Mini Tutorial: Introduction to HDR Photography

Before diving into this tutorial, I’d like to recommend a fantastic resource: Stuck in Customs – HDR Photography, created by an HDR photography master. I’ve drawn inspiration and reference material from this site for some of my own work.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range—a post-processing technique that blends multiple photos of the same scene taken at different exposures. The result? A richly detailed image that a single photo simply can’t capture.

Why Use HDR?

You’ve probably experienced this: you take a photo, and either the sky turns out too bright or the foreground too dark. Adjusting curves doesn’t quite fix it. That’s where HDR comes in. Take this example: the stone detail in the image is great, but the sky appears washed out. HDR allows you to bring balance and drama back to your shot.

Tools You'll Need

The main software for HDR synthesis is Photomatix Pro (paid). A full-featured trial version is available online, though limited to 30 days. I recommend trying it before deciding whether to purchase the full version. You can also use Photoshop and Noiseware Pro for further processing, especially for noise reduction.

Preparing Your Shots

HDR works best when your source images capture a full range of light. Ideally, you should have three shots of the same scene at exposures of -2, 0, and +2 EV. A DSLR with auto exposure bracketing and a tripod is highly recommended.

If you don’t have a tripod or bracketing capability, shooting in RAW format gives you flexibility. From one RAW image, you can extract multiple exposures during post-processing—though this method is a compromise.

For this tutorial, we’ll focus on creating HDR from a single RAW image.

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Step-by-Step Guide

1. Capture a RAW Image
   Set your camera to aperture priority (Av mode) and meter for balanced highlights and shadows. Avoid blown-out highlights or crushed blacks. For this tutorial, we'll use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to process the RAW file.
2. Create Three Exposure Variants
   • Open the RAW file in DPP.
   • Adjust exposure to 0, fine-tune contrast, saturation, and sharpness, and export as JPG.
   • Adjust exposure to -1.5 (or -2 if suitable) and +2, keeping other settings the same. Export each as JPG.
   You now have three JPGs: underexposed, normal, and overexposed.
3. Load into Photomatix Pro
   • Launch Photomatix and click "Load Bracketed Photos".
   • Import your three JPGs.
   • Let the software auto-detect exposure values—no need to modify them manually.
4. Pre-Processing Settings
   • If you didn’t use a tripod, select "Align source images".
   • If your underexposed image is noisy, select "Reduce noise".
5. HDR Merging & Tone Mapping
   • Click "OK" to begin HDR synthesis. This usually takes under a minute.
   • After merging, you’ll see the tone mapping panel. Choose between:
     • Exposure Fusion (soft, fewer controls)
     • Tone Mapping (more control—adjust strength, saturation, halo, detail contrast, and smoothness)
   Pay special attention to smoothness, as it significantly affects the realism of your final image.
6. Refine and Save
   • Once you're satisfied with the settings, click "Process" to generate the HDR image.
   • Save the result as a JPG.
7. Final Touches
   Open the image in Photoshop. Use Noiseware Pro to reduce noise and then fine-tune contrast, sharpness, and saturation as needed.

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Final Thoughts

This concludes the mini HDR tutorial. There's a lot more to explore, especially within Photomatix’s tone mapping parameters. Each image requires a custom approach—there is no universal setting. Patience and attention to detail are key to creating stunning HDR photos.

Experiment. Adjust. Compare. And most importantly—enjoy the process.