, thanks for the tutorial. Good stuff! I particularly liked your explanation of making the curves adjustment.

thapamd wrote:
Yahoo! Totally worked, Steve! Now I have automatic 7 bracketed images...this is so cool! Thanks a bunch, my friend, for letting me know...hey, I thought I was the one giving the tutorial.


Glad you figured this out. I was really shocked when you said there was no way to do it, as I vaguely remembered hearing otherwise in the past. Looks like a good reason to get a 1 series

It's good to know even the best are still learning

OK, so can someone please give me $7000 so I can bracket 7 shots too , lucky jerks!!!!

Al

amgolds wrote:
OK, so can someone please give me $7000 so I can bracket 7 shots too , lucky jerks!!!!

Al


You can pick one up over on the buy/sell forum or ebay for a little over 4k now. Hopefully that price will come down when the new one comes out this year.

thanks Mahesh, it looks easy when you do it. That toning curve in the conversion from 32 bit to 16 bit is the crucial step.

Kevin