As usual, it's been too long since I've visited this thread - or posted. After having posted my
HDR tutorial, I thought I'd go back and look through some of the HDR images and comment on them; hope I don't come off too harshly!
Since I don't have the whole day, I'll just go back a couple of weeks to Feb 12...
justind01: #
347 - the first shot has a bit of haloing, but otherwise looks good. I love the second shot's sense of motion and the saturation's about right. The third one has a great subject (that Alfa's gorgeous); I'm not certain the selective coloring (that's what it looks like you used) is a good filter match, but it's still a nice shot. #
350 - one thing to really watch out for in HDR is color banding; it's less noticeable in Photo Travel (since you can shoot at 2x), but it can be hard to get rid of in Photomode.
DawgCCCP: #
351 - the first and second shots are good examples of why shooting a white car in HDR is so difficult... but the F40 is a nice combination of miniature filter and HDR. 👍
supraking: #
352 - the first one's nice and subtle; definitely the kind of HDR I prefer, though some might disagree. Composition's a little too tight to the bottom-left corner for my taste, but I like it overall. As for the second shot, the Lambo's crazy orange lends itself well to HDR, doesn't it? I like the comp and, once again, it's a relatively subtle tonemapping. (One post-processing tip: HDR tends to over-lighten the black of tires - a quick masked levels layer in Photoshop to bring back the black makes a big improvement.)
Supercharger666: #
353 - just about
perfect shot!! 👍 Reflections are brilliant, edges sharp and clean. The only minor gripe is the little bit of haloing near the left side of the rear.
Foxbat: #
356 - Not bad at all for your first two attempts, Foxbat! The halo effect is visible, but it appears you're going for a more surreal look anyway (at least in the first shot). Keep up the good work!
is there a tutorial for this kind of pics ?
There is
one now!
Onbail: #
361 - I like the shot (quite a bit, actually), but it almost looks like a regular photo, not an HDR. Pretty subtle tonemapping?
Sprite: #
362 - Interesting; using the same exposure, processed multiple times, to generate an HDR image. Creates a different look, that's for sure.
TheDarkAlex: #
367 - not bad for a first shot; reflections are nice and crisp. #
368 - too much haloing around the rear for my taste - that can work well if you're going for an overly-surreal look, though.
maccyski: #
369 - very good for first attempts! 👍 In the first shot, it looks like your camera moved between exposures (it's most obvious where the GT logo is ghosted), but you seem to have managed to process it just fine. There's a bit too much noise in the skies in the Fiat and X2010 shots, but not too bad. On the Pagani/Piazza del Campo shot - this is a location where you have to do a little more in the merging work. I'm not sure if you're using Photomatix, but if you are, you'll want to check "Attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts" and then select "Moving objects/people". That will help avoid the weird effect you get in the sky from the clouds that move between exposures. And the Pagani looks grey there - was it white? And for #
372, it
is hard to get standard cars to look good, but your Carlton shots are definitely quality! 👍
theRukus: #
373 - definitely not 'total crap'; it shows some potential for future work. Might want to watch your saturation levels; look at the skin tones of the people in the background. (Oh, and the same tip about ghosting artifacts/moving people; you can see some ghosting evident in the guys to the right of the screen. As to your #
382, this might be an example of a shot where HDR doesn't give you much advantage. That is, there aren't a lot of shadows to 'open up', and not a lot of super-bright highlights to tone down.
KiroKai: #
375 - very natural-looking, subtle HDR there! The sky's still a
touch overexposed, but nothing a quick levels/curves mask can't fix.
FiRo: #
377 - is it my imagination, or does orange tend to be one of the better colors for HDR processing? Anyway, very nice tonemapping. Composition's a little too center for my taste, but the colors are well-done.
Tompie913: #
384 - Nice first effort, but the background (arches) is so bright, it pulls my eye away from the car. Still, the reflections on the car are nicely done, and there's only a minimal halo effect.
Big Ron: #
386 - these are truly
excellent shots; the tonemapping here is very realistic (save for a bit of haloing around the Skyline in the second shot, but it's really not bad). Love that first shot! 👍 Overall, this set is exactly what HDR is supposed to be (imho) - subtle, realistic, where the emphasis is on the car and the composition,
not the effect.
maccyski: #
391 - first shot has a unique perspective and great sense of motion, but the HDR seems overdone to me. Second shot also has great composition and motion; I'm just not attracted to hot pink cars!
Though I'll tell ya what; you managed to make it look
really good in the third shot. Good work on the F40 and Impreza RM as well.
Kingpin326: #
393 - first shot is nicely done; see my comment to supraking regarding getting the tires back to their original black. Second shot might have actually been
too subtle; the sky is still overexposed and takes a bit away from teh image. Nice color, though.
The third shot is, like so many others before it, a good example of why white is such a hard color to shoot in HDR. I love the 787B shot, though, and the RM 'Vette at the Hangar looks good (though there's some weird artifacting just above and below the middle of the spoiler.
gizmo1981: #
394 - while I may chide your choice of paint jobs, I can't argue with the tonemapping on this image. Great capture of reflections, the interior is well-lit and detailed, and none of the highlights are blown out. Nicely done! 👍 And on #
403, same thing!
why_spyder: #
395 - wonderfully subtle; captured the reflections nicely. Could use a touch of Photoshop (re-blacken the tires and tone down the brick - it's a little bright).
dandroid13: #
396 - not sure I'm a fan of gold chrome, actually! Composition on the first and second shots isn't bad at all. Looks like you might have overdone the saturation a bit on all three, though... lots of banding in the sky on the second and third ones, and then there's the jaggies from the dust. Sure wish PD would work on how that's rendered, but until then, these kinds of shots require some detailed post-processing in order to really shine.
Big Ron: #
397 - what can I say but... niiiice. Again, the effect allows the
car to take center stage; the effect
itself does not. Sublime! 👍
dandroid13: #
401 - interesting comparison. The script (i.e., fake HDR) clearly emphasizes oversaturation at the expense of eyeball-bleeding inducing pain, while qtpfsgui for Linux does a good job of bringing detail to shadowed areas (see, e.g., the driver and cockpit), but manages to wash out everything else. With the qtpfsgui image, I could at least see rescuing that in Photoshop - maybe. On #
404, it's just an opinion, but I don't think matte colors lend themselves very well to HDR processing. The car looks about as I'd expect it to in a normal exposure - the only parts of the image that have been impacted by HDR are the over-saturated background and banner sign.
raybob95: #
406 - you'll definitely want to get your focal point right before you try this again, and I know we'd all appreciate slightly smaller images in the thread. As for the HDR look, just keep playing around with various sliders and you'll get the hang of it! If you're using Photomatix, be sure to see my
tutorial for an explanation of each slider and how it impacts your photo.
Sl1mS4di3: #
407 - just brilliant! That first shot, the sky is perfect and the car is tack-sharp, and the detail shots (especially the fourth one) are very well-done! 👍
dice1998: #
408 - as Moglet suggested, you should be entering the 2.0 comps. I can't use my HDR skills there, either, but it's clear from this first shot that your skills will transfer nicely. Very well-done shot!
gt5 brad gt5: #
409 - I like the composition, and the way the car is backlit, but the saturation might be a bit too much. There's a nasty halo around the tree on the right as well, and some banding in the sky. Keep it up, and you'll nail it soon!
gizmo1981: #
410 - looks like you went away from the more subtle processing you'd done with your earlier HDR shots; I liked the other ones for their subtlety and realism (well, as realistic as a
chrome car can be, that is). This one, not so much, I'm afraid - sorry.
In the meantime, if you want to see a couple of HDR composite shots I did early on, take a look at these.
Four Nissans,
three Ferraris,
two Ferraris and my favorite -
four Chevys.
emery88: #
411 - The lighting along the rear flank of the Camaro is nicely captured and the effect is subtle. Sky needs a little work, but you're definitely on your way!
Abraxas: #
415 - for a first attempt, I like it a lot! Good color, nice sense of motion - and impressive for a standard car. There's a
little bit of haloing present, and some banding in the sky, but nothing a little Photoshop couldn't fix. Keep it up!
s12ken: #
419 - I've
got to try tackling panoramic shots next... what a great look. In the meantime, nice color and reflections on this one. I'm not sure about the sky (the clouds just don't quite look right), but overall I still like.
ps3dan101: #
421 - the second shot is way,
way oversaturated. My eyes are still watering, I'm afraid. But the F40 shot is nicely sublime - the reflections of the trees almost give the black paint a greenish tone. If you hadn't posted these together, I'd never have thought they'd come from the same photographer!
dice1998: #
422 - I loved your other shot... this one not so much. The dark areas of the Jag are still too dark, while the overexposed building in the background is still... well, over-exposed. And the ghosting isn't really eerie - it's just distracting. Depending on what software you use for putting together an HDR image, you should have an option to remove ghosting altogether.
Big Ron: #
424 - you gave us an excellent example of how HDR brings light and detail into shadowed areas. Here's an example of how HDR can do that while also toning down overexposed areas:
All: Keep up the good work; I hope you all took my comments as constructive and encouraging!
Of course, I can't take credit for commenting on every picture in the thread - just the ones over the last couple of weeks. And it might be another couple of weeks before I have the time to do it again, but I'll try! Your shots in #432 are not bad compositions, but are they HDR? Just trying to get a handle on what you've done with the processing.
But, since you asked... the first two (with the Amuses) aren't bad (I like the composition of the second one), but the saturation's a touch too high for my taste. The three F40 shots on SSR 7 are very nice, but only the second one looks like it took advantage of what you can do with HDR; the first and third look pretty close to regular exposures. The F40 on Ahrweiler Street looks very nice, though - you might want to play with the car settings in Photo Travel, though.. you know, turn the front wheels, turn the headlights on. 
