Tone Mapping and HDR Photography



Anyone interested in tonemapping? It is very easy to do if you have the right software ... I use Photoshop CS5 for RAW conversion, and then Photomatix Pro for HDR (1) creating and tonemapping.

can generate a HDR from a single exposed images, but it seems best to ensure the camera on a tripod and take at least three shots using AEB (2) If your camera has, what are you looking for the underexposed shot to get the details in lighter areas, 'perfect 'exposure for midtones and too large for the detail in dark areas. If you do not own a tripod, do not worry you can fake with the RAW conversion ... ie changing the exposure value before opening the RAW files, do it three times and save them on your desktop, open the Photomatix HDR and click on the tab on the toolbar, then click where it says generate and then will ask you to upload your images, go to on the desktop and select the saved image, and then click OK.

Photomatix will then come up with another box to synchronize pictures, click OK again, wait for the script to do its magic and you will be the worst looking picture ever! Do not be afraid to brave cameraists this is HDR in all its raw glory, you'll also see the HDR viewer to move around a disaster scene, you'll see a lot of details in the browser, but do not enlarge (it seems ironic lol).

OK now I normally bin this file as unusable so now comes the magic part ... tonemapping! Hit HDR on the toolbox and drop-down menu to search for tonemap or press Ctrl + T, then more computer magic and you are presented with a much better looking image ... play around with the power and brilliance, etc. Have fun! If someone is found remotely interesting then I'm quite ready to perform ... let me know about) HDR (1) - High Dynamic Range. This is a feature in Photoshop CS2 or Photomatix or FDRTools.Način to 'digitally develop' your photos using tonal information contained in multiple exposures of the same shot.

AEB (2) - Auto Exposure Bracketing, a simple automated technique professional photographers use to ensure that properly expose their pictures, especially in challenging lighting situations, taking two or more pictures: one slightly under exposed (usually biranjenegativne compensation exposure, for example -1/3EV), and the other slightly more exposed (usually dial in a positive exposure compensation, say, 1 / 3EV ).