Wednesday, March 20, 2013

HDR magic

I posted this pic before, but I just wanted to post the non-HDR version also, because I'm amazed at the difference HDR made. (High Dynamic Range, HDR, means a combination of more, different, exposures into one image, to expand the contrast the camera can cover.)
These files are direct from my iPhone 4S, no manipulation at all. The first is the middle exposure, which the camera kindly leaves in. The second is the combined exposure.
I've also noticed that in dicey light like this, combined exposures are often sharper than a single exposure. That itself is a boon, not the least because the iPhone does not have anti-shake.
Behold the added light to the ground, and the wonderful tones in the sky, which just weren't there in the single exposure.





3 comments:

Bert said...

Very nice improvements indeed. Now, if there was only some way to convert some mass-producers of HDR nightmares to this kind of subtlety...

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

I could never understand why people can't see how horrible that kind of pictures are.

Ken said...

Yes, it is quite a natural look. One problem with the HDR programs is the default settings seem to create the horrible photos.