Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You'll blow out the snow with fill flash.

Better to shoot for a reasonable snow and reveal the shadows in post processing.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

I have used it occasionally for eight years but never with a single raw capture.

There is nothing that you can do with Photomatix to recover shadows and highlights that you can't do more effectively with Capture One, ACR or most other raw conversion programs.

The first step (Version 5) is labeled "Load Bracketed Images". The whole point of using HDR software is to combine two or more images taken with different exposures.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"...The first step (Version 5) is labeled "Load Bracketed Images". The whole point of using HDR software is to combine two or more images taken with different exposures..."

Scotty you simply don't get it...
The entire point of HDR is to expand the dynamic range beyond that of the capture device...
I'm not go to invest time on folks stayed in their ways... a.k.a. Maslow's Hammer

You are more then welcome to your opinion, albeit it clearly shows you have not mastered Photomatix...

Why on earth can't you create three different exposures of a RAW file in PS?
Is there something magical about doing it in camera Scotty? lol

Nope, stick with your hammer, k?
If that is were your comfort level is then it's totally fine...
However I shoot dynamic action and my clients love the results...

There is absolutely no way in hell you can take three in camera exposures of high speed dynamic action.
btw in the first step (of Version 5) I do indeed "Load Three Bracketed Images" of the same RAW file and choose "taken on a Tripod" If you actually used (and mastered) this awesome software Scotty will totally understand how Photomatix Pro processes "Tripod" captures...

And yes there may be and possibly is potentially more image pixel info if processing three in camera captures albeit it is so mynute as to not be discernible in the ultimate product... Remember I work commercially... and shoot to meet and or exceed client expectations, not to publish in academic journals on perceived acuity beyond the realm of human eyesight at normal viewing distances...

Keep in mind that working commercially predicates a quick turnaround on deliverables... and not playing with images in post processing... Alas I'm done investing precious time on someone who believes they have the only answer... given up on "True Believers" long ago...

However there may be others who might be a tad more objective and appreciate an elegant streamlined solution... However there is a steep curve to mastery of Photomatix

Enough said...

Again a very Happy New Years to all!
And may your photographic endeavors prove to by highly profitable in this exciting new year of 2020!

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You can't expand the dynamic range of a camera by moving the "Exposure" slider during post processing. There will have been only one exposure (aperture and shutter speed) and one ISO setting in the camera at the time you pressed the shutter.

You can, however, produce different renditions of the same exposure by moving the Exposure slider. But that does not change the raw file and it will not alter the dynamic range that the camera recorded.

There is nothing magical about taking bracketed exposures. Photomatix lets you use the frames with the extra shadow information (less noise but maybe blown highlights) and combine them with the frames where the highlights are not blown but the shadow information is very dark and noisy. That is how HDR works.

If this is news to you then you don't understand HDR.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

" But that does not change the raw file and it will not alter the dynamic range that the camera recorded."
Scotty I'm not the least bit interested in altering the dynamic range of the original capture... only in how it displays on screen in an 8 bit image or a on a 9x12 print... Here it does indeed vastly change the resulting image by an increase to it's perceived dynamic range... blown highlights are there, and I could care less about noise in the deep shadow areas... that's for pixel peakers
You can see the increases on the frigging screen in front of you!

But hey lets just say you win... your an expert... Ok?
Do you actually have an extensive client list?
Have you ever paid the bills with your imagery?
Do you have a clue what is involved with managing a complex fashion editorial session with a half dozen creatives on your team?

When with the last time you had to wait six months to get paid for a job you did because of the billing cycles of all the client's agents involved...

All the best Scotty you are certainly very good with what you do...
I totally like the Sierra Club "feel" of your web portal...
But that train left the station decades ago... along with film..
The money is elsewhere....

Bottom Line?
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, however in practice there indeed is..."

I'm talking about photographing a black dog running in the snow... and if I had that assignment what I have shared is exactly what my workflow would be... been there done that way too many times (just not in the snow, way too cold)... lol

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Based on the excellent images you have posted on UHH, you have nothing to learn from me that would improve your photography.

For studio photography and sports I can see no opportunity to use HDR the way it was intended - through the use of bracketed images.

You can get all you need from Adobe CS5 or Capture One by recovering the highlights and shadows during the raw conversion.

There is no trick to capturing the black dog running in the snow. Just don't blow the exposure for the snow. Sunny 16 is light value 14.67, LV 15 is even safer. With modern cameras you can then easily recover the shadow information for the dog.

RGG

Seems like Thomas902 and selmslie both have it right.

It is totally possible to import a single-capture raw into LR, change the exposure 2-3 times and export 2-3 tiffs with different effective exposures. The tiffs can then be merged into a single HDR image with software. I *think* this is effectively what happens under the covers when a single raw is fed to Photomatix because Photomatix does not produce a raw HDR file.

It is also possible and desirable to shoot bracketed exposures, import them into LR, and have LR produce a raw HDR merge. This is a useful workflow when the objective is a raw HDR file but it only works if the shooter had the luxury of time when the shot was made. It is very nice to edit the resulting HDR as a raw file but it takes extra PP time. The resulting HDR could also be exported as a tiff and sent to a non-raw editor for finishing. I think Photomatix would also do this, and faster, but without raw output if that matters.

Zone edits to an exposure can also be done on a single shot using a raw editor like LR, but a merge method would be faster and probably more effective.

As always, the trick is to use the right method for the circumstances.

(Thomas902 - my original answer way up in this thread was aimed at casual shooters. If a shooter depends on SOOC jpgs it is useful to understand in-camera HDR .)

Cheers and Happy New Year!!!