Can you help a novice with HDR?

philstanbridge · 26 Jun 2011 at 21:36

Looking for some more advice please - I want to dabble with HDR. What software would you recommend for the post-processing aspect? I hear a lot of talk about Adobe Lightroom? Or would some free software suffice, like GIMP2? Are there any free tutorials online I could follow to give me some idea of where to start. I have the Nikon 3100 with the kit lens at present. I've done some searching and there's a lot of stuff out there, so it's a bit confusing.

sbi5ar · 26 Jun 2011 at 22:15

As far as I am aware, photomatix pro is one of the better packages on the internet to use. I learnt the basics of HDR by looking at this tutorial. It explains on the first page what software to use when, and then on pages 2, 3, and 4 he goes on to explain how to use each one for producing HDR images

oO Stevie Oo · 27 Jun 2011 at 13:45

Photomatix is good but develops a lot of noise I find,
Softwere I use is lightroom, Photomatix, Photoshop and the Lucasart plugin for PS is well worth getting as it really makes them pop

Reemul · 27 Jun 2011 at 14:22

I shhot raw, normally i import into photomatix direct the raw files, get the look i am after and then save and then make any cropping etc in Lightroom 3. Photomatix can be pretty noisy at times. i find it depends on what sort of look you are after.

I have a fair bit on my flickr profile if you want to take a look. I have a hdr set.

mcc49 · 27 Jun 2011 at 14:27

Photomatix is the one I used.

My advice is to avoid HDR though, I've dabbled in it also when I was new to photography as it was 'cool' but realised now how bad most of them look, the only ones that are nice are the ones you dont actually know it has been processed using HDR. Concentrate your effort in mastering exposure controls and composition instead if you can resist.

philstanbridge · 27 Jun 2011 at 15:37

mcc49 said:
Photomatix is the one I used.

My advice is to avoid HDR though, I've dabbled in it also when I was new to photography as it was 'cool' but realised now how bad most of them look, the only ones that are nice are the ones you dont actually know it has been processed using HDR. Concentrate your effort in mastering exposure controls and composition instead if you can resist.

That's good advice there thanks. I've obviously got a lot to learn. I've just got back from being out for most of the day and have picked up a couple of useful tips myself! I need another battery! I couldn't believe how quick this one got used up - I have taken about 60 RAW exposures using the viewfinder only, and the battery is down to one bar, but it won't let me take any more pics at this point. I've also discovered I need a bag of some sort

I want to learn how to use it properly, so I will try and master the controls, but there's no harm in having a dabble. I could really do with some decent photo manipulation software too...

Reemul · 27 Jun 2011 at 16:11

HDR is another form of capturing the photo. Treat it like an effect rather than only 1 way of shooting. It's another string to your photography bow when you use it.

Don't just discard it though.

I have 1 flickr contact who specifically takes HDR photos and his stuff is just superb, like everything some people are good at it and others aren't.

philstanbridge · 27 Jun 2011 at 16:15

Reemul said:
HDR is another form of capturing the photo. Treat it like an effect rather than only 1 way of shooting. It's another string to your photography bow when you use it.

Don't just discard it though.

Don't worry I won't discard it - I'm just not that comfortable with the software processes involved. It's something else I need to learn at the end of the day. I've just had a dabble with the trial of Photomatix and I've managed to process my first ever HDR landscape - it hasn't come out too well which is nothing less than I expected, but at least it has worked. With the 3100 there is no Auto-bracketing feature apparently, so you have to set it manually. Hence me changing the exposure 3 times and taking 3 separate images. I have a small tripod, but I could have done with one of those remote controls next time..

Reemul · 27 Jun 2011 at 16:31

Yeah my nex-5 only has 0.7 bracketing and only 3 shots so there are plenty of times I have to manually do it.

Some subjects just don't work and others do when you dont expect them to. Like a lot of stuff experimenting early on is the way to go.

Rollo · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:30

You should be getting a hell of a lot more than 60 shots on a full battery. Did you use the LCD a lot for reviewing?

philstanbridge · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:42

Rollo said:
You should be getting a hell of a lot more than 60 shots on a full battery. Did you use the LCD a lot for reviewing?

Nope. But I had been playing around with the camera for a few days prior, so it's probably about right. I charged the battery for about 1hr 30 until there was a solid light on the charger, but I'm not sure that was enough for the first charge. I'll leave it for a tad longer and see what happens.

Reemul · 27 Jun 2011 at 18:38

philstanbridge said:
Nope. But I had been playing around with the camera for a few days prior, so it's probably about right. I charged the battery for about 1hr 30 until there was a solid light on the charger, but I'm not sure that was enough for the first charge. I'll leave it for a tad longer and see what happens.

The Nex-5 battery sucks due to the live view etc but I get 350 shots per battery. Even a cheapy one gives me 200