# Single Image HDR Processing



## TexPhoto (Sep 16, 2013)

I find myself using Phtomatrix Pro 4 to edit some of my images that I did not shoot as HDR. It does work just fine with a single image. (yes, i understand I am not getting as much Dynamic range as if I'd shot more images) I remember a few years ago, you could do this, but you had to use photoshop or something to make 3 images using the original file (hopefully RAW) to make 3 images with 3 different exposures.

I often use this for action photos where taking 3+ photos is not possible.

One thing I've found is I can layer the HDR on top of the original image in photoshop, and just adjust the top layer's opacity until I get a blend that just looks like it pops, but you would not see as an HDR.

Do you do this? What is your Technique / Software? Lets see some examples.


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## jhanken (Sep 16, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

I am a big fan of single image HDR in Photomatix for very subtle exposure fusion images. 

Anyone that complains about Canon DR and hasn't tried this technique should reconsider their complaint.

Never used the PS layer trick, will have to try.


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## alexanderferdinand (Sep 16, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

Yes, sometimes it is very helpful.
So if you have a picture with very high contrast its worth to give it a try.
Backdraw: shadows can be awful noisy.


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## celliottuk (Sep 16, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

This is a bit of a theoretical viewpoint
"High Dynamic Range" is an attempt to get over the inherent DR that sensors have. Expose for the mid-tones, and there's no shadow detail, and your highlights are blown out
HDR is an attempt to get round this by combining 3 or more shots exposed to capture highlight and shadow detail. But, we all knew that, so what's my beef?

"Tone Mapping" is an "Effect which increases local contrast. That's all you can do with a single shot. Applied sensitively, maybe masked with a straight shot as mentioned above, it can add drama and impact(Or be a complete mess if overdone)
Therefore my beef is, I wish people would use "Tone Mapping" when taking about an "Effect" that adds impact, and "HDR" when they are adding detail that their sensor can't quite handle.


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## TexPhoto (Sep 17, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

Out sailing on a moonless night, 7 days away from land, 2AMish, my friend on watch and me asleep, I was woken by his screaming UFO!, UFO! As I went up on deck, he grabbed at me screaming that UFO was after us. In the distance bright and blinking lights flickered. 

I reached for the radio and was soon talking to a Coast Guard Helicopter that explained they were looking for a sunken sail boat in the area.

After about 15 minutes of silence my friend came to me and began to explain that UFO means unidentified flying object, and that what he meant was that he did not know what it was. The helicopter was conducting search patterns. 

In any case HDR to me is an image that is enhanced with HDR software or technique.




REX_0897_tonemapped by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## CarlTN (Sep 17, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*



TexPhoto said:


> I find myself using Phtomatrix Pro 4 to edit some of my images that I did not shoot as HDR. It does work just fine with a single image. (yes, i understand I am not getting as much Dynamic range as if I'd shot more images) I remember a few years ago, you could do this, but you had to use photoshop or something to make 3 images using the original file (hopefully RAW) to make 3 images with 3 different exposures.
> 
> I often use this for action photos where taking 3+ photos is not possible.
> 
> One thing I've found is I can layer the HDR on top of the original image in photoshop, and just adjust the top layer's opacity until I get a blend that just looks like it pops, but you would not see as an HDR.



Photoshop CS5 can certainly do single shot HDR processing, as I have done with the below image.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=11600.0;attach=36771


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## TexPhoto (Oct 1, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

Mostly I was talking about images where movement makes normal HDR impossible.




REX_1399 by RexPhoto91, on Flickr




REX_1399_tonemapped by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## CarlTN (Oct 1, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*



TexPhoto said:


> Mostly I was talking about images where movement makes normal HDR impossible.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Photoshop could do the same thing.


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## Pi (Oct 1, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*



celliottuk said:


> This is a bit of a theoretical viewpoint
> "High Dynamic Range" is an attempt to get over the inherent DR that sensors have. Expose for the mid-tones, and there's no shadow detail, and your highlights are blown out
> HDR is an attempt to get round this by combining 3 or more shots exposed to capture highlight and shadow detail. But, we all knew that, so what's my beef?
> 
> ...



Actually, HDR is an attempt to fit more DR in a standard medium; typically and image processed with a standard curve. It can come from a single RAW file since the conversion always clips a few stops, even with a Canon sensor. Tone mapping is how you do it. A quick way is to play with the highlights and the black level in LR, decrease the contrast and increase the "clarity" to otherwise absurd levels. Converting several images and blending them would be better since the LR controls are not powerful enough for tone mapping. 

If your image is captured by a Nikon sensor, .... I will stop here because I can see how a few people are jumping their guns already.


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## gurflob (Oct 1, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

This one was a pretty big struggle to edit and I wish I had taken 3 bracketed shots, but I'm proud of the result and I don't think I can go back to Switzerland any time soon. 



Towering Alps by ncheng93, on Flickr


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## CarlTN (Oct 1, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*



gurflob said:


> This one was a pretty big struggle to edit and I wish I had taken 3 bracketed shots, but I'm proud of the result and I don't think I can go back to Switzerland any time soon.
> 
> 
> 
> Towering Alps by ncheng93, on Flickr



The halo around the foreground ridge is not appealing to me personally, but it's a nice picture of a beautiful place!


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## gurflob (Oct 1, 2013)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*



CarlTN said:


> The halo around the foreground ridge is not appealing to me personally, but it's a nice picture of a beautiful place!



Thanks! I agree, I tried to get rid of the halo behind the trees as much as possible at the time. I may revisit it soon if I can find the RAW.


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## ichetov (Oct 6, 2014)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

I often convert two images from the same raw file with +1/-1 stops of exposure correction, and then combine using HDREfex plugin for PS. Most of the time it replaces the ND split for me. Here is one example from Death Valley:


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## weixing (Oct 6, 2014)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*

Hi,
IMHO, may be something like this:
If meter show 1/100s, F4 @ ISO 200, mirror goes up once and sensor took 3 exposure of
1) 1/300s, F4, ISO 300,
2) 1/300s, F4, ISO 600, and
3) 1/300s, F4, ISO 1600.
Combine all this 3 images to give a single shot HDR RAW. To the user, he took 1 shot, but actually the camera took 3 bracketed shots.

Have a nice day.


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## TexPhoto (Oct 8, 2014)

*Re: Singel Image HDR*



weixing said:


> Combine all this 3 images to give a single shot HDR RAW.



Well, if there are three shots, it's not really single shot HDR. It's HDR. But you might get some nice results.


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