HDR - Tips & Tricks

Candyland
©Joe Bridwell
Late afternoon Hoodoos encapsulate beauty while crying subtle patriotism. In a remote Arizona corner, one can imagine a candymaker ladling chocolate in ropy swirls; in a fantasy land, maybe chocolate is red! Perhaps Mother Nature was the candymaker; she can choose to color any desert as she wishes.
For me, Candyland is also a delicately gorgeous high dynamic range (HDR) image which became a challenge during development.

Photomatix vs. CS4 HDR
Five HDR images ranging from -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 in EV (exposure value) are processed into a 32-bit image to capture the subject’s full color range. Then, one might choose to modify 32-bit image before saving it as a 16-bit tiff. I tried the same process in CS4 and Photomatix; each of the results contains major problems.



CS4 contains less chromatic aberration and a very distracting feature I will call 'edge grunge'. Edge grunge is a 4-5 pixel wide disruption - darker edge on dark colors and lighter edge at the sky (each about 2 pixels wide). It's usually noticeable at 100% magnification. Unfortunately, CS4 didn't achieve very much success in reproducing the rich colors of rocks and sky.



Photomatix tends to produce more appropriate colors. Unfortunately, it really emphasizes edge grunge and leaves red or blue chromatic aberrations much more strongly; not only on edges between sky and land, but within the rocks as well.
Scrooge would have said, “Bah…Humbug!”
Rather than use sliders provided by Photomatix, I've learned to take the 32-bit file at default settings, convert it to 16-bit. For best over all results, I use default values ~ then Tone Map in CS4.

CS4’s New OpenGL Ability as a Preferred Working Tool
CS4 does graphics calculations to a GPU (graphical processor unit). If your computer contains an appropriate graphics card, CS4 will let you blow your image to magnifications of 800-1200% for high-resolution touch up. At that scale, you're able to see individual pixels, scale your clone or repair brush to 3,4, or 5 pixels, and Clone these irritating scenes away.
To prepare CS4 for OpenGL, you go to Edit> Preferences> and choose Enable OpenGl Drawing for an appropriate graphics card. If you don't have an appropriate graphics card, the Enable button will not allow a checkmark (and you can't take advantage of additional features from the next section). An NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LT is about the minimum card to be of reasonable support.

Rotate, Smooth Pan and Zoom, Pixel Grid in CS4
A nice aspect of 'normalizing' edge grunge and chromatic aberrations is the speed CS4, OpenGL, and a good graphics card provide when Tone Mapping an HDR image.
I always evaluate the entire image at 1-to-1 (100% zoom) several times. I may be looking for dust spots, edge grunge, chromatic aberrations, or other eye-catching issues.
CTRL-+ scales your image up; above 600%, a pixel overlay is provided. For me, 800% quickly helps evaluate each problem and Clone corrections. ALT-click on a ‘good’ color lets me create a Clone source to replace bad colors. Holding down Space Bar turns the Clone Tool into a Hand; simply flick the zoomed image to a new position containing another repair area to swiftly proceed.
For those of you who do Paths (sharp vector outlines of specific objects to create masks), check out the Rotate tool! Instead of making corner points and bending lines during the creation of a path, you can use rotate the tool, use your Wacom pen tablet, and draw a straight line around the object. Wow; what a marvelously skilled Photoshop tool!

Although longer than usual, this HDR tip will certainly put you in a better position to submit your final images for judging.

Enjoy...

Sense and Sensibility

Surreal
©Joe Bridwell
Sometimes downsun photography can markedly add zest. This Bisti Hoodoo benefits from birefringence – bending of lights rays around sandstone and clay of an delicate hoodoo.

Although Bisti rocks appear static, timeless... light's variation adds subtle appeal and drama. Perhaps I should add another parameter; water.
For, it's water _the almost never present_ but powerful agent whose occasional presence created such an exquisite shape. And, you might think of imagination capable of capturing such an image.

You can't just walk out your door, capture such an image, and feel an ethereal quality in a more 'normal' setting.
Rather, you trek into a treeless, waterless, trailess place... as you go, ever changing number of varying scenes create vivid impressions in the timeless memory of your mind's eye. If you followed Moon landings and Martian explorations, as I did, you come to think of these hoodoos as spaces where God acted in the role of artist and painter.
In the strictest sense, this image is not a silhouette. Yet, light's delicate interplay on the backside of the arch delights my visual sense and sensibilities... what about you?

You may wish to obtain a CD with numerous timeless Bisti images. If so, click here...

Enjoy...

Been to the Bisti Lately?

Sphinx

©Joe Bridwell

Nope, you're not on Mars... but in the Bisti Badlands. Is this really a Sphinx? Or, you might be looking at Darth Vader on some distant planet. Maybe, you might come up with a different interpretation... numerous hoodoo shapes seem to fertilize a creative mind. You're actually looking at an ancient beach combination of sandstone and lava where dinosaurs once roamed the Bisti.

Let your creative imagination run...
If you can find such unique Hoodoos like our Sphinx, just think about other shapes, colors, and textures available to the inquisitive photographer. Although it's a land with no trails, no water, and no trees, nevertheless, the perceptive eye can also find tree stumps, as well as occasional ancient trees where dinosaurs browsed.
The Bisti Badlands, near Farmington, New Mexico, is a hidden jewel amidst what appears to be a deserted area. Hoodoos, sandstone caps standing atop slender clay bases, have been cut by water over millennia.
Just trekking through the Bisti is one of the most spontaneous adventures available to digital photographers. Of course, it's best at Magic Hour, that hour near dawn and dusk.

If you get the chance, get up to the Bisti and find your own unique hoodoo. The Bisti is best trekked in spring and fall; without adequate water, you can become dehydrated rather quickly in summer.
Enjoy...