kbatschke Loc: Chicagoland-west

I asked a similar question pertaining to using the Grad filters vs. post processing or exposure bracketing in Lightroom last week. You may find some of the answers helpful. For me, I decided to use exposure bracketing and combine the images in post-production rather than invest in graduated ND filters. I have purchased a 10-stop ND filter to allow for long exposures however.

Here's the link:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-448411-1.html

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Mark,

I have both, the glass ND filter for the film days, and hte Post Processing filter for digital. I haven't used the glass filter since I put down the film and got serious with digital.

If you plan your capture carefully for PP you can do a lot more and spend less time exposing the scene, and later in the comfort of home tweak the photo with a good PP graduated filter.

Michael G

(Download)


(Download)

Bob Boner

I have but no longer use ND grads. I find I can get better results with PP.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

There are some things that post processing just can't accomplish. The ND filters will allow you to capture detail through exposure that PP can't replace if it isn't recorded from the start. Grad ND filters allow you to capture those details in the original image and thus work to accentuate or diminish to your taste in post.
--Bob

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Exposure bracketing is great, but there are situations when bracketing is simply not an option.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You could simply shoot two shots on a tripod. First for darker foreground and the second for the bright sky. Then purchase a HDR software program to combine the two shots into one perfect one.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Or, rather, take one very meticulously exposed photo and be done with it.
--Bob

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

You don't really need to purchase any additional software if your editor supports layers. Simply add the second image as a layer and use the transparency brush tool on the over-exposed sections of the overlay image.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Exposure bracketing is great if both the subject and camera are rock solid, but if one moves between exposures HDR processing can consume hours of your time trying to mask out the ghosted movement.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I agree that this is the way to go. Although if you have the requisite skill you can combine two images without using the full HDR by selective masking including the use of gradients on the masks.

I always carry 4 gradient filters (6x6 cm) in the field. Two are gradual and two are rather sharp and are 2 and 6 stops. I just hold them in front of the lens (no holder). The only think you have to be aware of is that you may get reflections with my method.

TheDman Loc: USA

Like what?

TheDman Loc: USA

This is what most top landscape pros do, except they just combine them by hand in Photoshop. It has the added benefit of properly exposing shadows so you don't increase noise trying to dig into underexposed areas.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

As an old film shooter, I've used both methods.

Since "going digital" and learning how much better job I can do of it in post-processing, my set of graduated ND have been gathering dust. I don't think I've taken them out of the drawer for 3 or 4 years now. I keep them in case I have need when shooting film.

I have no need of them for digital. Post-processing methods with digital are far better than filters ever were, anyway.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

This is true.

When that's the case, I instead double or triple process a single image.

Here's an example... a moving subject so there's no way to take multiple shots to combine the "best from each" later in PPing.

However, particularly shooting RAW I can easily double process the shot to recover some of the blown-out background. I also used different color temp and tint for the sunlit outdoors versus the shaded and sodium vapor lit indoor subject.

+ =

Try doing that with any filter!

Yet it's pretty easy in post-processing. I just shot RAW and created a virtual copy in Lightroom, adjusting it and the original differently as shown... then opened them in Photoshop and used Layers and Masks to combine the "correct" portions from each image. It's often even easier to do with landscape shots, where the sections being tweaked differently are more distinct than in the above example (i.e., sky versus everything else in a scene).

I've also used more automated methods (HDR Merge in Photoshop, for example) at times with multi-processed, individual images.

The same techniques can also be used with multiple, bracketed shots taken.... when the subject or some portions of the scene aren't moving.

TheDman Loc: USA

Sure there is, you just shoot a separate shot of the background only after the first shot.