Using High Dynamic Range (HDR)

High Dynamic Range (HDR for short) is a term that most photographers know and understand.  However, some people don't know the meaning behind it, or why it is important.  This article covers that.

What is HDR?

In the developer's room, there are many tools that photographers use to enhance their photos and make them stand out more.  For film shooters, it means spending time in the dark room manipulating negatives to get the right feel.  For digital shooters, this means time behind the computer with an editing program.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) was used for 3D graphics, but in recent times, became a part of photography editing that is essential for some gorgeous shots, usually on a scenic level.

How does HDR work?

A photographer either takes two or more pictures at different exposures, or edits the raw file of a photo to create those images at different exposures.   Most photographers use three photos -- one as a base photo to use, one photo with a higher exposure, and a photo with a lower exposure.  It is possible to use multiple photos.

Then the photographer uses a program such as Photoshop or Photomatix to blend the photos together into one photo.  From there, the photographer chooses his or her edits before producing the final picture.

A Sample of using HDR.

For myself, I use a combination of Lightroom and Photomatix Pro for my sample, which is shown in the images below.

In the first sample, I will show a side by side comparison.  The original, unedited shot is represented by left side, and the final HDR product is represented on the right.

You can definitely see the difference.  The HDR portion has more vibrance than the portion on the left.  The grass looks more lush, the dirt looks richer, and the shadows on the trees are more prominent.

For a full comparison, I present the original and final image.

This is the original image in full.  The trees have a lot of detail, but the ground looks slightly bleached.  If I were to darken the picture, the trees would lose their detail due to increased shadows.

This is the full shot using HDR.  The ground is darker, while the trees maintain their detail.  (And the tree in the upper right corner even gained detail.)  To accomplish this, I made the base picture, then used a picture two exposure values darker (-2 EV), then one two EV levels lighter (+2 EV).  I blended them, and this, is the result.