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View Full Version : Jupiter Light at Night in HDR Take II



Harold Davis
02-17-2009, 06:03 PM
i got some new toys (tripod and ballhead that work) so i went back to try to get a shraper image. i think i succeeded, but it doesnt have the same feel as when the fog was around the first time. i did take into consideration the crop suggestion from last time as this one is full frame.

six image HDR tonemapped in Photomatix Pro. D300, 18-200Vr at 56mm, f/16, 30s to 2.5s, ISO 400.

comments and criticisms appreciated.

Roman Kurywczak
02-17-2009, 06:16 PM
Hey Harold,
I love it when people listen..........& then go back and try it again!!! Compositionally this one rocks!!! The clouds on the right/left edge.... seem a bit funky(probably due to HDR)....but with a bit more blending...this will be fantastic! Way to go!!!

Harold Davis
02-17-2009, 06:32 PM
blending? pleaz splain! i saw that in paul's post too and was wondering.

the clouds, i will admit, were worked on and i figured i would get busted on them. there were "blank" areas in them from the HDR, so i went in with PS and used the clone stamp to fill in those areas.

dont hurt me too bad.:o

Michael Pancier
02-17-2009, 06:34 PM
seems a tad hazy. I think the exposure balance is right on. Try the HDR with 3 images and compare....

I think with the 6 images, one of the images may be giving the shot that hazy effect. (Unless of course it was hazy that night) :-p

Harold Davis
02-17-2009, 08:12 PM
as per michael's suggestion. it even needed some CCW rotation. there was no need for any PS work in this version. this is +2, 0 and -2EV.

seems it lost a lot of the tonal range. i dont think i have the right mix yet. will try again with different exposures, but limit it to 3 instead of 6.

Dennis "Curly" Buchner
02-17-2009, 08:39 PM
Harold the repost is a winner, great composition

Dave Mills
02-17-2009, 08:50 PM
Harold...the sky in the repost is far better. The lights below the lighthouse are a bit bright for my taste. I had liked the soft glow in the original...

Michael Pancier
02-17-2009, 10:04 PM
agree that the sky in the repost is much better too and the image is clearer. But the lighthouse in the repost is too bright as are some of the lights. I'd go -2, -1, 0 or -2, 0, +1

Roman Kurywczak
02-17-2009, 10:45 PM
OK Harold,
Blending........As Robert O'toole is fond of saying.....friends don't let friends clone! I do like the tonal range in the first one....especially the lighthouse.......but the sky is 1000 times better in the 2nd.........instead of the clone tool.......use either the patch or the healing brush.........should give a less obvious cloned look. Keep plugin' away........it's worth it as this is a keeper.
PS Tried the patch tool.......worked great on the 2nd version......just circled 1 cloud bare area at a time and moved it to a darker area........presto gone! Truth be told though.........I might not mind them in a darker version.

Paul Marcellini
02-18-2009, 03:16 PM
The repost is much better. Maybe you could try blending in some parts from a straight proper exposure. This is where I was thinking of using HDR, as a starting point and then bringing back in areas where it may have destroyed the tonalities. The main tree in the repost is an example, looks a bit muddy. Way to go back and improve a shot though. Great job.

Robert Amoruso
02-19-2009, 04:21 PM
Harold,

On the blending that Paul and others talk too, using the second post HDR, open one of the images that has good mid-tones especially on that large tree. Do CTRL-A to select, CTRL-C to copy, activate the HDR image and do a CTRL- V to paste in a new layer above the HDR. Create a layer mask and then paint black on the ares you want the HDR showing through.