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Steve Adkins
08-23-2010, 11:34 PM
First post here.:) And first image processed from a recent trip to Alberta.
Stormy day.
HDR in CS5 from one exposure taken 7-31-10
Used original raw and masked in a -2 ev for a better sky.
D700, 70mm - 200mm @ 70mm, iso 200, 1/250 @f8, handheld
Located on Highway 41 south of Banff in Canadian Rockies
All C&C welcome.

Roman Kurywczak
08-24-2010, 08:23 AM
Hey Steve,
Well.....tonal range loogs good....but for me the mountains don't appear to be sharp nor do the FG trees. I like the line of the tops you used for the base but feel you can go up eve a bit more. As I don't personally do HDR's......can't comment on any possible problems or solutions there.......just feel you need to try this one again because as presented.....all the softness isn't working for me......but let's see what others chime in.

Robert Amoruso
08-24-2010, 08:25 AM
Welcome Steve,

Very interesting interpretation. I like the strong vertical lines of the trees and the strong diagonals in the mountain. Plus some good puffy clouds too. They all add up to complement the graphic look of the HDR. I would try sharpening this some more.

Would you mind expanding on how you did the HDR from one image. Thanks.

Steve Adkins
08-24-2010, 08:51 AM
Thanks for the welcome and the comments. I have sharpened the image and that seems to help a bit. Quality seems to take a big hit when reducing HDRs to 200kb. They seem to take on a "blotchy" look :(


Welcome Steve,

Would you mind expanding on how you did the HDR from one image. Thanks.


"You simply make two or three versions of the image from your RAW editing software (lightroom). One under exposed where you adjust for the highlights. One normal. And one over exposed where you adjust for the shadows. Then you use your HDR software (CS5) to put them together and tonemap." from http://eirikso.com/2007/08/20/hdr-from-one-single-image/

Nick Palmieri
08-24-2010, 08:57 AM
Hey Steve, I like the composition and I think you are getting a HDR like effect. I am assuming you either did tone mapping, or just blended layers processed differenlty (pseudo-HDR??). If you tone mapped you really need to sharpen these images....If you blended them then possibly they did not align correctly. I am also wondering if f/8 is culprit...

Katherine Enns
08-24-2010, 09:45 AM
Steve, I actually think your Kananskis image is correct and sharp although maybe you could have sharpened it a bit before using LRoom to get your three image blend. i have seen this view a couple of times and it does actually look right to me, but the sedimentary rock upwelling can be deceiving. I am new to HDR and currently taking a course so I really appreciate your comments on trying to get three exposures from one in Lightroom. I hope you will post more and explain more about how you do this. Thanks for posting. Beautiful view!

Dave Blinder
08-24-2010, 12:43 PM
Nice comp Steve, I wouldn't mind seeing how the original exposure would look on this one.

Steve Adkins
08-24-2010, 01:19 PM
Dave, here is the original single image... blown sky and all ;)
Katherine, one thing I have notice with some of my HDRs is that the sky can get sort of funky (super unrealistic or blotchy). So after I did the HDR in CS5, I took a -2 ev original with good ski exposure and masked it into the HDR above the mountain. I was fortunate to have the mountain top line as a firm cutoff for masking.
BTW the following may be a good short cut instead of using separate exposures of one raw image like I did. (I'm going to give it a try next time...)-
"In Photoshop CS5 you can apply HDR tone mapping to a single image to achieve HDR look.
After you open your image in Photoshop CS5, choose Image -> Adjustments -> HDR Toning." from http://garmahis.com/tutorials/hdr-photoshop-cs5/

Nick Palmieri
08-24-2010, 02:57 PM
Hey Steve, Thanks for posting the original. You really have the "grunge" feel in your conversion. I am confused as to what you are trying to do here??? While your original conversion really brings out that dramatic sky (one of the great benefits of HDR, IMO) it really adds a "grunge" feel to the mountains. I clearly like the mountain and the trees in the original image and the sky in the conversion. I would just blend these two, open the shadows in the mountains and trees a bit, sharpen it and then you have a a realistic image. TFS Looking forward to seeing more...

Dave Mills
08-26-2010, 11:31 PM
Hi Steve, I feel you came up with an interesting image working from a flat original. You divided the comp nicely into thirds with the sky adding the drama. I haven't done much in the way of HDR's but have played with CS5's HDR and experimented with the controls. Depending on the maker's wishes one can make an HDR look realistic or can give it a graphic quality. It all becomes subjective to the viewer...

Steve Adkins
08-27-2010, 08:57 AM
Thanks everyone for you time, comments and vision. I enjoy these learning opportunities that the forums allow. Many minds, many ideas...