Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
HDR (High Dynamic Range) images (a series of shots of the same subject taken
at different exposures to capture the full tonal range) have become really popular,
and you can take the images you shot for HDR straight from Lightroom over to
Photoshop's Merge to HDR Pro feature. You start by shooting bracketed on your
camera. Here, I set up my camera to shoot five bracketed shots with one stop
between each shot—one with the standard exposure, one 2 stops darker, one
1 stop darker, one 1 stop brighter, and one 2 stops brighter (for five shots total).
Creating
HDR Images
in Photoshop
Step One:
In Lightroom, select your bracketed shots.
Here, I've taken five bracketed shots (with
a 1-stop difference between each), but you
really only need three of these (the original,
one that's 2 stops brighter, and one that's
2 stops darker), but since this is debated
endlessly in online HDR forums, we'll take
all five exposures (just for fun). Here, I se-
lected the five bracketed shots in the Library
module. Once you've selected them, go
under the Photo menu, under Edit In, and
choose
Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop
.
Step Two:
This launches Photoshop, and brings up
the Merge to HDR Pro dialog (shown here).
Chances are your image will look pretty
blah with the Default preset settings, but
I've come up with some settings that look
more like what most folks think of as an
HDR-toned image (without it going way over
the top). In the Preset pop-up menu at the
top, you'll actually find a preset that Adobe
included with these settings, called “Scott5.”
Choose it and you'll see that it turns the
Remove Ghosts checkbox on (if you didn't
shoot on a tripod, this helps reduce any blur
from camera movement) and enters the
following settings: under Edge Glow, Radius:
176 px, Strength: 0.47; under Tone and Detail,
Gamma: 0.76, Exposure: 0.30, Detail: 300%
(this gives it that HDR look); in the Advanced
tab, Shadow: -100%, Highlight: -100%,
Vibrance: 22%, Saturation: 26%. Now, click
the Curve tab and you'll see that it creates an
S-curve (shown here at the bottom), which
adds a little more contrast.
