HDR

HDR In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range, between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight, and is often captured by way of a plurality of differently exposed pictures of the same subject matter.
In simpler terms, HDR is an image processing technique that attempts to make pictures look more natural. Non-HDR cameras take pictures at a single exposure level. This results in the loss of detail in bright or dark areas of a picture, depending on whether the camera had a low or high exposure setting. HDR compensates for this loss of detail by taking multiple pictures at different exposure levels and intelligently stitching them together so that we get a picture that is clear in both dark and bright areas. 


I decised to use the program phoomatix essentials to create my HDR images, in this program you can take anything from 3 - 5 images all different exposures and the software merges them together to make one final image which you can edit to create the desired affect of HDR you wish to acheive in your images. There is a wide range of affects you can acheive in hdr from the very subtle to the overdone. Here is a step by step guide to acheiving HDR with this software and the different effects you can acheive.


Open Photomatix Essentials rom here you can brose your folders and select the images you want to convert to HDR

Select the images you want to convert this can be anything from 3 - 5 images depending on the effect you wish to create.

Photomatix then opens a new windown in which you have the option to chose one of the pre made options on the right hand side of the screen they vairy in intensity.

Neutral

Painterly - This is the efect i chose to use on most of my images as it shows the hdr however its not to overdone.

Grunge

Black and white

After choosing the pre programed effect you can then use the left hand side bar to adjust the image mnuallyusing the diles to adjust the Strength, Colour Saturation, Luminosity and Detail Contrast then all thats left to do is process and save the image.