Realistic HDR by Tim Cooper

The Realistic
HDR Image
TIM COOPER
From the Library of Dena Selby
About the Author

Tim began his career as a commercial and assignment
photographer working with clients such as The North
Face, The Ritz-Carlton, Vasque boots, 3M, Blue Note
Records, and the International Heart Institute. His editorial
and commercial photographs have appeared in Travel &
Leisure, New York Times Magazine, Outdoor Photographer,
Ebony, and Fly Rod & Reel. Tim also has held the positions
of consultant, director of education, director of digital
imaging, and director of the black-and-white program at
Rocky Mountain School of Photography.
He is the author of the training videos Perfect Exposure for
Digital Photography, Perfect Composition, Magic Light and
DSLR Camera Basics, three books in the series of Complete
Photoshop for Digital Photographers, and is coauthor of
Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots. Tim
currently lives in Northern Virginia.
Author: Tim Cooper
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Realistic HDR Image

The High Dynamic Range
Image
What Is HDR? ...............................................................................6
Why Use HDR? ......................................................................... 10
Camera Capabilities ................................................................ 11
Histograms and Pixel information .................................... 13
When HDR Is Needed ............................................................ 18
Shooting for HDR

Metering the Scene ................................................................. 29
Camera Settings ....................................................................... 36
Processing the HDR Image

Preparing Your Images in Lightroom ............................... 43
Adjusting Your Images in Lightroom ................................ 51
Basic HDR Theory .................................................................... 56
Using HDR Pro in Photoshop .............................................. 58
Using Photomatix .................................................................... 65
Tips for Creating Realistic Imagery ................................... 78
Copyright ..................................................................................... 80
The High Dynamic

Range Image
HDR imagery can be considered a recent fad or a well-worn
technique, depending on how you look at it. In the early
days, film failed to produce visible detail in the highlight and
shadow values of high-contrast scenes. Because of this,
photographers resorted to difficult and tedious darkroom
techniques to help return the detail to the print. Todays
digital sensors, while holding great promise, still fall short of
the capability of our vision. Luckily for us, however, modern
computer programs provide a more accurate and elegant
solution to this the age-old high-contrast problem.
| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE
What Is HDR?
The acronym HDR stands for High
Dynamic Range. It can refer to a
computer program, a photograph
that has been processed by an HDR
program, or the technique of taking
multiple photographs with the
intention of blending them together
in an HDR program.
A program, an image,
or a technique?
Lets begin with the phrase dynamic
range. Dynamic range refers to the
amount of separation between the
brightest and darkest parts of a scene.
A scene low in dynamic range would
have a limited range of brightness
tones, as seen in Figure 1.01. Here
you see tones that are almost all the
same brightness; the entire scene is
made up of midtones. A scene high
Figure 1.01: A scene with low dynamic range
in dynamic range would have a large range of brightness

values, as seen in Figure 1.02. Here the image consists
of midtones, shadows, and highlights. There is a huge
difference between the highlight values and the shadow
values. This huge difference between values is what makes
this scene high in dynamic range. High contrast is a more
commonly used phrase to describe scenes with high
dynamic range.
situations. If you expose correctly for the shadow area of

the scene, the bright highlight areas become overexposed
(featureless white), as seen in Figure 1.03.
The problem with film and digital sensors is that neither is

capable of providing a realistic image in these high-contrast
Figure 1.02: A scene with high dynamic range
Figure 1.03: A good exposure for the shadows results in

overexposed highlights.
If you expose properly for the highlight area, the shadows

become underexposed (featureless black), as seen in
Figure 1.04. In some cases, where the contrast is really
extreme, it is possible to lose detail in both the shadow and
the highlight areas.
Figure 1.04:
A good
exposure for
the highlights
results in
underexposed
shadows.
Both of these photos appear unrealistic because as we

encounter these situations in real life, we see detail in the
very dark and very bright parts of these high-contrast scenes.
We see something more like the image in Figure 1.05.
Figure 1.05:
An image
created by
blending the
two previous
photos
together in an
HDR program
The HDR technique, then, is to take multiple photographs at different exposures. Each of
these photos will capture a different range of detail. Once the photos are captured, you can
then import them into an HDR program, such as PhotoMatix. This program blends all the
exposures into one photograph that contains full shadow, midtone, and highlight detail. This
resulting image is often referred to as an HDR image or HDR photograph.
10
Why Use HDR?

The primary reason for wanting to shoot multiple
exposures and blend them together in an HDR program
is to capture full detail in a scene that contains very bright
areas and very dark areas. These high-contrast scenes can
be found everywhere, from landscape and nature scenes
to interior architecture and real estate situations.
Controlling high contrast

In addition to their ability to provide detail in the shadows
and highlights of high-contrast scenes, HDR programs
come with the capability to control contrast throughout
the entire image. This ability has led to the use of these
programs for generating a unique, somewhat grungy look
(Figure 1.06).
This type of imagery is relatively easy to create and will not
be the focus of this book. In the upcoming chapters, I want
show you how to create photographs that better represent
reality and that have subtlety, depth, and staying power.
Figure 1.06: A contemporary use of HDR programs is to

create a grungy look.
11
Camera Capabilities
As we have seen, there is a great disparity between what
our eyes perceive and what the cameras sensor captures.
This difference can be measured in stops, which are units
used by photographers to quantify light. Simply put, moving
your aperture from f/8 to f/11 decreases the amount of light
hitting the sensor by one stop.
Sensor capabilities
Moving your aperture from f/8 to f/5.6 increases the light
by one stop. The term stop also applies to shutter speeds.
Opening up your shutter from 1/250 to 1/125 increases the
light by one stop, while closing it down from 1/250 to 1/500
decreases the light by one stop.
Our eyes perceive detail in scenes that contain up to 11
stops of difference in light, while the camera can only
capture 57 stops of light. At first this may not seem like a
huge difference, but when you think that each stop of light
is twice as much as the previous, you can understand that
the difference becomes significant.
or blown-out featureless white areas. This information can

lead us to use different exposures, change compositions,
or even return under different lighting conditions. Your
camera can display a tool called the histogram, which
provides this information. Most cameras can display the
histogram after each shot, but typically this is not the
default behavior. Check your camera manual for directions
on how to display this essential tool. Many cameras will
also allow you to choose between two types of histograms,
the luminosity histogram, shown in Figure 1.07, and the
RGB histogram, shown in Figure 1.08. The RGB histogram
shows the Red, Green, and Blue channels of the image.
The luminosity histogram is sometimes called a composite
histogram because it is made up of a combination of the
Red, Green, and Blue channels. Both histograms perform
the same function and either can be used. Most image
editing programs, such as Adobe Lightroom, also provide a
histogram (Figure 1.09).
It is important for photographers to recognize when parts

of their scene will be rendered as featureless black areas
12
Figure 1.07: The histogram (circled in red) as it

appears on the back of a Nikon camera
Figure 1.08: The RGB histogram
Figure 1.09: The same histogram as it appears

in Adobe Lightroom
13
Histograms and Pixel information

The histogram is a graphic
representation of the tonal values
in the scene. It tells you how much
of the scene is comprised of darks,
lights, and midtone values. It also tells
you when you are losing detail in the
shadows and highlights.
Figure 1.11: The histogram representing

that image
In Figures 1.10 and 1.11, you see first

an image that contains a full range of
tonal value and detail and then the
histogram that represents it. In this
image you can see detail in both the
shadows and the highlights.
Figure 1.10: An image that contains full

tonal detail
14
Figure 1.12 shows the areas represented by the histogram.

If the spike of the graph is high in a region, it means there
is a lot of that value in the scene. Its not a problem if the
spikes reach or touch the top of the box (as the red and
green channels do in Figure 1.12). This is just telling you
theres an abundance of that value (brightness) in the scene.
This histogram tells us there are plenty of midtone values in
the scene. It contains fewer darks and lights and very few
blacks and whites. Take a couple of minutes and examine
the photo in Figure 1.10 and its histogram together. Note
the small amounts of blacks and whites in the image and
how that corresponds with the histogram.
detail in your blacks and whites. Examine Figure 1.10 again

and you will notice that you can readily see detail in the
brightest area of the photo as well as the darkest areas.
Figure 1.13: Histogram showing good highlight and shadow

detail
Figure 1.12: The histogram representing different tonal

values of a photograph
When the graph comes down into the corners, as seen

circled in red in Figure 1.13, it means you will see full
If the graph touches the sides of the box, it means you will
see some under- or overexposure in your final photograph.
Figures 1.14 and 1.14a show the histogram that represents
the dark stairwell. You can see how the graph is pushed
up against the left wall of the histogram box. In this image
there is plenty of highlight detail, demonstrated by the
graph on the right-hand side coming down into the corner.
Figures 1.15 and 1.15a show the histogram that represents
the lighter stairwell. Here you can see plenty of detail in the
shadows but not in the highlights, which are overexposed.
15
Figures 1.14 and

1.14a: Circled in red
on the left side of
the histogram, you
can see the graph
touching the edge
of the box. This
shows you that the
shadows are blocked
up, resulting in a loss
of detail in the black
areas. The small red
circle on the right
indicates that the
highlights have good
detail.
Figures 1.15 and

1.15a: Circled in red
on the right side of
the histogram, you
can see the graph
touching the edge
of the box. This
shows you that the
highlights are blown
out, resulting in a loss
of detail in the white
areas. The small red
circle on the left
indicates that the
shadows have good
detail.
16
TIP:
There are many terms in photography left over from film days that dont
always match exactly with current circumstances or technology. For example,
we would say our highlights were blown out when they were overexposed.
Overexposed highlights are pure white with no visible detail. We would
also say our shadows were blocked up when they were underexposed.
Underexposed shadows mean they are pure black with no visible detail.
When the graph touches the edge of the box, it is really finishing outside of the
box, which is out of our view. Figure 1.16 is a new histogram showing good
detail in both the blacks and whites. The graph is contained inside the box.
Figure 1.17 is an example of the same scene only with overexposed highlights.
You can see the graph actually finishing outside the box. This is sometimes
referred to as clipping the highlights. Figure 1.18 is an example of the same
scene except with underexposed blacks. Again, the graph finishes outside of the
box. Another term for this is clipping the shadows.
As you can see, the histogram is an invaluable tool for judging exposure. It should
be referenced after every shot to ensure that you are capturing detail when
necessary. Remember, there is no perfect shape for a histogram. The shape of the
graph is simply determined by the scene it represents. The histogram in Figure 1.19
represents the white building (Figure 1.19a). Clearly an unorthodox histogram, but
the scene it represents is properly exposed. Because most of the scene is highlights
and whites, the graph should be over to the right. There are no real shadows in
the scene, and the histogram represents that as well. The same could be said for
Figure 1.20, which represents the all-black train (Figure 1.20a). Here the graph is
stacked to the left, as is proper for a scene with an abundance of shadows.
Figure 1.16: Histogram representing an

image with good highlight and shadow
detail
Figure 1.17: Histogram showing

overexposed ighlights
Figure 1.18: Histogram showing

underexposed shadows
17
Figures 1.19 and 1.19a: The histogram stacked to the right

shows a good exposure of this all-white building.
Figures 1.20 and 1.20a: The histogram stacked to the left
shows a good exposure of this all-black train.
18
When HDR Is Needed

Although HDR is the topic of this book, its not necessary
with every photograph. Our cameras are capable of
capturing the full brightness range of plenty of scenes.
So when do you need HDR? The simple answer would
be, whenever the scenes brightness range exceeds the
cameras capability to capture it.
By this measure, however, we would never have any
photographs with pure blacks or whites, which are
necessary to provide a photograph with a full range of
brightness levels (tonal value). Some pure black or pure
white without detail is fine in almost any photograph. The
image in Figure 1.21a and its histogram (Figure 1.21) show a
slight clipping in the shadows. This is noticeable in the area
around the waterfalls. As you can see, this small amount
of pure black is perfectly acceptable. In fact, without it, the
image might feel somewhat flat (low in contrast).
Silhouettes are another instance where youll want some
pure black in your images. The image in Figure 1.22a and
its histogram (Figure 1.22) show what we would normally
consider severe clipping. Because there is no need to see
any detail in silhouettes, however, the clipped shadows are
just fine.
Figures 1.21 and 1.21a: An image and its histogram showing

acceptable clipping in the shadows
19
The mood of the photograph is something else you need

to take into account. Not all images need to be presented
as bright and full of midtones. A low-key image is one that
is dominated by darker tones. Not necessarily pure black,
but just dark tones. Figures 1.23 and 1.24 are examples of
this type of imagery. On close examination of these shots
you can see there are areas of pure black, but they dont fill
the frame; they are interspersed with areas that are dark but
contain detail. Compare these with Figure 1.25. Notice how
the large area of dark dominates the frame.
Figures 1.22 and 1.22a: A silhouettes image and its histogram

showing the amount of clipped shadows
20
Figure 1.23: Low-key image showing acceptable

amounts of pure black
Figure 1.24: Low-key image showing acceptable

amounts of pure black
21
Figures 1.26 and

1.26a: Scene
showing good
highlight detail
but no shadow
detail
Figure 1.25: Too much pure black dominates the frame
While some areas of pure black complement an image by

giving it a full range of values, large areas of pure black or
white can overwhelm an image. This is the time for HDR.
When you have large areas of pure black, as seen in Figures
1.26 and 1.26a, shooting multiple exposures and blending
them in HDR is required to reveal detail in the shadows.
In the days of slide film, photographers would always make
sure their highlights were exposed correctly. This was
because once the highlight detail was lost to overexposure,
it couldnt be brought back during the printing process. We
could however, mask the slide under the enlarger to reveal
a little extra detail in the shadows.
22
The same is true with modern digital files. Once the

highlight detail is lost, its either difficult or impossible to
bring it back. Lost detail in the shadows, however, can
be retrieved with most image editing programs. For this
reason, when exposing digital images, your first step should
be to ensure that you are getting good highlight detail.
Figures 1.26 and 1.26a are a perfect example of this. You
can see the graph coming right down to the right edge of
the histogram box. The illuminated house in the distance
reveals plenty of detail.
Figures 1.27
and 1.27a: The
image after the
shadows have
been lightened
in Adobe
Lightroom
If you could take only one exposure, this would be the

correct one. Figures 1.27 and 1.27a show the same image
after I brightened up the shadows in Adobe Lightroom. You
are now able to see an acceptable amount of detail in the
darker areas of the photograph. This software trick cannot
be done in reverse, however.
Figures 1.28 and 1.28a show the image that was given two
more stops of exposure in-camera. Here the shadow detail
is good but the highlights are blown out. In Figures 1.29
and 1.29a, an attempt to darken down the highlights was
unsuccessful. While the histogram has been brought back,
good detail in the highlights has not been restored.
23
Figures 1.28
and 1.28a: The
image with two
more stops of
exposure given
in-camera
Figures 1.29 and

1.29a: The failed
attempt to bring
back highlight
detail from
Figure 1.28
24
This last series of images demonstrates that, even though

the histogram shows some clipping in the shadows and
highlights, some detail can be brought back. Once again,
youll have more luck retrieving texture from the shadows
than you will the highlights. At this point you may be
asking yourself why you would need to shoot multiple
images for HDR if you can simply lighten the shadows in
post-processing.
The simple answer is image quality. Digital files can take a
fair bit of post-processing before they begin to fall apart,
but severe edits will usually cause a visible degradation
of the image. Figure 1.30 shows a series of images that
I captured to blend together with an HDR program. The
image in the upper left is good for the shadows, while the
image in the lower right is good for the highlights.
Figure 1.31 shows the resulting photograph after blending
the six images together. It has a good range of tones,
realistic colors, and visible detail throughout. Figure 1.32
shows the single exposure made for the highlights (lower
right image in Figure 1.31), with the shadows brightened in
Lightroom. Notice the severe degradation to the shadow
areas. This excess of noise (the grainy look) appears when
you excessively brighten underexposed shadows.
Figure 1.30: A series of images captured to blend together

using an HDR program
25
Figure 1.31: The final HDR image resulting from the

blending of the previous six images
Figure 1.32: The darkest image of the series, with the

shadows brightened in Lightroom
26
The reason for this shadow noise lies in the way a digital
sensor captures information. The more light the pixels
receive, the more levels of tonality they can contain. This
means the midtones and highlights contain lots of valuable
tonalities, while the shadows contain far less. The more
tonalities, a pixel contains, the better it can withstand
post-processing edits, such as contrast and brightness
adjustments.
Figure 1.33 demonstrates this idea. Each pixel in the
right half of the histogram can contain up to 2,048 levels
of tone, while the midtones can contain up to 1,024
levels of tone. These pixels are very rich in information,
enabling them to withstand a considerable amount of
Figure 1.33: The levels of tonality contained per

pixel in a digital file
post-processing manipulation. The pixels in the shadow

region of the histogram receive far less light, which means
there is less information per pixel. Aggressively adjusting
pixels with such little image information usually results in
visible image degradation of the kind seen in Figure 1.32.
The amount of noticeable image degradation varies
from camera to camera and from scene to scene. More
expensive cameras produce files that suffer less from
shadow manipulation due to their higher bit depth. Any
image, however, will suffer some degradation when you are
aggressively adjusting deep shadows that fall off the left
side of the histogram (Figure 1.34)
Figure 1.34: Deep shadows, highlighted in yellow, are captured

by the camera but not displayed by the histogram. These tones
will produce image degradation when manipulated.
27
The bottom line is that when the histogram contains all of the image information, most postprocessing edits will not damage the look of the image. If however, you begin adjusting the
tones that are buried deep in the shadows, youll likely be disappointed in the results. So
begin by making a correct exposure for your highlights. Now look at your shadows. Do they
occupy too much space in the scene? If so, its time to start thinking about taking multiple
exposures.
Shooting for HDR

Once youve determined a scene needs HDR to bring out
detail in the shadows or highlights, or both, its time to make
the exposures that can be blended together. Shooting for
HDR is more than just setting your camera on Aperture
Priority, Evaluative metering, and Auto-Bracketing and firing
off a few shots. Care should be taken to analyze the scene
and set your camera accordingly. In this chapter well cover
the approach to exposure as well as important camera
settings to be considered before shooting.
29
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
Metering the Scene

Shooting for HDR boils down to
making a series of exposures that
capture the full range of tones present
in the scene. The simple way of doing
this is to get one good exposure for
the highlights and then open up one
stop (add more light via the shutter
speed) and make another exposure.
Then open up again and make another
exposure. Continue this until the
shadow areas are captured on the
histogram. Figure 2.01a is an example
of the first shot, where the highlights
would be properly exposed. This was
1/4 of a second at f/16. Notice the
shadows are crawling up the left side
of the histogram, indicating they are
quite underexposed.
Figure 2.01b, shot at 1/2 second at
f/16, would be the second shot. In
this histogram both the shadows and
highlights are clipped. Figure 2.01c was
made at 1 second at f/16. The shadows
are still clipped. Figure 2.01d was made at 2 seconds at f/16. The shadows almost
have enough exposure, but not quite. Figure 2.01e shows the final image made at 4
seconds at f/16. Here you can see a histogram that represents full shadow detail.
Figure 2.01a: The first exposure,

ensuring good highlight detail: 1/4
of a second at f/16
Figure 2.01b: The second

exposure: 1/2 of a second t /16
Figure 2.01c: The third exposure:

1 second at f/16
Figure 2.01d:The fourth exposure:

2 seconds at f/16
Figure 2.01e: The fifth

exposure ensuring good
shadow detail: 4 seconds
at f/16
30
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
Not all scenes will require five separate exposures to

capture the full tonal range. Some will require three or
seven or perhaps only two. Every scene is different and
each needs to be analyzed separately. In order to make
different exposures, youll need to change the shutter
speed to allow more light to enter the camera. This
is accomplished in different ways, depending on the
metering mode you are working with.
While any of the above modes can potentially work for

creating a series of different exposures, Aperture Priority
and Manual function best. Both of these modes allow the
shutter speed to be changed to alter the amount of light
entering the camera. When working with Aperture Priority,
changing the exposure compensation setting alters the
shutter speed. When working in Manual, you simply adjust
the shutter to your desired speed.
Metering modes
Aperture Priority
The metering mode in your camera determines how the

camera will set the f-stop and shutter speed while taking
the picture. A typical list of metering modes contains the
following:
(SFFO4RVBSF
1SPHSBN
"QFSUVSF1SJPSJUZ "PS"W
4IVUUFS1SJPSJUZ 4PS5W
4DFOFNPEFT TVDIBT-BOETDBQF 1PSUSBJU BOE4IVUUFS

Priority
.BOVBM
Aperture Priority is A on a Nikon and Av on a Canon. When

youre using Aperture Priority, moving your command dial
(near the shutter release) alters the aperture setting. The
camera then chooses the appropriate shutter speed to
make a correct exposure. Moving the command dial again
simply changes the aperture and shutter to a different
combination, which allows the same amount of light to hit
the sensor. So the combination of 1/4 of a second at f/16
and 1/2 of a second at f/22 allow exactly the same amount
of light in.
In order to change the exposure you must use your
exposure compensation button. Setting this button to
the plus allows more light in, while moving it to the minus
allows less light in. Typically, changing the exposure is
31
accomplished by depressing the

button while you rotate one of
your camera dials. Check out your
cameras manual for exact directions
for your model. In this way you can
create a series of images with different
exposures. Heres a simple example.
1. You frame up your shot and take
your first exposure at 1/60 at f/11.
After viewing the histogram, you
decide your highlights are exposed
correctly.
2. Now you need to take another
shot with one more stop of exposure.
This exposure should be 1/30 at f/11.
Depress your exposure compensation
button and dial in +1. Your camera
now shoots at 1/30 at f/11. You look
at your histogram and your shadows
are still clipped.
3. Time for another exposure.
Depress your exposure compensation
button and dial in +2. This time your
camera will shoot at 1/15 of a
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
second at f/11. Examination of the histogram reveals well-exposed shadows.

Your series is finished and you can move on to the next scene. This simple
example shows the basic steps to capture the necessary series of exposures. Its
also a more manual, time-consuming method. Further along, well discuss how
to automate this process with Auto-Bracketing. For now, lets take a look at how
the same series would be captured using Manual mode.
Manual mode
In Manual mode its necessary for you to set both the aperture and shutter. This
means you have to pay close attention to the exposure on every shot. With the
Automatic modes, such as Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority, the camera is
always set to give you a good exposuresomething we call being zeroed out. In
Manual, however, the camera will simply shoot at the current f-stop and shutter
speed, regardless of whether theyll produce a good exposure or not.
This means its up to you to adjust your f-stop and shutter until the camera is
zeroed out. When you put your camera into Manual mode and look through your
viewfinder, youll see the Indicated Exposure meter. Figure 2.02 is an illustration
of an Indicated Exposure meter for a Nikon camera. Figure 2.03 shows the same
display on a Canon camera. Both of these meters are currently zeroed out.
Figure 2.02 : Illustration of Nikons

Indicated Exposure meter
Figure 2.03: Illustration of Canons

Indicated Exposure meter
32
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
The Indicated Exposure meter is usually only visible while you are in Manual
mode, although some cameras display the meter in other modes. This meter
informs you of over- and underexposure. When the hash mark is in the center,
its zeroed out, indicating a good exposure. If the hash mark is toward the plus,
it means the image will be brighter (Figure 2.04) and toward the minus indicates
a darker exposure. (Figure 2.05). Adjusting the f-stop or shutter speed, or both,
moves the hash mark along. For scenes that typically require HDR, Depth of Field
is your primary concern so its common to set that first.
Figure 2.04: Meter indicating

overexposure
Figure 2.05: Meter indicating

underexposure
1. Frame up your shot and set your aperture to f/11. Next, adjust your shutter
speed until you zero out the hash mark. Your camera now reads 1/60 at f/11.
After taking the shot, you view the histogram and decide your highlights are
exposed correctly.
2. Now you need to take another shot with one more stop of exposure. Adding
a stop of light is called opening up one stop. This can be done with either
the shutter or aperture, but with HDR photography we want to use the shutter.
Opening up one stop from 1/60 of a second is 1/30 of a second, so adjust your
shutter to read 1/30 of a second. Your Indicated Exposure meter will now display
a +1. Take the shot and check your histogram. If the shadows are still clipped, its
time for another shot.
3. Open up again to shoot at 1/15 at

f/11. Your Indicated Exposure meter
will now read +2. If the histogram
reveals well-exposed shadows,
your series is finished. Just like
the previous example in Aperture
Priority mode, this is a slower,
more time consuming approach
to making a series of exposures,
but its presentation is necessary.
Understanding the basic operation
is critical to capturing the correct
exposures when you move on to
Auto-Bracketing.
NOTE:
Using either Aperture Priority or
Manual mode gets you to the same
exposure. The only difference is
how you get there. With Aperture
Priority you simply rotate one
dial to alter the aperture and
shutter simultaneously. Whichever
combination you choose, the meter
will always be zeroed out. To alter
the exposure, you need to use your
exposure compensation button. In
33
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
Manual mode you have to move both the aperture and the
shutter to get the indicated exposure meter to zero out. To
alter the exposure, you can then choose to adjust either
the f-stop or shutter speed.
Matrix metering
Your camera determines the proper exposure using an
internal light meter. By default your camera is set to a multisegment metering pattern, which gives excellent results
for most situations. Nikon calls this pattern the Matrix
meter, while Canon calls it an Evaluative meter. This meter
basically divides the frame up into multiple segments and
averages together the readings from each. While this meter
provides excellent results in common situations, it can
fail when faced with scenes that contain a wide array of
image brightness. Because this metering pattern is the most
commonly used, however, lets look at how its used.
The multi-segment meter generally tries to preserve
highlight detail in any given situation. This is good, because
when shooting for HDR you want to begin by making an
exposure thats good for your highlights. When this meter
is faced with a high dynamic range scene, however, its
likely to somewhat overexpose the highlights. This happens
because the meter is trying to preserve some detail in the
shadows. Remember, though, once your highlights are
overexposed, its nearly impossible to bring them back.
Regrettably, the only way to be sure of a good exposure

when using the multi-segment meter, is to shoot a
frame and then check the histogram. There is another
exposure aid that can be helpful, however. Its called
the overexposure warning, commonly referred to as the
blinkies. When the overexposure warning is active, when
you review your image, areas of overexposure will be
highlighted by a blinking color. Some cameras will show
the blinkies on all review screens; others will only show it
when you are on a specific screen. Consult your cameras
manual for directions on how to display the overexposure
warning.
Spot metering
The Spot meter is another type of meter included on many
cameras. Instead of looking at the entire frame, it takes
a meter reading from only a very small portion of the
frame (1% to 2% of the viewfinder). This means it can be
extraordinarily accurate. If the Spot meter is used improperly,
however, the results are very unpredictable. In short, you
should only be using this type of meter if you are willing
to spend extra time on each and every shot. Its also worth
mentioning that using the Spot meter is more convenient
when in Manual mode as opposed to Aperture Priority.
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| SHOOTING FOR HDR
The Spot meter works by trying to make whatever it sees

into an average tone. Lets use a common scene for an
example. If you place the Spot meter over an average tone
in that scene, then zero out your meter, youll end up with
a good exposure. If, however, the Spot meter is located
over a light tone in that scene and you zero out your meter,
you are essentially making that light area into an average
brightness-exactly what you dont want.
Having a good understanding of the Indicated Exposure
meter and histogram is essential to using the Spot meter,
so lets take a look at how they compare. Figure 2.06
demonstrates how the Indicated Exposure meter aligns
with the histogram.
Figure 2.06: The tones of the histogram aligned

with the Indicated Exposure meter.
When your Spot meter is over a tone and you zero out
the meter, that tone will be rendered as an average tone
(middle gray). If you adjust your shutter speed and/or
aperture to set the hash mark at +2, the tone will be white
but still have detail (Figure 2.07).
Figure 2.07: The Indicated Exposure meter set

to +2
35
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
The Spot meter is a great way to analyze the different

tonalities in your scene, but as mentioned earlier, you must
make a conscious effort while using this tool. Heres a basic
workflow for metering a scene using a Spot meter.
1. Decide the composition and determine the necessary
aperture to achieve the desired amount of depth of field.
2. Find the brightest part of the composition that needs to
have detail. Place the Spot meter over this tone.
3. Adjust the shutter speed until the hash mark is at +2.
This exposure will render the brightest white tone, but with
detail.
NOTE:
Determining which bright tones should retain detail takes
a little practice. In general, the brightest area in the scene
should be most important. Small areas of bright reflection,
for example, have no need to show detail. Typically, light
sources such as light bulbs and street lamps dont require
texture. You wouldnt want to try to get detail in the sun
either. Its just too bright. The areas where we want to
see detail are things such as skies, bright clouds, bright
buildings, window details in night scenes; in short, larger
areas of the frame that are naturally brighter.
4. Take your shot.

5. Open up your shutter speed by one stop and shoot
again. Check the histogram for shadow detail. If the
shadows are clipping, continue to open up stop by stop
and shoot until you get a frame where the shadows have
detail.
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| SHOOTING FOR HDR
Camera Settings
Modern Digital SLRs have an abundance of controls and
settings. Some have migrated from film cameras, while
others are new to the digital format. Given the number of
controls, its incredible to realize just how few are actually
used with everyday photography.
the aperture moves. Most cameras will change the shutter

when bracketing in Manual mode.
The typical Auto-Bracketing setting would be 0, +1, and -1.
This would shoot with the following settings:
1. The cameras setting (0)
Bracketing
Bracketing is a technique where different exposures are
made for one scene. Auto-Bracketing is a function on the
camera that will automatically shoot a series of exposures
for you. Auto-Bracketing can be set to shoot in 1/3, 2/3, or
1-stop increments, with some cameras having even more
options. A simple example would be for you to set the
camera to Aperture Priority. Then engage Auto-Bracketing
at a one-stop increment. When your camera is set to 1/125
of a second at f/16, the camera will shoot this exposure,
and then, it will shoot 1/160 at f/16 and 1/250 at f/16. This
will give you the first exposure and then another exposure
one stop darker, and then a third image one stop brighter.
In Aperture Priority, the aperture is the most important
setting, so the camera makes changes to the shutter to alter
the exposure. In Shutter Priority, the shutter stays set while
2. One stop over the camera setting (+1)

3. One stop under the camera setting (-1)
The camera may also shoot 0, -1, then the +1. This is fine, as
the order in which the exposures are captured is irrelevant.
Some cameras allow for more exposures per bracket. A fivestop bracket would be 0, +1, +2, -1, -2. A seven stop bracket
would be 0, +1, +2, +3, -1, -2, -3.
So as you can see, Auto-Bracketing can be a real time saver.
It also allows you to shoot without having to manipulate
your camera between shots, which increases the likelihood
of better registration when you process the images. Look to
your individual camera, though. Auto-Bracketing operation
can differ between each camera manufacturer and
sometimes even between models in the same line. Some
cameras will shoot all three frames when you depress the
shutter release button, while others need you to depress the
37
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
shutter manually three times. Some cameras will only allow

you to bracket on either side of your cameras setting (as
described above), while other will allow you to shoot 0, +1,
+2 or 0, -1, -2. Practice with your camera and consult your
manual to determine your particular models operation.
While a real convenience, Auto-Bracketing by itself does
not necessarily capture the correct series of images for our
HDR work. You need to set the camera properly and then
set the appropriate bracketing to capture the necessary
frames. This is where working in Manual mode using the
Spot meter can be very helpful. Lets build upon our basic
workflow from the last section.
1. Decide the composition and determine the necessary
aperture to achieve the desired amount of depth of field.
2. Find the brightest part of the composition that needs to
have detail. Place the Spot meter over this tone.
3. Adjust the shutter speed until the hash mark is at +2.
This exposure will render the brightest tone white, but with
detail.
4. Now, instead of taking your shot, note your camera
settings. Lets say they are 1/30 at f/16. This is the darkest
exposure of the series, the one that will render good detail
in the highlights.
5. Next, place your Spot meter over the darkest part of the
scene that needs to have detail. Adjust the shutter speed until
the hash mark is at -2. This exposure will render the darkest
areas black, but with detail. Note your exposure settings.
Lets say they are 1/8 at f/16. You now know that you need to
capture 1/30 for your highlights and 1/8 for your shadows.
6. When shooting exposures to be blended, use one-stop
increments with your brackets. So in this example you
would need to shoot 1/30, 1/15 and 1/8. Manually set your
camera to 1/15 at f/16.
7. Set your auto bracket to shoot 0, +1, and -1. Your camera
will now shoot 1/15, 1/8 and 1/30.
Heres one more example: You place the Spot meter over
a highlight, set the hash mark to +2, and it reads 1/15 at
f/11. Then you place the Spot meter over the important
shadow area, set the hash mark to -2, and it reads 1 (one
second). With this scene you need to capture five separate
exposures. 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1. Set the camera to 1/4 at
f/11. Next set your Auto-Bracket to 0, +1, +2, -1, -2.
Because bringing home the correct exposures is an
important step in creating realistic HDR imagery you
always want to double-check your histograms before
leaving the scene. Remember, the darkest image should
38
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
have a histogram that looks Figure 2.08. This will provide

good highlight detail. The lightest image should have a
histogram that looks like Figure 2.09. This will provide good
shadow detail. The other exposures will be one stop apart.
Sometimes, three exposures will suffice. Other times you
may need five or even seven exposures to cover the range.
ISO
The ISO (International Standards Organization) setting on
your camera determines the sensitivity of your sensor.
Higher ISOs, such as 800 or 1600, are more sensitive to
light, meaning you can use faster shutter speeds and/or
smaller apertures.
Slower ISOs, such as 100 or 200, are less sensitive to light,
meaning you have to use slower shutter speeds and/
or larger apertures to capture the same scene. For the
highest quality imagery, use a slower ISO, such as 100 or
200. Higher ISOs will result in an excess of noise (a gritty,
sandpapery look) in your photos.
Figure 2.08: Good highlight detail
Figure 2.09: Good shadow detail
White Balance
Setting your White Balance correctly while shooting saves
time back on the computer. While you can adjust the
White Balance with most editing programs, its best to
get as close as possible in the field. Large shifts in White
Balance on the computer are unnecessary and can lead
to a posterization of color. When setting your cameras
White Balance, consider the main source of illumination.
If the sun is your main source, set your camera to
Direct Sun on Nikon or Daylight on Canon. If your are
shooting on an overcast day, simply set your cameras
39
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
White Balance to Cloudy. I reserve the use of Auto White

Balance for scenes that contain primarily artificial light
sources.
Manual focus
Using Auto focus while shooting images is common but can
cause problems. For this reason I often use the cameras
Auto-Focus initially but then turn it off when its time to
shoot. In a perfect world, using Auto-Focus shouldnt be
a problem, but it does have the potential to throw you off.
To ensure good focus throughout your series of exposures,
begin by auto-focusing on the desired subject in the scene.
Once focused, turn off your Auto-Focus button. Now, as you
continue to shoot your series of exposures, the camera will
not need to focus in between shots. Using this method also
saves on batteries and allows the camera to shoot faster.
F-stops and shutter speeds

The f-stop and shutter speed combination is a personal
decision as well as a matter of good exposure. You can use
faster shutters and larger apertures (f/2, f/4, f/5.6) when a
shallow depth of field is desired (only a small area of the
scene is sharp). By using slower shutter speeds and smaller
apertures (f/11, f/16, f/22) you can capture images with a

greater depth of field (more of the scene is sharp). Most
scenes that require HDR usually benefit from a deep depth
of field.
Depth of field is controlled by three factors:
1. Aperture. The smaller the aperture the more depth of
field you achieve.
2. Distance to the subject. The closer you are to the nearest
subject, the less depth of field you will have. If the closest
subject in your scene is 3 feet away from the camera, you
will need to stop down to f/16 or f/22 to get the entire
scene sharp. If your subject is 100 feet from you, a deep
depth of field will be easier to obtain. In this case, you many
only need f/8 or f/11.
3. Focal Length. Wide-angle lenses (shorter focal lengths)
provide more depth of field. Telephoto lenses (longer focal
length) provide less depth of field.
You should refrain from simply setting your aperture at f/22
for every scene. While this may seem like an easy way to
always ensure deep depth of field, it will adversely affect
your image quality. The smallest aperture on the lens will
provide the most depth of field, but it also softens the
overall image.
40
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
The sharpest apertures on a lens are the ones closest to

the center of the f-stop range. These are typically f/5.6, f/8
and f/11. To achieve the sharpest images possible, use the
aperture that is closest to the center of the lens that will
provide the necessary depth of field. The necessary depth
of field can be difficult to determine, so using a depth of

field calculator application is recommended. There are
many popular apps for smartphones that dont require
a signal to operate and are well worth the price of a few
dollars.
PrO TIPs
Here are a few tips that may help
benefit from proper exposure.
not perfectly aligned, but it does
you achieve better results in the
The main idea is to keep larg-
take the software longer to pro-
field:
er, important bright areas from
duce the final results. If the im-
1. Find the important bright area
blowing out.
ages are too far out of alignment,
when metering. Its essential to
2. Dont concern yourself with the
however, the software may not be
realize that not every bright area
blackest black. Most images ben-
in the scene needs detail. Typi-
efit from a pure black somewhere
cally, light sources themselves
in the scene. Like you do for the
can do without detail. Its also
highlights, determine which ar-
unreasonable to expect to get de-
eas are truly important. Trying to
tail from the bright sun. Likewise,
get detail in every black and every
reflections from light sources in
white will result in an image se-
glass, mirrors, or metal should
ries that becomes difficult to pro-
more depth of field.
be ignored. Of course there are
cess correctly.
4. Use a cable release or remote.
always exceptions. A very ornate
3. HDR software has the ability
Along with a tripod, remote
lamp shade or chandelier will
to blend together images that are
able to achieve perfect registration. While you might get lucky

with a hand-held series of exposures, its best to ensure perfect
alignment by using a tripod. The
use of the tripod will also allow
the use of smaller apertures for
releases will help keep your
41
| SHOOTING FOR HDR
images sharp by reducing cam-
Nikon or Continuous Shooting
8. If you are unsure about your
era shake.
mode on a Canon. By default,
metering or histograms, hedge
5. Use the Self Timer. Some cam-
pressing your shutter release
your bet by capturing more imag-
button shoots a single frame. In
es. Its better to come home with
Continuous Mode, your camera
extra images that are too light and
will continue to shoot until you
too dark than to wish you had
release the button. This mode
those images while youre pro-
can be used to capture a series
cessing your HDR.
of exposures in rapid succession,
9. Shoot in RAW. RAW files con-
eras will not shoot all of the

exposures at once when set to
Auto-Bracket. This means you
have to press the shutter release
button or cable release for each
shot. While this is not terribly
time consuming it would be nice
eliminating subject movement in
tain much more information
if the camera would simply fire
between shots.
them all of with one press of the
7. Many scenes dont require ex-
formation allows more options
shutter. Try setting your cam-
actly three-, five-, or seven-stop
when it comes to blending your
era to Self Timer. In many cases
brackets. They might need four
images together. HDR programs
pressing your release once will
or six. In these cases its easi-
will process JPEG files, so up-
trigger the camera to shoot the
er to set your Auto-Bracketing
loading your old images is not
whole series of brackets auto-
to capture mo re images than
an issue. For the most latitude
matically.
are necessary and delete the
in processing your images, how-
6. Consider using Continuous
unnecessary images back at the
ever, set your camera to shoot in
computer.
RAW.
High Speed Release mode on a
than JPEG files. More image in-
Processing the
HDR Image
Once youve captured your images its time to perform magic
on the computer. Modern HDR programs shave hours off
the time it used to take the photographer to manually blend
images together in Photoshop, and days off the time it took
to achieve similar results in the darkroom. There are many
options in HDR programs out there, and they all operate a
little differently. All however can produce both surreal and
realistic results. As previously mentioned, the surreal look
is relatively easy to achieve without any coaching. Creating
a realistic image is somewhat more of a challenge. In
this section Ill show you how prepare and process your
images using the Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and
Photomatix.
43
| PROCESSING THE HDR IMAGE
Preparing Your Images in Lightroom

For the most part, HDR programs are stand-alone programs
that will operate independently of your primary editing
software. Most will also plug in to many of the more
popular editing programs, such as Photoshop, Lightroom,
and Aperture.
Editing programs
A plug-in allows the HDR program to work in concert with
your base software. For example, you could download,
organize, and edit your images using Aperture. When you
want to blend a series together using HDR, you would
export the series into an HDR program such as Photomatix.
Photomatix would blend the images together and send the
final image back into Aperture.
Using these programs as plug-ins is a real time saver and
helps keep your photographs organized. When you purchase
HDR software, it will typically come with the program and
the plug-in module. Look for the directions on how to install
the plug-in for your particular computer and program. If you
missed this step or are unable to find the plug-in, a trip to
the manufacturers website will supply you with step-by-step
directions for the installation process.
The standard editing programs of Lightroom, Photoshop,

and Aperture are all professional-level programs that have
a great deal in common. With these programs you can
download your images from your camera, organize, edit,
export to email, create books and slide shows and, with
Lightroom, even prepare a website. With the exception of
Photoshop, however, they cant create HDR images. For
this we depend on the separate HDR programs, such as
Photomatix. While there are many excellent HDR programs
out there, Ive found Photomatix to produce images that
suit my taste. To me, they are the most reminiscent of the
look of traditional slide film.
When it comes to primary editing software I use Adobe
Lightroom. I find that it is the most intuitive software on the
market with the best feature set.
Import settings
No matter which program you use, you will need to get
your images from your camera onto your computer. There
are many ways in which this can be accomplished, but
I prefer to use Lightrooms Import module. The Import
module allows you to rename, generate thumbnails, and
44
import the images into a folder of your choice in any

location that you desire. More important, it allows you to
import your images with a Develop preset. This means the
moment the images are imported, they have already been
edited to your specifications! For the most part each image
will need individual attention, but there are several edits
that can be applied to every image.
There are two types of sharpening: input sharpening

and output sharpening. Input sharpening is applied to
fix the inherent image softness that accompanies image
capture. No lens creates perfectly sharp images, and all
photos are a little soft the moment they are made. Input
sharpening, then, corrects the photos initial inherent lack
of sharpness.
1. Clarity
Output sharpening is applied to images that have lost

softness due to enlargement. Downsizing an image to say, a
JPEG for email, a web page, or a 5 x 7 print, rarely requires
output sharpening. Upsizing an image to say, a 16 x 20 print,
however, will result in a loss of sharpness. This is where
output sharpening comes in. But were interested in input
sharpening at this stage.
2. Remove Chromatic Aberration

3. Sharpening
The Clarity slider is similar to sharpening. It does perform
a separate function, but the look is similar. I apply a little
extra clarity to almost all of my landscape and architectural
imagesregardless of whether they will become HDR
images. Negative clarity is great for portraits.
Chromatic aberration is the presence of a colored fringe
around edges in your photograph. While it may not be
noticeable at small magnifications, such as on a website,
it becomes glaring when you are making larger prints.
Removing Chromatic aberration is accomplished in the
Lens Corrections panel.
NOTE:
JPEG files are sharpened incamera, while RAW Files
are not. For this reason its unnecessary to apply input
sharpening to Jpegs.
45
Creating a preset is easy, and applying the preset during

import is even easier. Start by choosing an image that is
already imported, and move to the Develop module.
2. In the Lens Corrections panel, click the Basic menu item

and the check the Remove Chromatic Aberration box.
(Figure 3.02)
3. Input Sharpening can be done in the in the Detail

panel, but its much easier to apply a ready-made preset.
The Preset panel is on the left side of the screen under
Navigator (Figure 3.03). Click the arrow next to General
Presets, then click Sharpen Scenic. This moves the Sharpen
sliders to a preset position (Figure 3.04) that works well for
scenics, landscapes, nature, and architecture. I apply this
preset to all images except portraits.
Figure 3.01: Setting

Clarity to + 10
Figure 3.03: The Preset

panel with the Sharpen
Scenic preset
1. In the Basic panel, set the Clarity to +10 (Figure 3.01)
Figure 3.02: Removing

Chromatic Aberration
Figure 3.04: The Detail panel

after clicking the Sharpen
Scenic preset
46
Once you have made these adjustments, its time to

make the preset. Return to the Preset panel and click the
+ button in the upper right corner (Figure 3.05). Youll be
faced with a dialog box allowing you to choose which of
the adjustments you would like to include in the preset.
Begin by giving the preset a name that will make sense
to you. I have named this Scenic Import Preset. Next, click
the Check None box at the bottom. Finish by checking
the Clarity, Sharpening, Chromatic Aberration and
Process Version box. The Process Version should always
be checked to keep all images looking the same. When

your New Develop Preset box looks like Figure 3.06, click
Create.
Figure 3.06: New Develop Preset box
Figure 3.05: Creating a new preset
This new preset can be applied in many ways. Primarily

I use this when importing my images, but it can also be
applied at any time. In the Develop module it can be
found under User Presets in the Presets panel. In the
Library module, right-click on an image and choose it from
47
Develop Settings>User Presets. When importing, youll

find the preset under Develop Settings in the Apply During
Import panel (Figure 3.07).
Figure 3.07: Applying the preset during

import
NOTE:
Not all HDR programs will recognize changes made to the
file in Lightroom. Because these edits are important to any
image, I apply them across all scenic shots regardless of
whether or not they will be processed in HDR. Photomatix
recognizes these edits, and thats one of the primary
reasons I use this software.
Labeling & stacking

Shooting for HDR generates a lot of images that look pretty
similar. You may shoot a series of five images, then change
your composition and shoot five more. If the light gets better
you may even shoot another five. At this point, recognition of
the individual series becomes important. Get into the habit
of taking a picture of your hand in between series. This will
act as a marker when you review your images back on the
computer. Just remember to reset your bracket after the
hand image, or your next series will be off.
Once back at the computer there are a couple of ways you
can distinguish the individual sets of images: labeling and
stacking. Labeling is simply adding a color to the thumbnail.
Figure 3.08 shows a folder of images that I captured while
the sun came up over a mountain in Glacier National Park.
I shot eight separate sets of images (seven in each set).
Notice the colored label in the lower right-hand corner of
the images. The first set is red, the second yellow, and so
on. Labeling the images in this way makes it much easier to
differentiate between sets. Try the following to add a color
label to a set of images:
1. Select the images. Click on the first image, then hold
down the Shift key and click on the last image of the series.
This is called a contiguous selection and will select all of
48
the images in that series. To select non-adjacent images,

click on the first image, hold down your Option key (Apple)
or Alt key (PC) and continue to select the desired images.
When finished, release the Option/Alt Key.
If the colors do not appear on your thumbnails you will

need to adjust your view options. While in the Library
module, choose View>View Options from the menu bar.
Adjust your View Options, as seen in Figure 3.09.
2. With the images selected, choose Photo>Set Color Label

from the menu. You will see a list of Red, Yellow, Green,
Blue, and Purple. Simply choose the color of your choice.
The number keys on your keyboard can be used as a
shortcut to the menu. With the images selected, press 6
for Red, 7 for yellow, 8 for Green, and so on.
Figure 3.08: Series of images that have been

labeled with colors
Figure 3.09: The Library View Options box

49
Stacking your images is another way to alleviate confusion.

This will take all selected images and place, or stack, them
together.
1. Select all images in the series.
2. From the Menu Bar choose Photo>Stacking>Group into
Stack. The shortcut is +G on a Mac and Ctrl+G on a PC.
Figure 3.10 shows the same folder organized into stacks.
Stacking is a great way to reclaim window space in the
library. Some tips for working with stacks:
1. The two lines circled in red in Figure 3.11 indicate a
stack. Clicking on these lines will expand the stack. Click
again and the stack will collapse.
Figure 3.10: A folder organized into stacks
2. When a stack is selected, pressing the S key expands

and collapses the stack.
3. The first selected image will appear at the top of the
stack. At times you may want a different image to show on
the top of the stack, however. You can move an image to
the top of the stack by clicking on that image and pressing
Shift+S.
4. Move images up and down in a stack by using the
keystroke Shift+ [ or Shift+ ].
Figure 3.11: Stack/

Unstack option circled
in red
50
Synchronizing settings
When youre working with Photomatix and Photoshop to create HDR images, the edits you
make in Lightroom can produce drastic or subtle changes to the final file. For example,
you many want to change the white balance or increase saturation. Changes can be made
to individual images within a series but typically, youll want to sync the change across all
images. To sync changes:
1. In the Develop module, make the desired changes to one of the series.
2. While holding the
key (Mac) or Ctrl key (PC), select the remaining images in the series.
3. Notice that, while all images are selected, the one you made the changes to is a little
brighter. This indicates that it is the active image and the changes from this image will be
applied across the others. Press the Sync button in the lower right corner of the screen.
4. The Synchronize Settings box will appear. Press the Check None button.
5. Check the boxes of the edits that you have made. Pressing the Synchronize button when
finished applies the edits to the selected images.
51
Adjusting Your Images in Lightroom

Understanding the primary adjustments in Lightroom is
key to developing both realistic and powerful imagery. For
those working only in Photoshop, Camera RAW (ACR) has
exactly the same adjustments. The techniques described
below apply to both Lightroom and Photoshops ACR.
The Basic panel

The primary tonal and color adjustments to your images
happen in the Basic panel (Figure 3.12).
5IFWhite Balance adjusts the image for different lighting
conditions and removes the color cast that may be present.
From the White Balance drop-down menu, choose the
option that most closely resembles the conditions you
were in when you made the image, such as cloudy, shady,
incandescent light, and so on. If you are working on a JPEG
instead of a RAW image you will see only the options of As
Shot, Auto, and Custom.
6TFUIFTemperature slider to fine-tune the color
settings. Move the slider left to create a cooler, more blue
tone and move it to the right to create a warmer, more
orange or yellow tone.
"EKVTUUIFTint slider if you would like to adjust the tint of

the image: left for more green or right for more magenta.
6TFUIFExposure slider to adjust the overall luminosity
(brightness) of the image. This is kind of like giving more
or less exposure at the time of capture. Move the slider
to the right for more exposure and left for less exposure.
Hold down the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (PC), and slide
the Exposure slider to reveal image clipping. The spots that
are revealed are the very brightest or darkest points of the
image.
5IFContrast slider does just what you think it willadds
or decreases contrast. It adds contrast primarily in the
midtones, however. I typically leave this slider at 0 for my
HDR images.
5IFHighlights slider works to bring back detail in the
highlight areas. You may find that when you increase the
Exposure slider until the whole image looks good, you
end up with some clipping. By moving the Highlights
slider to the left, you can bring some highlight detail
back! This slider may not work on overexposed images,
so you still need to pay attention to your exposure in the
52
field. If you have trouble getting good highlight detail

using Photomatix, close out of that image and return
to Lightroom. Adjust the highlights down on the darker
images and then re-import the newly adjusted series back
into Photomatix.
5IFVibrance slider adds saturation in a whole new way.

It affects the least saturated areas in your photo first. As you
continue to move the slider, the more saturated areas begin
to gain in saturation. This lets you increase saturation across
your image without oversaturating the already intense colors.
The Shadows slider will lighten or darken the dark areas

of your photograph. Its design is to work on only the darker
areas of the photo but the not the deepest black areas. If
you move this slider too far to the right to lighten, the result
will begin to look fake. Use with care.
.PWJOHUIFSaturation adjustment slider to the right

increases the overall saturation of the image. Use sparingly!
Oversaturation is a sure sign that your image was digitally
manipulated.
5IFWhites slider is the counterpoint to Shadows. It will

lighten or darken the brighter areas of the photo, but will
try not to affect the brightest whites.
5IFBlacks slider brightens or darkens the deep blacks. It
will make these adjustments while having less influence on
the midtones and highlight values. Again, holding down the
Alt key (Option for Mac) while moving the slider will reveal
shadow clipping.
5IFClarity adjustment increases or decreases the overall
contrast above the shadows and below the highlights. Its
similar to the Contrast slider, but tighter. It separates tones
that are very close together. Think of this slider as bringing
out texture in the image.
Figure 3.12: The Basic

panel
53
The Tone Curve panel
The HSL panel
The Tone Curve panel allows further fine-tuning of your

tonal values (Figure 3.13). If you cant get quite what you
want from the tonal adjustments in the Basic panel, its
time to move to curves. Adobe has made curves much
easier with its introduction of the parametric curve. The
sliders at the bottom of the box can be used to adjust their
respective areas. Notice a curve overlays a histogram. As
you move the sliders you will see the adjusted curve over
the histogram to help you make decisions.
The HSL panel allows you complete control over the color
in your photographs (Figure 3.14). While the White Balance
affects the overall color cast, HSL works on aspects of
individual colors. Across the top the panel you see the
words Hue, Saturation, Luminance, and All. Click on the
word Hue to reveal the Hue adjustments. Click on the
word Saturation to reveal the Saturation Adjustments, and
so on.
Figure 3.13: The Tone Curve

panel
Figure 3.14: The

HSL panel
54
Hue: The name of the color, such as red, blue, or orange.

Look at the color behind the slider to give you an idea of
which direction you will be pushing that hue.
Figure 3.15: The Camera

Calibration panel
4BUVSBUJPO5IFJOUFOTJUZPGUIFDPMPS.PWFUPUIFSJHIU
for more intensity and left for less intensity of that individual
color.
-VNJOBODF5IFCSJHIUOFTTPGUIFDPMPS#SJHIUFOTPS
darkens the chosen color.
(SBZTDBMF5IF)4-UBCDBOBMTPCFVTFEUPDSFBUF
great looking grayscale images. Click on B&W to create
a grayscale photograph. The sliders will now brighten or
darken the shade of gray that corresponds with each color.
The Camera Calibration panel

The last panel to be discussed is the Camera Calibration
panel (Figure 3.15). This panel can alter the way Adobe
translates your RAW file. If you are shooting JPEGS, you can
ignore this panel. If you are shooting RAW, however, the
adjustments here can be quite significant.
Process, at the top of box, refers the processing engine

Adobe is using to process the file. The choices here
are 2003, 2010, and 2012 (current). Any new files that
are imported into Lightroom will automatically get the
latest 2012 process version. Older images that have
been imported in past versions of Lightroom may have
older process versions. Update the process version of
your older images to the latest 2012 version for the best
translation and access to the latest adjustments.
55
Just below Process, youll see Profile. This is where the

magic happens. By default your images will be displayed
with the Adobe Standard profile. This is Adobes
interpretation of what that file should look like. Clicking
on Adobe Standard will reveal the options associated
with that particular camera brand (Figure 3.16).
Figure3.16 shows the options for Nikon cameras. Canon
cameras may have a slightly different list.
These profile options are built into Lightroom and will
automatically appear with Nikon and Canon cameras.
You may not see these options when working with other
brands of cameras. While Adobe Standard is a great place
to start, you may like the look of your images when Camera
Landscape or Camera Standard is applied. I have found
that every image is different and Im often surprised to find
that one profile looks better than another. I recommend
experimenting with these profiles to determine which best
translate your particular image.
Figure 3.16: Camera-specific

profile options
56
Basic HDR Theory

Over the years, I have used just about every method
available to fine-tune my photographs. From burning,
dodging and contrast masks in the darkroom to channel
selections and layer masks in Photoshop. Today there are
many methods and programs available that are far more
powerful than anything weve had before, and most of
these programs are far easier to use! I have settled on
Photoshop and Photomatix to produce the look that I find
most realistic.
3. Translation of the all the tones in the 32-bit image into

a visible range. This is commonly called Tone Mapping,
although there are other methods of translating the tones
Photomatix was one of the first HDR programs on the

scene and has continued to upgrade their product to
provide an array of options to satisfy any photographer.
Adobes early attempts at including HDR processing in
Photoshop were less than satisfactory. However, now
with the ability to process 32-bit images in Lightroom, the
results are fabulous.
Loading of the files in the HDR program can be

accomplished in several different ways. If you own only
Photoshop, you can select the series in Bridge and choose
Tools>Photoshop>Merge to HDR Pro. If you own only
Photomatix, you can open the program and choose Open,
then navigate to the images via your Finder/Explorer
window. If you are using Lightroom, select the images
and then choose Photo>Edit In>Merge to HDR Pro in
Photoshop. To go to Photomatix, choose File>Plug in
Extras>Export to Photomatix Pro.
Before we get into the specifics of how to use each

program lets examine the basic HDR process.
1. Load multiple exposures into the HDR program.
2. The HDR program will align the images if necessary and
merge them together into a new 32-bit file.
4. Export or Save the file.

As mentioned earlier, youll have more leeway when
shooting and uploading RAW files. RAW images are 16bit files that contain much more information than JPEGs,
which are only 8-bit files.
Whether you move your images into Photoshop or

Photomatix, the software will align and merge the series
into a new 32-bit file. A 32-bit file has the ability to
57
contain an astronomical amount of information, which allows all of the detail in the uploaded series
to be contained in a single file. This single 32-bit image, however, contains more information than
our eyes can see or the computer monitor can display. This is the only true HDR image. For this
reason, you have to translate all the information into viewable tonalities. This translation process is
commonly called Tone Mapping, and its the part of the process where you move the various sliders
to adjust the look of the image.
There are other processes that will translate the tones into a visible range. One of those processes is
called Exposure Fusion and is found in Photomatix. Although this is technically not an HDR process, its
the one that I find produces the most realistic results. Depending on the program you are using, you
may have the option save the file as a 32-bit file or change it back to a 16-bit file. Your decision here will
depend on the program you are using. More on that later.
58
Using HDR Pro in Photoshop

Lets start with using the quick and easy HDR function of
Photoshop. Well only use it to align and merge the images,
however. We will achieve the tonal translation (Tone
Mapping) later, back in Lightroom.
this should not be a problem. Moving the slider until the

tip is just below the last of the histogram is the standard
procedure, but moving it further to the right generally
does cause problems.
1. In Lightrooms Library module, select the series of images

to be processed.
2. Click OK. Photoshop merges the separate exposures into

one 32-bit file and returns to Photoshop proper. Back in
Photoshop, youll be faced with an image that usually looks
pretty bad (Figure 3.19). Dont worry. Remember, this is a
32-bit file. It contains all manner of detail that cannot be
displayed by the monitor. At this point the image has yet to
be tone mapped, so its expected to look murky.
2. From the menu choose Photo>Edit In>Merge to HDR

Pro in Photoshop. Photoshop automatically launches and
begins the process of merging the images together.
NOTE:
At the time of this writing, Photoshop Elements does not
have a true HDR processor. This example uses the full
version of Photoshop.
Photoshop's HDR dialog box

Figure 3.17 shows the dialog box after the images have been
merged. While there are many options available from this
box, the only necessary step here is to set the White Point.
1. Click on the White Point slider and move it to the
right until the image shows full detail in the highlights
(Figure3.18). If you have uploaded the correct exposures,
3. From Photoshops menu bar, Choose File>Save and

then File>Close. At this point, you have used Photoshop
to merge all of your images into one 32-bit file. No Tone
Mapping has occurred, however. You could have made
adjustments to this file in Photoshop, but the controls
are less than friendly. Lightroom, however, can edit 32-bit
files using its vast array of powerful adjustments. When
you return to Lightroom, you will find your newly created
32-bit file ready to be adjusted. Editing your images using
Lightroom (or Camera RAW in Photoshop) is a crucial part
of creating realistic HDR images.
59
Figure 3.17: The HDR dialog box
Figure 3.18: White Point slider moved to reveal full

highlight detail
60
Figure 3.20: The Previous Import view in Lightrooms

Library module
Figure 3.19: The resulting 32-bit file
NOTE:
If you happen to select and export your images while in
the Previous Import section (Figure 3.20) of Lightrooms
Library module, you will not see your image when you
return. Both Photoshop and Photomatix will return the
finished image back to the folder from which it came.
The Previous Import section is simply showing you the
last images that were imported. It is not necessarily
showing you the contents of a folder. To locate the new
HDR image, right-click on one of the series that you just
exported. From the fly-out menu choose Go to Folder in
Library. You will be taken to the folder and will see your
HDR image among your series of images.
61
Back in Lightroom, its time to adjust your 32-bit file.

The Basic panel will get most of the work done for you.
Typically the 32-bit image will show no highlight and
shadow detail (Figure 3.21). Those are the first things to
address.
In Figure 3.22, I have adjusted the shadows up to +100 and

the highlights down to -58. A dramatic improvement with
only two sliders! Take a close look at the histogram. Notice
how the highlights are retaining detail without being overly
dark. Its important to keep a bright white with detail in
most photographs. The shadows, too are not clipped. They
show detail but remain dark.
Figure 3.21: Unadjusted 32-bit file in Lightrooms

Develop module
Figure 3.22: Increasing the Shadows up to +100 and

decreasing the Highlights down to -58
62
The image does, however, lack some midtone brightness.

The midtone brightness can be controlled by the Exposure
slider. By moving this up to +1.80 my midtones look good,
but now I lack a deep black and my Highlights have washed
out (Figure 3.23).
increase in contrast created by increasing the exposure

and deepening the blacks. The image exhibits a nice
deep black, bright white, and luminous midtones. Also
notice the increase in saturation due to the increase in
contrast.
Next I move my blacks down to -72 to anchor the blacks.

Dont be afraid to clip the blacks. Let there be some black
without detail in your images. Move the highlights down
to -91 to bring back some detail. Figure 3.24 shows the
final image. Compare this image to Figure 3.23. Notice the
Tonal adjustments should always be made first, as they

have a significant effect on saturation. Making adjustments
as dramatic to these to a RAW image or a JPEG would
greatly reduce the image quality. Because this is a 32-bit
file, however, the file remains pristine.
Figure 3.23: Increasing the Exposure to +1.80
Figure 3.24: The final image with the Blacks moved

down to -72 and Highlights down to -91
63
For this next example well blend together seven exposures

made in a tunnel in Bruges, Belgium (Figure 3.25). Our eyes
perceive this tunnel as dark, with a very bright courtyard.
Our adjustments back in Lightroom need to enhance this
perception while still providing important detail.
flat. Increasing the Exposure to +1.00 and the reducing the

Blacks to -55 increases the overall contrast and brightens
Figure 3.26: Unadjusted 32-bit file in

Lightrooms Develop module
Figure 3.25: A series of seven images to be blended

using Photoshop
Figure 3.26 shows the image after returning to Lightroom.

Once again, shadows and highlights are without detail. My
first step increases the Shadows to +100 and Highlights
down to -28. As you can see in Figure 3.27, this gets the
histogram looking good, but the image still feels a little
Figure 3.27: Shadows increased to +100 and

Highlights down to -28
64
up the shadows somewhat (Figure 3.28). A decrease in the

highlights to -60 finishes the image (Figure 3.29).
Using Photoshop and Lightroom together to blend and

process images is a powerful way to capture high dynamic
range scenes. The Photoshop portion of the workflow
is effortless, and the adjustments back in Lightroom are
intuitive. So why then would you need anything else? A
couple of answers come to mind. First, the deghosting
function in Photoshop does not work as well as I would like,
and second, the ability to adjust images in Lightroom before
they go to an HDR program allows for an unprecedented
amount of control over the final image. When either of these
considerations becomes an issue, I turn to Photomatix.
Figure 3.28: Increasing the Exposure to +1.00

and reducing the Blacks to -55
Figure 3.29: Decreasing the Highlights to -60

65
Using Photomatix
Whether you are using Photoshop or Photomatix, the first
step to creating realistic HDR imagery is capturing the right
images. Keeping an eye on your histogram while shooting
is critical. Remember, it is better to return with more images
than necessary. Its easy to delete or not use a file, but
much harder to create an HDR with images that lack the
necessary detail.
Like Photoshop, Photomatix will align and merge
our images into a 32-bit file. Unlike Photoshop, it will
recognize tonal adjustments made in Lightroom, allowing
for an amazing amount of control over the final product.
Photomatix also allows us to effectively deghost an image
by choosing a specific exposure that contains the desired
action. Finally, through Exposure Fusion, Photomatix
provides a relatively simple set of controls for you to
translate the tones before heading back to Lightroom.
While the controls in Exposure Fusion are easier to
understand than those in Photoshop, we still have an
easier time understanding the intuitive tonal controls
inside of Lightroom. For this reason, my goal for working
in Photomatix is to do as little work as possible.
I find that the most realistic images are created when

the least amount of adjusting is done in Photomatix. For
this to happen you have to upload the proper exposures.
Figure 3.30 shows a series ready to be exported to
Photomatix. Figure 3.31 shows the image in Photomatix
with the Default Exposure Fusion Settings. Notice how the
image appears too bright? The shadow parts of the scene
should have some deep black in them, and the mountain
is overly bright as well.
When you load the correct images into Photomatix, the
Exposure Fusion option should present a fairly good image
at its default settings. The brightest image in that series
was simply unnecessary. When faced with an image that
is not close, I simply close Photomatix and readjust the
RAW images back in Lightroom. Next I load up the same
series, but without the brightest image. Figure 3.32 shows
the image in Photomatix with the default Exposure Fusion
settings. This image looks much better than the first
blend. Whether choosing the correct images to export to
Photomatix or adjusting the images in Lightroom before
exporting, the proper series makes your time in Photomatix
effortless.
66
Figure 3.32:
Removing
the brightest
image from
the series
results in
a more
realistic
blend
Figure 3.30: Series of images ready to export to Photomatix

Figure 3.31:
The images
blended with
the default
Exposure
Fusion
settings
Exporting to Photomatix
1. In Lightrooms Library module, select the series of images
to be processed.
2. From the menu choose File>Plug-In Extras>Export to
Photomatix Pro. Photomatix automatically launches and
begins the process of merging the images together.
Photomatix settings
Once Photomatix launches you will be faced with a dialog
box that controls how the images will be merged and how
67
they will be exported back into Lightroom (Figure 3.33).

Starting at the top of the box:
1. Align Images. This box should be checked for proper
alignment. If you were using a tripod while capturing the
images, click the Taken on a Tripod radio button. Click the
Hand-Held button if you were hand holding.
2. Check the Crop Aligned Result box. This will leave your
images with nice clean borders if the alignment was slightly
off.
3. Show Options to Remove Ghosts. This feature allows
you to selectively remove ghosting from your final image.
Check this box when you have a subject that moves in
between exposures resulting in a different location in
each frame. If nothing is moving in your frame, leave it
unchecked.
4. Reduce Noise. When this box is checked Photomatix
will attempt to reduce the amount of noise in your final
image. My experience leads me to shoot with a tripod
at low ISOs (whenever possible). In these cases, noise is
never a problem, so I leave this box unchecked. If you have
captured images at higher ISOs, you can check this box
to help alleviate the effects. Experiment with this before
creating your masterpiece.
5. Reduce Chromatic Aberrations. I fix my Chromatic

Aberrations in Lightroom before exporting my images to
Photomatix. This saves some processing time. If you have
not fixed your Chromatic Aberrations beforehand, check
this box.
6. Automatically Re-Import into Lightroom Library. Check
this box if your images have come from Lightroom. Its
a real time saver. Once Photomatix is finished with your
image, it magically appears back in Lightroom.
7. Filename. Pure preference. I use the default setting here
to name my newly created file. Feel free to change it to suit
your taste.
8. Output Format. Your choices here are JPEG (8-bit), Tiff
8-bit or Tiff 16-bit. Choose Tiff 16-bit. This choice will
allow for the most leeway in post-processing. Although
Photomatix does a great job in translating the tones in the
HDR, it is not uncommon to make further adjustments back
in Lightroom. Working with a 16-bit Tiff will result in higher
image quality.
9. Stack with Selected Photo. Again, pure preference. If you
like to stack your photos, choose this option.
10. Click Export to enter Photomatix.
68
Tone Mapping and Exposure Fusion

When Photomatix opens, youll notice the three distinct
areasAdjustments to the left, Preview in the center,
and Presets on the right (Figure 3.34). The Preview
panel in the center displays your image with the current
adjustments. Clicking on any of the presets to the
right (not recommended) will apply a preset series of
adjustments to your image. While some of these may be
tempting, you are better served learning how to manually
adjust your images. The Adjustment panel on the left is
where you will translate the tones into your final image.
Figure 3.33: Photomatixs processing control box
Figure 3.34: The Photomatix work environment

69
You can change the size of your preview image by moving

the Scaling slider in the top of the Preview panel. Clicking
the Fit button enlarges the image to fit on your screen. I
often find it helpful to view a histogram as I am adjusting my
images. From the Menu bar, choose View>8-bit histogram.
At the top of the Adjustments panel you will see the
two primary ways to translate your tones in Photomatix.
The first is called Tone Mapping, the second, Exposure
Fusion. Tone Mapping is very powerful but also
notoriously difficult to control. Once mastered, this
powerful process can produce all manner of creative
results. While powerful, it can be challenging to create
natural looking images using this method. Exposure
Fusion, on the other hand, lends itself nicely to creating
realistic imagery. Simple adjustments and a different
processing engine make this the choice of those looking
to recreate the look of traditional imagery.
Begin by clicking on the Exposure Fusion radio button.
From the Method drop-down, choose Fusion/Natural. This
presents the series of sliders you see in Figure 3.35. Below
is a quick look at the functions of each slider.
1. Strength This slider adjusts the strength of all sliders
below it. In many cases, simply adjusting this slider is the
only adjustment needed to produce the desired result.
Other times, youll need to adjust the other sliders first and
then return to strength to fine-tune the image.
2. Brightness This slider chooses which of the image(s)
will have more influence over the final merge. Moving
this slider to the right lets the brighter image(s) have more
influence, while moving to the left lets the darker image(s)
exert more influence.
3. Local Contrast This one controls contrast in between
very near tones. This is the slider that enhances texture
in your photos. Less is more. Too much, and your images
begin to look fake.
4. White Clip This controls the brightest tones in the
photograph. By raising this slider you will make your whites
brighter.
5. Black Clip On the other hand, this controls the darkest
parts of the photograph. By raising this slider you will make
your blacks blacker without too much influence over your
other tones.
6. Midtone This slider adjusts midtone brightness. Moving
right brightens the midtones and decreases contrast.
Moving left darkens the midtones and increases contrast.
7. Color Saturation This does just what you think it will
do. Increase color saturation. I prefer to leave this alone or
70
make minimal adjustments. Saturation can be controlled

more accurately back in Lightroom.
Figure 3.35: Exposure Fusion

Processing sliders
8. Method Defaults This feature, at the bottom of the box,

resets the sliders to their default positions.
9. Preset This allows you to choose from some of the
presets on the right, but also allows you to save your
current settings as a preset or apply other presets that you
have saved during other sessions.
10. Save and Re-import This function applies the above
changes to the file, converts it to a 16-bit Tiff, and reimports it back into Lightroom.
71
Unlike when you work with

Photoshop, here in Photomatix you
are actually translating the tones.
Photoshop is outputting a 32-file
that youll adjust in Lightroom;
Photomatix is outputting a 16-bit
file. Both of these programs have
one thing in common, though. The
resulting images will still need to
be adjusted back in Lightroom. For
the 32-bit Photoshop file, all of the
adjusting will be done in Lightroom.
For the 16-bit Photomatix file some
of the adjustments will be done in
Lightroom. As mentioned earlier, I try
to do as little work as possible here in
Photomatix. If I am unable to quickly
achieve decent tonalities, I close out
the image, readjust the necessary
images back in Lightroom, and reimport them for another attempt.
Lets take a look a few examples.
Figure 3.36 shows three images
ready to export into Photomatix.
The histograms above show that this
series should make an easy blend. The left image shows good shadow detail. The
middle image shows the blue sky as a bright midtoneprecisely where it belongs.
If there were clouds in the sky, the histogram would be further to the right. The
right image (one stop between the two) shows the shadows clipped and the
highlights too bright.
Figure 3.36: Images with their histograms, ready to export to Photomatix

72
Figure 3.37 shows the image with the Exposure Fusion

defaults. While not a bad blend, the image appears a little
dark. Note the histogram in the lower left corner. Typically
my first adjustment is to slide the Strength slider all the
way to the right. This brightens up the shadows somewhat,
but not quite enough. Next Ill move the Midtone slider up
Figure 3.37: The resulting blend with Exposure Fusion defaults
to 3.9. Figure 3.38 shows the final image. Note how the
increase in Strength and Midtones has pulled the histogram
away from the left edge without losing a deep black.
Neither adjustment has significantly altered the brighter
tones of the photo.
Figure 3.38: Increasing the Strength and Midtones brightens the

shadows while marginally affecting the highlights.
73
Well return to the slot canyons in northern Arizona for the

next example. For this scene I captured six images. In Figure
3.39 you see the darkest image displaying good highlight
detail and the lightest image showing good shadow detail.
The default image shows a lack of shadow and highlight
detail (Figure 3.40). In Figure 3.41, I have increased both
the Strength and Midtone to 10. This adjustment has made
the shadows look great, but has washed out the detail in
the highlights. The next step would be to attempt returning
highlight detail with brightness. No luck. At this point, it is
Figure 3.40: The resulting blend with Exposure Fusion defaults
easier to close out the image and adjust the RAW files back
in Lightroom.
Figure 3.39: Good histograms on the brightest and

darkest exposures
Selecting the darkest image, I reduce the Highlight slider

-25. I then move to the next darkest image and reduce
the highlights -15. This makes the highlights darker than
I would like to see them but will work well for the blend.
Figure 3.42 shows the result of the new blend. Once again
I increased my Strength and Midtone to 10. This time the
highlights held. An increase in the Black Clip anchored a
deep black, and an increase in local contrast brought out
the texture and detail in the midtones.
74
Figure 3.41: Increasing the Strength and Midtones washes out

the highlight detail.
Figure 3.42: The final image after readjusting the RAW files back
in Lightroom and re-importing to Photomatix
75
Pre-adjusting RAW images can accomplish more than just

correction. You can decrease saturation on lighter images
while increasing saturation of the darker images. This helps
give the highlights the feeling of older film. Decreasing the
clarity of the lighter images while increasing that of the
darker images can also lend an air of realism to your images.
In Figure 3.43, I have blended the images without any preadjustments. While the tones are acceptable, the sky is low
in saturation and suffers from a pink cast. I immediately
Figure 3.43: Initial blend of six images
closed out of the image and returned to Lightroom. Here

I selected the brighter images, and moved the White
Balance temperature slider toward Blue. I then went to
the HSL panel and increased the Blue saturation. For the
darker images I pushed the temperature slider toward
yellow, increasing the warmth in the rocks. Figure 3.44 is
the result of the blended images using Exposure Fusion.
Experiment with the pre-adjustments. In this example the
subtle changes made to the RAW images increase the color
separation without overly saturating the image.
Figure 3.44: Final blend after pre-adjusting the RAW images

76
The ability to pre-adjust images before exporting to

Photomatix is an overlooked and powerful technique that
can really help you fine-tune your imagery. The other
very powerful tool in Photomatix is the ability selectively
deghost an image.
untreated, each image would overlay on another, creating

a ghosted look in the final blend. This type of scenario can
cause real problems for HDR Software. I have found many
of the auto deghosting features do not live up to their
claims.
Ghosting is caused when a subject moves in between

exposures. This can be a person walking through the frame
as you make your exposures, clouds moving across the
sky, or moving traffic. Figure 3.45 shows a series of images
where the bartender has moved in between shots. If left
I have, however, had great success with the selective

deghosting feature found in Photomatix. To engage this
feature, you must check the Show options to remove
ghosts box in the initial processing box (Figure 3.46). When
Figure 3.45: A series showing a subject moving in between

exposures
Figure 3.46: Checking the Show Options To

Remove Ghosts box
77
this box is checked you will be met with an intermediary

window (Figure 3.47) before getting the primary work
space.
3. When satisfied with the Deghosting Preview, click OK.

Your deghosted image will be ready for the final blending in
Exposure/Fusion (Figure 3.48).
In this deghosting box (Figure 3.47), choose Selective

Deghosting at the top left. Just below youll find links to
tutorials that you may find helpful, although I believe the
directions below are fairly straightforward.
1. The first step instructs you to drag your mouse over the
image to select the ghosted region. This should say drag your
mouse around the area that needs to be deghosted. You can
see the dotted lines that I have drawn around the bartender.
2. Once you have enclosed your circle, right-click (Apple
+Click) inside of the selected area to mark it as ghosted.
You can then click the Preview Deghosting button to get a
preview of the final results. Dont worry about the tonality
and color of your image at this point, as it may look a little
off. Simply inspect the ghosted region for ghosts. For the
most part youll find that Photomatix has done a good job
removing them. If not, you can right-click (Apple +Click)
inside the circle and try again. Your choice is to remove the
selection and make another selection or choose another
image for the Deghosting process. Photomatix usually
chooses a good exposure to use, but sometimes a darker
or lighter version may work better.
Figure 3.47: The Deghosting options box
Figure 3.48: The final image after deghosting

78
Tips for Creating Realistic Imagery

Creating a realistic HDR largely depends on your ability to analyze a scene and translate your
impressions into a photograph. We have seen that our eyes perceive things much differently than the
camera. Learn to study your subject and become familiar with the tonalities, contrast, and color. The art
world changed forever when observant painters began adding color into shadows rather than just using
black. Here are a few tips that will help guide your hand while you are creating your HDR images.
&YQFSJNFOUXJUIUIFTPGUXBSF%POUCFBGSBJEUPQMBZ8IJMFTVCUMFUZJTBMXBZTBQQSFDJBUFE NPWJOH
the sliders in big jumps to watch the effect can be very instructive.
4LJFTBSFBMNPTUOFWFSEBSLFSUIBOUIFGPSFHSPVOE,FFQZPVSTLJFTGVMMEFUBJMCVUTPNFXIBUCSJHIUFS
than the foreground. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but in general its a good basic
guideline.
*OBSDIJUFDUVSBMQIPUPHSBQIT UIFPVUTJEFVTVBMMZBQQFBSTCSJHIUFS5IFJOUFSJPSEPFTOUIBWFUPCF
dark, per se, but the outside seen through the windows should be a bit brighter. Windows that are the
same brightness as the interior seem to be painted on the wall.
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Lightroom give us the ability to completely control contrast, so our temptation is to make all subjects
equally high in contrast. Allow items in the distance to be somewhat lower in contrast.
%JTUBOUTVCKFDUTIBWFMFTTTBUVSBUJPOUIBOTVCKFDUTOFBSFSUIFDBNFSB"TPVSFZFTOPUFTVCKFDUTJOUIF
distance, the buildup of haze reduces both contrast and saturation. Allow this to happen in your photos
as well.
79
-JHIUTPVSDFT TVDIBTMBNQT TUSFFUMJHIUT BOEUIFTVO UFOEUPCFMPXFSJOTBUVSBUJPO

When a bright light source is rendered as a darker, saturated tone, the effect looks like a
cartoon.
3FGMFDUJPOTBSFVTVBMMZBCPVUPOFTUPQEBSLFSUIBOXIBUUIFZBSFSFGMFDUJOH"HBJO UIFSF
are exceptions to this rule, but its a good basic guideline. Refrain from making that beautiful
reflection in the lake as bright as your sky.
"WPJEUPPNVDI-PDBM$POUSBTU-PDBM$POUSBTUJO1IPUPNBUJYPS$MBSJUZJO-JHIUSPPN
brings out the texture. When applied with a heavy hand, it has the effect of overwhelming
the viewer. Far better to apply this locally rather than across the entire image.
.PTUJNBHFTUIBUIBWFUIFOFFEUPCFCMFOEFEJOUPBO)%3XJMMVTVBMMZCFOFGJUGSPNB
deep black somewhere in the scene. Scenes that dont have a deep black appear low in
contrast and lack punch.
The Realistic HDR Image

Tim Cooper
Peachpit Press
www.peachpit.com
To report errors, please send a note to errata@peachpit.com
Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education.
Copyright 2014 by Peachpit Press
All images copyright Tim Cooper
Project Editor: Susan Rimerman
Senior Production Editor: Lisa Brazieal
Copyeditor: Elaine Merrill
Cover Design: Aren Straiger
Interior Design: Charlene Charles-Will
Composition: codeMantra, LLC
Cover Image: Tim Cooper
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@peachpit.com.
Notice of Liability
The information in this ebook is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been
taken in the preparation of the ebook, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity
with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained
in this ebook or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.
Trademarks
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Where those designations appear in this ebook, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this
ebook are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of
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with this ebook.
ISBN 13: 978-0-133-84564-8
ISBN 10: 0-133-84564-8
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The Realistic

About the Author

Author: Tim Cooper

From the Library of Dena Selby

The Realistic HDR Image

Shooting for HDR

From the Library of Dena Selby

Processing the HDR Image

From the Library of Dena Selby

The High Dynamic

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Figure 1.01: A scene with low dynamic range

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

in dynamic range would have a large range of brightness

situations. If you expose correctly for the shadow area of

The problem with film and digital sensors is that neither is

Figure 1.02: A scene with high dynamic range

Figure 1.03: A good exposure for the shadows results in

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

If you expose properly for the highlight area, the shadows

Both of these photos appear unrealistic because as we

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Why Use HDR?

Controlling high contrast

Figure 1.06: A contemporary use of HDR programs is to

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

or blown-out featureless white areas. This information can

It is important for photographers to recognize when parts

From the Library of Dena Selby

Figure 1.07: The histogram (circled in red) as it

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Figure 1.08: The RGB histogram

Figure 1.09: The same histogram as it appears

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Histograms and Pixel information

Figure 1.11: The histogram representing

In Figures 1.10 and 1.11, you see first

Figure 1.10: An image that contains full

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Figure 1.12 shows the areas represented by the histogram.

detail in your blacks and whites. Examine Figure 1.10 again

Figure 1.13: Histogram showing good highlight and shadow

Figure 1.12: The histogram representing different tonal

When the graph comes down into the corners, as seen

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Figures 1.14 and

Figures 1.15 and

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Figure 1.16: Histogram representing an

Figure 1.17: Histogram showing

Figure 1.18: Histogram showing

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

Figures 1.19 and 1.19a: The histogram stacked to the right

From the Library of Dena Selby

| THE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE

When HDR Is Needed