HDR Tutorial - Photomatix

I have developed a deep interest in and appreciation for HDR Photography.  If you are not sure what HDR is, you can read about it here.  It is by far my favorite type of photography.  I am clearly not an expert, and truthfully I am learning more and more all the time, but I have had a lot of questions from people about how I create some of these images, so I thought it would be fun to write up a tutorial and hopefully it helps!  If you have any feedback, be sure and drop me a line.  

It seems like more and more folks are experimenting with HDR and it also seems like everyone has a slightly different way of using the tools and crafting the images.  So, this is my version.  As I add new tips and tricks, I will come back and update this tutorial.  As I mentioned above, I am not an expert at any of this, and don’t pretend to be.  I am sure there are many deeply technical things you can do to an image with Photoshop, but I haven’t gotten there yet.  I am just being honest.  There are other great HDR Tutorials I have found on the web, and they all differ somewhat.  This one is my simple, “anyone can do it” version of an HDR Tutorial.  If you have been into HDR for a long time, this tutorial may not run deep enough for you, or be technical enough for you. That's ok!  No hard feelings!  I would recommend reviewing Trey Ratcliff’s impressive HDR Tutorial on his website.  He has probably forgotten more about this than I know yet! 

There are several software products on the market that you can use to create HDR images, but this tutorial is based on HDRSoft’s Photomatix, which I use exclusively and I find it is used by everyone else I know doing HDR too.  So, I guess I am saying we all think it is good.  :)  It is a great product and I recommend it highly.  If you decide to purchase Photomatix, you can click here to get a 15% discount.

The basic tools that I use for shooting and creating HDR images:

• a camera that has auto-bracketing, or the ability to nimbly move your camera settings between shots (it can be done, as I do that myself since my camera doesn’t auto-bracket - I currently use the fairly basic Nikon D40x)
• a tripod - it is vitally important that your images line up so that you can avoid blurs etc -  I have seen some handheld HDR shots done, but a tripod should be your 2nd best friend (after your camera of course!)
• software that will allow you to create the HDR images from your files - I highly recommend that you use Photomatix.  You can read my review of it here.  
• some version of Photoshop to do some edits after the HDR image is created - I personally use Photoshop Elements and really like it - as I mentioned above I am not a Photoshop genius!
• a nice add-on product which can add a little zest to an image is Topaz Adjust - I really like the product and you can read about it here
• an Apple computer! (but you can do this in Windows too!)

The basics before you start firing off shots:

• get the camera on the tripod and line up your shot - this sometimes takes me a bit as I like to move around and check it out from various spots, as you probably do too!
• put your camera in Aperture mode - this gives you control over the Aperture, but the camera uses it’s own brains to figure out how many seconds per shot (shutter speed)
• set your Aperture depending on the scene, available light, etc.
• set up auto-bracketing with the number of exposures you want (3, 5, 7, etc), assuming your camera has auto-bracketing, and if not, then adjust your Exposure Value for your first shot and get ready to rumble!
• check to make sure you are shooting in RAW format - I recommend that since you will capture a greater level of detail with each exposure
• check your ISO, I frequently leave mine at 100
• shoot!

Basic Outline of my HDR Workflow

I manage all of my files in Apple’s Aperture program.  I really like the product and actually use it for some touch-up and other adjustments after I have completed my Photomatix and Photoshop work.  Here is a basic snapshot of my HDR workflow:

• dump RAW files into a Project in Aperture
• open Photomatix, grab the appropriate images, and merge them
• make all necessary adjustments in Photomatix (more of that to come) and save the file as a JPG, and then bring it back into the original Project in Aperture
• from Aperture, click Image > Edit With > Adobe Photoshop (or Elements if you use it)
• in Photoshop, make whatever adjustments you see fit - I typically adjust Curves, Contrast, Unsharp Mask, and sometimes Hue/Saturation
• more recently, I have begun to use Topaz Adjust to finish off my HDR images - it gives some nice finishing touches that I am really enjoying
• if using Topaz Adjust, which functions as a plug-in to Photoshop, then from Photoshop click on Filter > Topaz Labs > Topaz Adjust, and it will launch the program for you
• make any updates you wish in Topaz Adjust and then click “ok”, taking the updates with the image back to Photoshop
• once finished with Photoshop, save it and it takes the updated image back into Aperture
• now I have an image that has been through Photomatix, Photoshop (Elements) and Topaz Adjust
• if necessary, I make final minor adjustments in Aperture and I am good to go!

So I will begin this tutorial with the five shots you see below.  This is a skyline shot of downtown Austin.  These 5 shots were each taken at a different exposure value, ranging from -3 to +1.  They were taken on a late fall morning, about 9am.  The sky was clear and it was really a beautiful morning.  Technically these are not perfect conditions for HDR, since the light was fairly bright and the skies were clear (HDR makes cloudy skies look awesome, and is best used when you have a lot of variance between light and shadow).  But, I still felt like the images work well in outlining how HDR works, so I went ahead and included them in this tutorial. 

You begin by opening Photomatix and you will get this simple menu:

Click on “Generate HDR image”, select your source images, and wait for this next menu to appear:

There are different schools of thought here, regarding whether or not to click on things like “Reduce chromatic aberrations” and “Reduce noise”.  All I can say is for your to try different things and see what you think works best.  I tend to leave them checked.

Regarding “Attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts” , I feel the same way about that one.  It really depends on the shot.  I have done it both ways many times and think you just have to experiment and see which looks best to you for any particular image you are creating.   

After you have figured this out, click on “Generate HDR” and wait for the magic to happen.  Ok, well it’s not really magic, and most likely you are not totally happy with the picture you see. You will also have a menu on the side of the image that looks like this:

Click on “Tone Mapping”.

This is where this next menu comes in handy.  There are a nearly limitless amount of things you can do with the image in terms of customizing it.  The best guide here is just practice and practice until you better understand what all these sliders do to your image.

Here is the what the slider menu looks like:

One key thing to know:  the 4th slider down, entitled “Light Smoothing” is an important one.  I always leave it all the way to the right.  If not, you start to get some really wacky, “over-cooked” looking HDR images.  Nothing wrong with that, if that is your goal, and yes we have all done it at one time or another (just look at our old Flickr images).  But, my goal is to use HDR as a tool to craft beautiful images, not something for people to see and say “Wow, he really cooked that one.”  Of course, like anyone, I have cooked my fair share.  Some I even burned to a crisp!

Then once you get it all set, you end up with something like this:

I definitely think at this point you can safely say the image is an improvement over what I started with.  There is much greater detail visible in a lot of areas and the colors are more vibrant too.  That is one thing to be aware of - HDR can really put an electric blue color into your skies.  I frequently have to tone down the saturation of blue to keep it looking more realistic, but to each his own.  However, we are far from being done with the image yet.

Click “Process” and save the file in your preferred file format (I typically just use JPG).

I then import the image back into Aperture and get ready for the next round of adjustments, which will occur in Photoshop (Elements, in my case).

Highlight the image in Aperture, and then click Image > Edit With > Adobe Photoshop Elements.  Your HDR file will launch in Photoshop.  As I mentioned before, I am not a Photoshop expert and at this point I tend to keep my use of Photoshop pretty simple.  I generally follow this process:  Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Color Curves.  In that menu I usually make adjustments to Contrast and sometimes Shadows and Highlights.  It really just depends on each image, as they are always different, and on what final result you are happy with.  Below is a screenshot of the menu that I typically use in Photoshop Elements (it may differ in Photoshop, I am not sure).  This screenshot was taken prior to making any adjustments, hence the two photos look identical.  The nice thing is that as you make your adjustments you can immediately see the result and compare it to the original.

Next step is to run it through Topaz Adjust and see if there are any further enhancements that I would like to apply to the image.  Since this step is optional, I will not outline how Topaz Adjust works in this tutorial.  If you are interested in the product, you can read my review of it and see screenshots here.  It is a simple but powerful plug-in to Photoshop that can produce some stunning effects in your photos!

After that, I will usually utilize the Unsharp Mask feature.  That feature alone is so powerful - it can bring out such rich detail in your photos.  Note that I do Unsharp Mask after  I have finished both the Photoshop fun and the tweaks in Topaz Adjust.  I am sure there is no scientific explanation, and maybe I am just imagining things, but if I do Unsharp Mask first, and then go to Topaz, it seems like the result is slightly different.  Again, maybe I am just overly critical or something, but I would recommend that Unsharp Mask be the last thing you do in Photoshop.  Just my 2 cents...

By the way, for this image I did not use Topaz Adjust.  I liked it quite a bit the way it was.

Anyways, after all that software fun you just had, you end up with something like this:

This image is sitting in Aperture, where I keep everything, and needs just a few more minor tweaks.  One thing I do is adjust a little of the color, shadow and brightness.  This is also where I would remove any unwanted elements, such as dust spots from the lens, or unsightly artifacts left over from the processing.

Eventually, I end up with this:

In this image I worked on the shadows a little, added a little pop of brightness, and slightly increased the saturation of the yellow tones, in order to accentuate the morning sunshine on the bridge.  I feel like it improved the image - at least that's my opinion!

Well, that is about it.  Thanks for reading all the way through and let me know if you have any questions!  HDR is an exciting type of photography and I really enjoy taking and processing HDR photos.  As I mentioned at the beginning, everyone I talk to seems to have their own take on how they like to process HDR photos.  This is may current workflow and process that I use to create my photos.  As I learn more and my techniques evolve and change, I will certainly include new elements in this tutorial.

Thanks again, and I hope this was helpful!

Comments

[Chip Tait]

Thanks for that. You made it simple, direct, and understood by a Photoshop Luddite™ such as myself.

[Jim Nix]

Chip, thanks for stopping by and glad it was helpful! HDR is so much fun! Jim

[Rachael Towne]

Thank you for the very comprehensive tutorial on Photomatix. It's very helpful to me. Your photography is supremely gorgeous by the way!

[Jim Nix]

Rachael, thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Glad the tutorial is helpful! Thanks for stopping by! Jim

[Martin Herlacher]

I use Photomatix for HDR and then stitch them into a panorama with PTGui. I will make three passes, High, Mid & Low. I keep them in good connection by using the Dynamic mode for the Auto Focus metering point on my Nikon camera. Then just line up the image with the metering point on the horizon. After each pass raise or lower your metering point to go higher or lower. With the Grid Pattern turned on I use 1/3'rds to overlap the image. I also use my remote shutter release to avoid vibration. You can get a much larger picture and avoid distortion at the edges. If you crop the photo it will have all the HDR elements so you can get alot of use out of one picture. You may wind up with 45 to 63 individual images using + normal - EV levels on your bracketing so have plenty of storage capacity shooting in RAW/Large Format files. I use Adobe Lightroom 3.0 for post processing.

[Jim Nix]

thank you Martin for your insight into your process, thanks for the visit too!