Check out these photos I took/made today

[DS1]

These are a relatively new 'thing' called HDR ( High Dynamic Range) photos. It's a process where you take at least 3 exposures, one dark-one normal-one over-exposed, of the same image, and software figures out the best way to put it all together. Bright lights are muted, low lights are illuminated.

[bridgit]

nice, i like the 1st & 2nd best...

:)

[DS1]

3. Me too

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear DS1...

These are just stunning!

I saw them earlier, and I was just floored!

Really beautiful work...

I would expect that you'd have no trouble selling them...

BTW, did you get all the stuff I PM'd you?

Hope you can work with it...

Congrats on these fabulous pictures...

:applause: :applause:

[DS1]

2. Yes, I got it

I'll work on it a little bit later :)

[Bennyboy]

4. Awesome....... Can you explain it a little further?

This is a software thing? You D/L three photos taken right after each other into the program and then it puts it all into one?

[DS1]

8. It's called HDR

High Dynamic Range

You send three exposures, or more - in these cases I sent at least 7 different exposures moving half a stop up each - to software that figures out what will always be the highlights and the shadows, it blends them all together and puts the lightest area of the shadows together with the darkest areas of the lighted area.

That's the incredibly simple version.

[Bennyboy]

10. Okay one more...

or two or three. Cost of the software?

Do you start at the metered exposure that is right and then go up? Or do you set at a stop or two lower than the meter?

[DS1]

13. You can get a free trial here:

http://www.hdrsoft.com/

I start with underexposed and move towards overexposed. I don't think the direction really matters, but again I'm starting out with this. In order to get a true HDR image, some people go as far as 11 exposures, each a half or quarter stop difference from the last. The key is that the exposures must be balanced, 3 stops lower 3 stops above.

[devilgrrl]

5. Those are cool, they look 3-D

:-)

[DS1]

22. Surreal is the idea, yes

:)

[Blue_In_AK]

6. DS1, they look as cool here as they do in the Photo Group.

:)

[DS1]

9. yeah yeah

but my middle initials are AW

[Starbucks Anarchist]

7. I really like the bridge shots.

[DS1]

21. It's actually a walkway above the sand dunes

off to the side you can see where the previous ones collapsed as the beach washes away

[Kutjara]

11. Great photos! Did you...

...use Photomatix or the HDR feature of Photoshop?

[DS1]

14. Photomatix

[Kutjara]

15. Really nice results. I've been thinking about using it.

Seeing your photos is all the motivation I need. :hi:

[backwoodsbob]

33. is it ok

to use any of these pics as a desktop background?

[Suich]

37. Hi, bobbydem!

Welcome to DU!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Duncan Grant]

12. Real life "Myst".

Isn't there something over the walkway that I'm supposed to find?

These are compelling images, DS1. I think it's the first time I've seen HDR. :thumbsup:

[DS1]

23. Glad you like it

It's easy to abuse, and definitely addictive. The trick is to not abuse it.

[The Straight Story]

16. Really well done my friend

The last one is my Fav - keep up the excellent work!

[DS1]

24. Thank you n/t

[wildhorses]

17. gives it an other world quality. i like it. nice work, dude

:thumbsup:

[DS1]

25. thanks n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. Where were these taken?

Fantastic photos! Surreal....

[DS1]

20. I wrote a little about where they were taken in the DU Photography Group

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=280&topic_id=34333&mesg_id=34333

[Viva_La_Revolution]

19. Very cool! K&R! nt

[DS1]

26. thanks for the R

:)

[alphafemale]

27. Wow those are absolutely breathtaking.

I love that time of day anyway.

For a brief few moments right before sunset, everything seems to glow. And you can see details that get washed out when the sun is higher and brighter.

Thank you so much for sharing these.

[GCP]

28. WOW - just - WOW

Amazing shots!

On edit - k&R

[graywarrior]

29. Fantastic!

It's almost as if you are really there.

[BarenakedLady]

30. Love the top two

Especially the walkway one. Stunning.

[flvegan]

31. They almost look not real

That's some nice quality. What does something like that cost (I've never even heard of it before, surprise)?

[DS1]

35. An expensive lens, a decent SLR body, and a copy of Photomatix

The lens was 630, the polarizing filter used was 170, the digital SLR body is now worth about 300. Photomatix costs 99 but you can get a free demo version. The lens will outlast everything else listed, a good lens will keep its value better than all of the above.

[YankeyMCC]

32. Not to be reduntant but Wow...

This is an interesting technique I hope to see more of it.

I noticed someone earlier saying they liked 1 and 2 the best and they are certainly outstanding...yet the 4th one...something about the lay of the shadows or maybe the contrast of the wooden walkway and the sky, I can't articulate what it is but something about that one grabs me too. Looks like it's almost the same as number 2, it was taken a little later (or at least the sun was a bit higher) and at a slightly different angle right? Or is it just a slightly different rendering from the computer process?

[DS1]

34. If you look at the two different walkway pictures

you'll see that they were different pictures. You are correct, one set was taken higher and to the right of the other. What you're finding is grabbing you is the HDR process, still, I was looking at the middle-range exposure of the series and it's not that much different from the composite.

[ashling]

36. Oh shit !

i think the sun in your picture burned a hole in my retina !

[Suich]

38. Those are beautiful, DS1!

The detail is amazing...that's worth a "recommend"!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Edited to add: Oops! Won't let me recommend because it's past the deadline...sorry!

[swag]

39. Gorgeous. Quite amazing.

More to come, I hope.

[Erva]

40. Those are fantastic! N/T

[TreasonousBastard]

41. I'm waiting for the day I see two things in digital...

When you can get expanded range from a chip, like you could formulate film for extended latitude and then process it for even more.

Have that sun come out the orange it was on that afternoon, not that washed out white. No matter what I've tried, I can't get the camera to stop burning out THAT highlight. I don't have any neutral density filters any more, so I haven't tried that, and I have to "paint" the sun orange.

[applegrove]

42. I like the last one the best. Beautiful.

[Tsiyu]

43. Oh. Wow.

:thumbsup:

the color enhancement is amazing even on my crappy monitor

i love the little rainbow in the boardwalk like a little spirit

very cool pics and method

:applause:

[asthmaticeog]

44. They're gorgeous.

The third one looks a hair off-register, though? Still, amazing.