I had to do a lot of interior real estate photography today and shot many bracketed images.
In the past, I've used Lightroom's "Merge Images to HDR" feature with decent results. But I'm nearly 100% happy with the results.
Does anyone have a better method? Perhaps Photoshop? I'd love to know any tips/tricks for accomplishing the best results with a bracketed shot.
Thank you.
I always use LrC and have been most happy with the results.
99% of my bracketed shoots are taken within a second of one another which makes the whole process easy, just a few clicks regardless of the total number of images you have. I start by first creating stacks and then I send all the stacks off to do the HDR. No need to individually select the images for each HDR process. Let me know if I can help further or give you a demo. Gene
I agree with Gene completely. And if more of our members would like to know the when, how, and even why of bracketing exposures, I'd bet that Gene would be willing to do a demo for the entire club.
While I do not do a lot of interior shots like this, when I do I use Lr for basic global edits to all the bracketed shots (sync them all for white balance, lens corrections, transformations, etc) then import into Ps and use luminosity masking to blend the various shots. I just find that you have more control over the balance, particularly in the highlights than via Lr stacks.
OK, now this is getting interesting! How about a dual presentation, with Gene doing the basics of bracketing and then Mike doing some refinements with luminosity masks in Photoshop?
I'll talk to Gene and Mike individually, so there may not be a need for further comments on this, but I really like to see our forums put to such good use!
Mike,
This is exactly the problem I am experiencing...I can't get the highlights as low as I want in the composite, even with masking certain areas. Would love to see a PowerPoint presentation on this issue.
My earlier comments were directed at how to handle a number of bracketed shoots and not much on the processing side; sorry, off subject from what you were asking. What you have shown looks realistic but not necessarily what you are hoping for. As you undoubtedly know there are several tutorials on "window pull" using flash, but too late for that now. Do you have a dark exposure for the outside, perhaps a little too dark, in your stack? Perhaps that is the reason why you can't get the results you are hoping for. A suggestion - send the photo you have and a photo with the exposure you want for the outside to PS as layers. In PS use a blending mode that will allow the outside to show thru the windows. I have done this but it has been so long ago I would have to start from scratch. I wish I could be more helpful. Gene
Ian, Mike will be doing a club presentation on masking in Lightroom in August, so you might be able to get some solutions there. Mike also knows a lot about luminosity masks in Photoshop, which might help you with your challenges. You can ask him at the presentation, to the benefit of us all.
Hello everyone. I'm new to your group, but would like to weigh in. Most cameras' bracketing features only expose for 3-5 stops. Some scenes' ranges go well beyond these parameters. Because of this I never use the bracketing feature. I take 2-3 images manually and expose for the brightest element (the window in an indoor shot), and the darkest spot. Sometimes I will expose for the middle ground. Then in PS I will process them as follows... FILE > AUTOMATE > PHOTO MERGE. This image is the two images merged.
This image was exposed for the darkest area.
Exposing for the window.
I've never used bracketing or attempted a merge, so this is really interesting to me, Terri. Do you do this merge in Lightroom or in Photoshop? Also, super dumb question: I'm assuming you have to do this with a tripod to ensure no movement ... or can you sometimes hand hold and the technology is sophisticated enough to recognize the similar elements and accurately overlays the two images? Thanks for sharing
Hi, Terri--
You do HDR exactly the way I've been doing it for many years, for the same reason. I have better control (as you describe) with simply using the exposure compensation control, going from the lowest exposure necessary to eliminate last bit of highlight clipping (indicated by the "blinkies") and then opening up the exposure until the darkest area of the scene has sufficient detail.
And Tanya, here's what Google AI says about a tripod: "Yes, it is possible to shoot HDR photos without a tripod, but it requires careful technique and may result in some limitations. Modern cameras and editing software offer features that make handheld HDR photography feasible, but a tripod generally provides the best results."
Tanya - No dumb questions. For best quality I use a tripod. I have occasionally braced myself against something solid, set the drive to 2sec timer, and held my breath. Decent results. I only use Photoshop.
Thank you, Terri!