Three Looks to HDR Processing
There are several applications out there for processing multiple image files to stretch the dynamic range of a scene (HDR, or High Dynamic Range). The two most popular are Photoshop and Photomatix Pro. Generally, the reviews of Photoshop Merge to HDR are less than stellar while Photomatix Pro is all the rage. I use Photomatix Pro for most of my HDR processing, and I own Photoshop, so I thought I’d see for myself what the issues were. I believe you should use whichever application best suits your needs, but also that one application is not necessarily all you need.
I selected one of my 6-shot HDR image series and processed it three ways. I used minimal settings adjustments in Photomatix (strength 100, luminosity 4, light smoothing v.high, micro contrast 10, gamma 75, white point .250, black point .092, all other settings default or 0):
1. Photomatix Pro
2. Merge to HDR in Photoshop then further processing of the 32-bit HDR file in Photomatix Pro
3. Merge to HDR in Photoshop and further processing in Photoshop
The results are below. Additional comments following the images.
Processed in Photomatix Pro only
Processed in Photoshop using Merge to HDR, then through Photomatix Pro
Processed in Photoshop using Merge to HDR after color balance adjustment in Camera Raw, then further processing in Photoshop (duplicate layer, blend=multiply, adjust color saturation)
As you can see, the series processed in Photomatix Pro alone has a marked yellow cast from the ambient lighting. One of the cons of Photomatix Pro is even though you’re shooting in RAW and using the RAW image files to create the single HDR photo, when Photomatix processes the images it doesn’t take into account any of the Camera Raw adjustments you might have made. So, if your white balance is off, there’s nothing you can do about it until after processing is complete. I tried making color balance adjustments in Photoshop after the Photomatix processing, but apparently I’m not very much of a Photoshop wizard and couldn’t remove the yellow/orange/red cast effectively so I left it as is. This issue could have been compensated for, somewhat, by adjusting the in-camera white balance (I was shooting on auto white balance), but I think if you’re looking for accurate color representation you might still end up with a less-than-accurate final product without the ability to further compensate in Camera Raw.
With the other two, I started with Photoshop Merge to HDR, which does take into account all Camera Raw settings, so I was able to remove the color cast caused by the ambient lighting. Running the 32-bit HDR file through Photomatix Pro resulted in a good looking image, but with a bit of grunge while the straight Photoshop-processed image looks very clean. In both Photoshop files I created a second layer, used the multiply blend mode and adjusted opacity to increase contrast slightly, and increased color saturation on the brass.
These are simple examples, but show the different looks you can achieve by using more than one application (or one application rather than another). It comes down to the final look you’re trying to achieve.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:28 pm
I have always liked the finish Photomatix puts on the final product much more than the others. The top one gets my vote. Question, how do you get rid of the grain it sometimes create?
Steve
January 23rd, 2010 at 5:49 am
Steve, you can use any of the noise reduction applications available to remove the grain/noise that Photomatix creates.
January 25th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Photomatix still the first choice for PRO to process HDR…you can see the result from the photo above
January 27th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
There are other HDR applications available, though they may not be as well known as Photomatix (which received a lot of press from amateurs as well as pros). It comes down to, and the reason for my comparison, the “look” a photographer wants (or needs) to create using the HDR technique. Photomatix may not provide that, so other options are necessary. If a person only uses one tool, their ability is somewhat limited.
January 31st, 2010 at 11:38 pm
To preserve the adjustments you made in Camera Raw, why not open each version of the adjusted image in Photoshop, and immediately save it as a TIFF file with no other changes introduced by Photoshop? Then run the TIFFs through Photomatix instead of the RAW files. I have been using this method, with no problem.
Also, it is worth considering the “exposure blending” function in Photomatix, which I think is more natural looking than some true HDR images I have seen.
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Bob, that’s certainly another option (I’m sure there are others) and I will have to give it a try. Conventional wisdom says to process the RAW file to get the maximum bit depth for the adjustments you’ll make later in processing. If the end product isn’t a 16×24 or larger print, maybe the greater bit depth isn’t needed. I’ll process the same image using RAW-adjusted TIFFs and post the result here.