3xRAW or 1xRAW HDR (LR and CS3)

Simian

Simian

Simian

Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
8,075
Location
Swindoniantown
Hi guys..

I recently got my 400D and had a play out on the Common at Greenham in Newbury.. I took nearly 120 Photos most of em in RAW..

I had a play with the exposure on a few +2 and -2 so I could play with HDR..

I've got Photoshop CS3 and Ligitroom 1.4 with all the relevant plugins and I can't figure out how to make decent HDR's.. they all seem to come out Waaaay over exposed.. I've looked at various turorials but nothing seems to help!..

I've tried Photomatix but as I don't have any more money in my budget I get a watermark.. and as I've already paid out for PS and LR I don't want to have to buy another piece of software!!..

So basicaly what I'm asking guys is.. How do I make a decent (not plastic looking or Over Exposed) HDR with the tools I have??.. Do I use 1 RAW or 3.. how do I get Photoshop to process em from Lightroom!!?..

Cheers
Sim. :)

Ooo heres what Photomatix output...
HDRTest1.jpg
 
Its important to know WHEN to use HDR.
This is the problem people are having. They are using HDR where its not needed in some cases. This is why your getting results that are blown because each file doesn't contain enough of each thing.

For a start you should be capturing about 6 images anyway.
It ranges from 3 to 12 depending on your lighting scenario.

Once you are comfortable with HDR then you could use 1 RAW but I would always advise more original images produce better/cleaner photographs and that will always be the case.
 
Seperate the sky from the ground, by cutting it out onto a new layer.

Press CTRL + U and make the sky a bit blue-er. Open curves and give it an "S" curve to increase contrast. Use burn tool around clouds to make them more "punchier".

Then just use burn and dodging everywhere else to bring out details in certain areas
 
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