2 HDR using Hydra

Roger

Roger

Member
Staff member
Still using the trial version, so that's why it's watermarked.

For Leopard users, it's about 2/3 the cost of Photomatix Pro.

http://creaceed.com/hydra/


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Here are the three pics I used to make the first one, all straight from the RAW with no other exp compensation, etc.

<img src="http://www.themeparkphotos.us/cpg140/albums/uploads/030108/G/226e3278_13.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.themeparkphotos.us/cpg140/albums/uploads/030108/G/226e3279_12.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.themeparkphotos.us/cpg140/albums/uploads/030108/G/226e3280_11.jpg" />
 
I think that tone-mapping is what makes the HDR. Hydra lacks that and it shows in the results. If Hydra ever adds it, I would switch just because of the convenience of the drag and drop.

[This attachment has been purged. Older attachments are purged from time to time to conserve disk space. Please feel free to repost your image.]
 
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i ended up purchasing the photomatix based on the finished results of a few trials, it seems to be about the easiest for me to understand and navigate
i've got a few marina shots from a foggy day at captree of the day boat fleet, when i finish i'll post up a couple, and i agree about the tone mapping, that seems to get me where i want on my few hdr attempts, that metallic painting sheen
 
Redo using CS5 Merge to HDR

Alas I am resigning from the PSP Mafia. ; First, it's kind of hard to use PSP on a Mac, and second, like another member of the forum, the price of the student/teacher version was irresistible, considering the new features they've added.

So one of the first things I did was redo this old HDR from 2 years ago. ; This time I used the same JPGs, Merged to HDR, reduced the halos. ; Then I went into A3, adjusted the WB to a little cooler, used the repair brush a little for some flare and ran Noise Ninja on it.

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(This were taken with the 1DMk3 17-40L)

I'm more pleased with this result than I was with Hydra. ; Heck I never even wanted to buy it after trying!
 
Fantastic effort, roger. ; I got cs5 last week. ; $199 with my wife's educator discount. ; Worth every penny at that price. ;
 
It seems like CS5's merge-to-HDR function is much better than CS3's, which I found unusable. ; Part of the reason I didn't like it was because the images it produced lacked anything close to true blacks. ; CS5 looks better in that regard, but it still looks like it produces flat looking images to a degree. ; Maybe it's just me, but I would boost the contrast a bit in that shot. ; Still, it's miles ahead of the Photomatix image.

Dynamic Photo HDR has become my favorite, but it often gives me odd color casts that require me to go into ACR to remove. ; For example, the colors in the shot below were terrible after I put it through Dynamic, so I brought it back into ACR to adjust the tint, local saturation for various colors, white balance, and vibrance (all very quick fixes). ; After that, I imported into CS3 to dump the contrast and brightness. ; Quickest (about 10 minutes from opening in Dynamic to saving in CS3) HDR processing I've ever done. ; Still a little unrealistic for my taste, but I'm still refining that aspect of my processing.
 
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Great photos everyone. ; Makes me anxious to get back to WDW to take a tone of Bracketed night shots.
&quot;Tim&quot; said:
Fantastic effort, roger. ; I got cs5 last week. ; $199 with my wife's educator discount. ; Worth every penny at that price. ;
Click to expand...
Is that an "Upgrade" Price? ; I could feasibly use have my sister purchase this for me as a Birthday Gift, but all the prices I see are $1900 and up (except the upgrades that start at $600) on the CS5 website.
 
If you are eligible for the educator/student discount, it's not an upgrade price, but you can't upgrade it. ; That was the price for the CS5 Extended; it's more for the different bundles.

Also something about you can only use this "discount" once a year. ; One product.
 
&quot;RedOctober25&quot; said:
Is that an "Upgrade" Price? ; I could feasibly use have my sister purchase this for me as a Birthday Gift
Click to expand...

it's the full-version, photoshop only, new-purchase price. ; not an upgrade.
your sister would need to provide a copy of her photo id and a pay-stub. ; i had my serial number in about 20 mins.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
 
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