Leica R Series Lenses
p.90 #1Leica R Series Lenses
Thanks Sebboh! Yeah, the HDR is a question of taste. Many of them are also heavier than I would normally do, but I am learning and am feeling my way. With several of the last ones I feel I am beginning to find my place.
May 08, 2012 at 05:32 PM
p.90 #3Leica R Series Lenses
oooh, i like the last one too, though i would deepen the shadows a little.
May 08, 2012 at 09:27 PM
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p.90 #4Leica R Series Lenses
carstenw wrote:
And a final one for today, Leica 35 Lux-R, f/8, 7 shot HDR:
http://throughthelensdarkly.com/forums/CW_20120415_NikonD3_0001-7-2.jpg
Second great shot!
And a final one for today, Leica 35 Lux-R, f/8, 7 shot HDR:
http://throughthelensdarkly.com/forums/CW_20120415_NikonD3_0001-7-2.jpg
Second great shot!
May 09, 2012 at 12:36 AM
p.90 #6Leica R Series Lenses
Samuli Vahonen wrote:
Hrannar, wonderful color and background (blur) on the portraits.
Worldinlens, 3rd (tree, the only one, which was not shot wide open) and 2nd last one (sunset and branches) were very nice.
Maybe you want to double check your lens for focus?Almass, thanks for pointing this out, I never view my own images (after all I have seen them when I copy paste the URLs to posts). Lens is fine, I focus 99.9999999% of time with live view using actual pixels so focus is 99.99999996% of times right.
The root cause for weird images seems to be that Fred Miranda forum breaks images having odd dimensions (fine if both x and...Show more →
Ohhh. I did not know that.
Thank you for your explanation. I would have to be careful of the website limitations when I post.
Hrannar, wonderful color and background (blur) on the portraits.
Worldinlens, 3rd (tree, the only one, which was not shot wide open) and 2nd last one (sunset and branches) were very nice.
Almass wrote
- Samuli, I did not comment at your previous shots with the APO 180/2.8 as I thought it might be the crap monitor I was using at the office. But again some of the last shots just do not seem to be as sharp as they should. Could it be possible that your lens is somehow out of alignment? I don't suppose you bought it new and frankly it is not the easiest lens to focus, actually most other R Lenses are easier!Maybe you want to double check your lens for focus?
The root cause for weird images seems to be that Fred Miranda forum breaks images having odd dimensions (fine if both x and...Show more →
Ohhh. I did not know that.
Thank you for your explanation. I would have to be careful of the website limitations when I post.
May 09, 2012 at 10:09 AM
p.90 #7Leica R Series Lenses
carsten's HDR + photography skills are egggsellent. (has nothing to do with the lux35) 
May 09, 2012 at 10:29 AM
p.90 #8Leica R Series Lenses
Yes, I have really been enjoying your HDR's Carsten. These are amongst the very few HDR's I would call excellent.
May 09, 2012 at 10:38 AM
p.90 #9Leica R Series Lenses
Gary Clennan wrote:
Yes, I have really been enjoying your HDR's Carsten. These are amongst the very few HDR's I would call excellent.
+1!
Carsten: Please tell us your process for producing such marvelous HDR's that work and don't have any of the normal HDR "artificialialities".
Edited on May 09, 2012 at 02:37 PM · View previous versions
Yes, I have really been enjoying your HDR's Carsten. These are amongst the very few HDR's I would call excellent.
+1!
Carsten: Please tell us your process for producing such marvelous HDR's that work and don't have any of the normal HDR "artificialialities".
Edited on May 09, 2012 at 02:37 PM · View previous versions
May 09, 2012 at 12:02 PM
p.90 #10Leica R Series Lenses
davidrwilliams wrote:
+1!
Carsten: Please tell us your process for producing such marvelous HDR's that work and don't have any of the HDR "artificialialities".
+1
Gary Clennan wrote
Yes, I have really been enjoying your HDR's Carsten. These are amongst the very few HDR's I would call excellent.Carsten: Please tell us your process for producing such marvelous HDR's that work and don't have any of the HDR "artificialialities".
+1
May 09, 2012 at 12:12 PM
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p.90 #11Leica R Series Lenses
Here is what I do, although I am not sure it will help anyone, since it is just the obvious stuff.
- To make the shot, use a heavy tripod and a cable release, with mirror up and a delay to dampen vibrations. Otherwise you lose sharpness.
- Identify the middle exposure, and figure out how many shots around that you need.
- Make the shots. I use 1-stop gaps. My teacher swears that it gives better results than 2-stop gaps.
On the computer:
- Import into main software. Do any major corrections which can't wait until afterwards, like WB. Do the same to all shots.
- Export 16-bit TIFFs in ProPhoto RGB (or Adobe RGB, if necessary).
- Load into Photomatix Pro, calculate HDR image.
- Start tonemapper.
- Try all presets, and choose the best one.
- Go down all the sliders and twiddle each one until you like the result best.
- Do them all a second time.
- If you did a fair amount of work, save a preset.
- Process and export to TIFF.
- Import into main program again.
Post HDR operations:
- Crop, rotate, tweak contrast, saturation, etc.
- Export to Photoshop
Scale and Sharpen (typically):
- Apply Sharpen>Sharpen.
- Scale down to 72% using default resizing algorithm (bicubic?).
- Apple Smart Sharpen (100%, 0.3 pixels, although you can go down to 75%, 0.25 pixels if too strong)
- Repeat the last two steps until almost at target resolution.
- Do a single resize operation to final size-20 pixels in each dimension.
- Add 20 pixel border.
- Save and import back to main program.
Main program final export:
- Export without resizing.
I like punchy shots, but without the crazy dayglo stuff that so many people use. It takes a lot of trial and error to get the settings right, and sometimes I spend 1/2 hour twiddling the sliders in Photomatix Pro. If I am not sure of the shot, I will leave it, and go do something else. Then I will look at a few of my favorite HDRs, and come back with a fresh eye, maybe 1/2 hour or 1 hour later, and continue. I always aim for impact, but the colours should be believable. Someone who doesn't know the location should not be able to tell whether or not it really looked like that. A couple of the shots I have posted here cross that boundary, but I am getting better the more I do.
- To make the shot, use a heavy tripod and a cable release, with mirror up and a delay to dampen vibrations. Otherwise you lose sharpness.
- Identify the middle exposure, and figure out how many shots around that you need.
- Make the shots. I use 1-stop gaps. My teacher swears that it gives better results than 2-stop gaps.
On the computer:
- Import into main software. Do any major corrections which can't wait until afterwards, like WB. Do the same to all shots.
- Export 16-bit TIFFs in ProPhoto RGB (or Adobe RGB, if necessary).
- Load into Photomatix Pro, calculate HDR image.
- Start tonemapper.
- Try all presets, and choose the best one.
- Go down all the sliders and twiddle each one until you like the result best.
- Do them all a second time.
- If you did a fair amount of work, save a preset.
- Process and export to TIFF.
- Import into main program again.
Post HDR operations:
- Crop, rotate, tweak contrast, saturation, etc.
- Export to Photoshop
Scale and Sharpen (typically):
- Apply Sharpen>Sharpen.
- Scale down to 72% using default resizing algorithm (bicubic?).
- Apple Smart Sharpen (100%, 0.3 pixels, although you can go down to 75%, 0.25 pixels if too strong)
- Repeat the last two steps until almost at target resolution.
- Do a single resize operation to final size-20 pixels in each dimension.
- Add 20 pixel border.
- Save and import back to main program.
Main program final export:
- Export without resizing.
I like punchy shots, but without the crazy dayglo stuff that so many people use. It takes a lot of trial and error to get the settings right, and sometimes I spend 1/2 hour twiddling the sliders in Photomatix Pro. If I am not sure of the shot, I will leave it, and go do something else. Then I will look at a few of my favorite HDRs, and come back with a fresh eye, maybe 1/2 hour or 1 hour later, and continue. I always aim for impact, but the colours should be believable. Someone who doesn't know the location should not be able to tell whether or not it really looked like that. A couple of the shots I have posted here cross that boundary, but I am getting better the more I do.
May 09, 2012 at 12:30 PM
p.90 #12Leica R Series Lenses
I swear, 95% of having good technique (no matter what you are trying, HDR, BIF, whatever) is simply making yourself do those things you know you should be doing, but systematically avoid. So many people do everything handheld, for example, and it kills the ultimate sharpness of your photos in many situations. Use a tripod. Once you do all that, then the last 5% is domain-specific secret tips, like letting your hand rest on a tele lens to dampen it, and those kinds of non-obvious things.
Similarly, in software. So many people downsize their photos in one step, without any special plugin, and again, it kills the sharpness.
To really get the most out of your skills, find out what all the best practices are, and do them, every time.
And use a frame on your photos. Find one you like, and which doesn't distract from the photo. It really adds to the presentation.
Similarly, in software. So many people downsize their photos in one step, without any special plugin, and again, it kills the sharpness.
To really get the most out of your skills, find out what all the best practices are, and do them, every time.
And use a frame on your photos. Find one you like, and which doesn't distract from the photo. It really adds to the presentation.
May 09, 2012 at 12:37 PM
p.90 #13Leica R Series Lenses
Carsten - these HDRs you have been posting have been amazing! Some of the best HDR work I have ever seen
May 09, 2012 at 12:52 PM
p.90 #16Leica R Series Lenses
carsten,
first off, the HDR's are very nice and subtle. I think that's what is the greatest thing to me, the subtleness. I really like the factory shot.
secondly, thanks for the clarification post! You avoided a lot of questions from both me and others. I've played around with HDR in the past but only for fun. I never got a good handle on it. I used it for some interior shots. It worked really well but I have since forgotten the program used. You can tell I really enjoyed that experience!
Again, nice stuff.
first off, the HDR's are very nice and subtle. I think that's what is the greatest thing to me, the subtleness. I really like the factory shot.
secondly, thanks for the clarification post! You avoided a lot of questions from both me and others. I've played around with HDR in the past but only for fun. I never got a good handle on it. I used it for some interior shots. It worked really well but I have since forgotten the program used. You can tell I really enjoyed that experience!
Again, nice stuff.
May 09, 2012 at 01:59 PM
p.90 #17Leica R Series Lenses
Nice ravens, Sebboh!
Thanks Shaun!
One more. I love spaces. Especially if they are relatively empty. 35 Lux @ f/5.6 or so, 8 shots:
Thanks Shaun!
One more. I love spaces. Especially if they are relatively empty. 35 Lux @ f/5.6 or so, 8 shots:
May 09, 2012 at 02:02 PM
p.90 #18Leica R Series Lenses
shaunmlavery wrote:
first off, the HDR's are very nice and subtle. I think that's what is the greatest thing to me, the subtleness. I really like the factory shot.
+1 This series is a treat for the eyes, Carsten.
first off, the HDR's are very nice and subtle. I think that's what is the greatest thing to me, the subtleness. I really like the factory shot.
+1 This series is a treat for the eyes, Carsten.
May 09, 2012 at 03:38 PM
p.90 #19Leica R Series Lenses
Thanks a lot Doug, that means something to me.
Hmm, I think that last one ended up over-sharpened. I'll have to try again.
Hmm, I think that last one ended up over-sharpened. I'll have to try again.
May 09, 2012 at 03:40 PM
p.90 #20Leica R Series Lenses
Great shots Carsten and tasteful dose of HDR. 
May 09, 2012 at 04:53 PM