manderson Loc: Northeast Nebraska

I am interested in trying HDR. I use a Nikon D5000 and shoot in RAW normally. If I want to create an HDR, am I better off using JPEG with multiple exposures or shooting in RAW and using the HDR that is available in PSCS6?

Dave_TX

Why not shoot multiple exposures in RAW so you get the benefit of the greater dynamic range offered by the RAW format? Starting in JPEG just isn't the way to go.

manderson Loc: Northeast Nebraska

I just assumed that if I was shooting in RAW I wouldn't need the multiple exposures.

Frank47 Loc: West coast Florida

I haven't done a lot of HDR, but I have always thought the intent was to extend the dynamic range beyond what a single exposure can provide whether you shoot RAW or JPEG. Hence, multiple exposures. Most frequently I use three exposures at -2 and +2 stops plus the metered exposure. For software I use Photomatix Pro. Never really been serious about it though, just fun to experiment with something different.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Frank 47 is correct. You bracket your original photos so that more detail is available when processing. I usually go from horribly overexposed to ridiculously underexposed. Then I include all of the photos to be bracketed in the software. I almost always (except sports) shoot Jpeg and Raw. I only bracket raw files when doing HDR. You still, however, should have more than one exposure.

marquis1955 Loc: Lometa, TX

Photomatix works great, I recommend at least 3 RAW shots same aperture with different shutter speeds -1,0,+1 and probably for most shots on a tripod.

Dave_TX

It is possible to take a single RAW image to create several images with different "exposure" levels and then run the new images through HDR software like Photomatix. Open up the RAW images and move the Exposure slider up and down a couple of clicks while saving the adjusted version for each slider position. Then feed the new images into the HDR process. It's not quite the same as multiple exposure HDR but you get many of the same dynamic range benefits from one instead of multiple exposures. It also makes it feasible to use a handheld image whereas it's tough to get a multi-exposure image sequence with tight alignment without a tripod.

I suppose you could do the same starting with a JPEG image but the benefits would be much reduced due to the limitations imposed by the JPEG 8 bit color encoding versus the 12 or 14 bit color encoding in RAW images.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

No. You should read the answer offered.

Dynamic range is the key. And dynamic range is luminosity.

doogie Loc: Washington

I'm going to quote what one of my Instructors at the college told us:

"Shoot in RAW, use a grey card/ white balance card in the first shot (to balance), then take your metered shot, next bracket +3 and -3 respectively. Then import into Lightroom and catalog the work before you do anything else. Next sync the entire series to the grey card/white balance shot. Then AFTER all that is done export the entire series in TIFF format to Photoshop and do your HDR photomerge at that point."

I would recommend getting your hands on a copy of:

Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers by Martin Evening
ISBN: 978-0-240-52604-1

Take a look at Chapter 7: Extending the dynamic range and page 430 to be specific.

On a side note, just keep in mind that HDR has some interesting applications but not everything should be made into an HDR. I don't suggest attempting to do a Panoramic HDR until you get the hang of doing regular HDR. That is a beast of an entirely different nature. A fellow student attempted it with varying degrees of success. It was interesting, but well, I saw the look of pain cross his eyes as he showed the work to the rest of the class.
Hope that helps.

V/r,
Doogie

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

My impression, one image can be HDR processed with tonemapping. Photomatrix even includes that option. Maybe helpful for one-shot opportunities, e.g., moving subject. Then RAW would give you more to work with than jpeg. But the key is that the results will not be "as good as" multiple images.

p.s. - Good to see you still around, Doogie. I hadn't seen you post for awhile.

doogie Loc: Washington

:) Ty OddJobber! I Got caught up in winter break from school. School is back in session already. I'm taking Photographic Design, Photographic Arts (alternative process introductions), Studio Photography, and Studio Lab this Quarter.

I'll try to pop in more frequently.

V/r,
Doogie

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

It's all about luminosity & dynamic range as others have mentioned, so shooting raw is ideal. However, you can achieve great detail and color accuracy by capturing more JPEG exposures. For example, rather than 3 raw exposures, you can capture 7 or more JPEG exposures and get equivalent results. It's all about capturing the full dynamic range, so although raw is king, JPEG is no slouch with HDR.

Disclaimer: so before I get flamed for advocating JPEG for HDR, please spare me the technical reasons why you should ALWAYS use raw and instead get off the couch and try it and compare for yourself like I have. :-)

manderson Loc: Northeast Nebraska

Multiple exposure RAW it is then. Thank you everyone for the answers. Exactly what I was looking for. I will try this the next opportunity I get.

Dave_TX

"No" to what part of the statement? Of course "dynamic range is the key". Why else would one be going to the trouble of doing HDR photography if one was not interested in stretching the dynamic range of the imaging system.

jimbo70 Loc: Orange Park, FL.

Go to http://www.stuckincustoms.com/ and you'll find everything you need to know.