jevansio Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Defo use ISO 100. I would tend to take the pics outside in normal light. The HDR brings detail out on the shadows & highlights. So try to take a shot where the middle exposure caputures the main scene pretty well. The -2 will bring detail out in the highlights (the clouds for example when they are whited out on the 0 shot), the +2 will bring detail in the shadows (shadows and reflections in paint etc where they look a bit too dark at 0 exposrure). Upping the ISO introduces more "artifacts" in the image which the HDR will highlight, this is not good, I would avoid dark places, get some outside shots in good light (but not direct sunlight, it's too harsh) maybe cloudy days or dawn or dusk on bright days. HDR brings out cloud definition really well. Also I see you're shooting in RAW, but are you converting them before running them through Photomatix? What is the extension on the files you pull into Photomatix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesArup Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 There is a filter in Photoshop that creates a similar effect, but I can't remember which one it is .. I think it's called 'Posterisation' or something like that! Basically it turns photos into a 'cartoony' looking poster. I'll have a look when I get home tonight. I have the full version of Photomatix too, so you don't get the watermarks all over it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevins Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Defo use ISO 100. I would tend to take the pics outside in normal light. The HDR brings detail out on the shadows & highlights. So try to take a shot where the middle exposure caputures the main scene pretty well. The -2 will bring detail out in the highlights (the clouds for example when they are whited out on the 0 shot), the +2 will bring detail in the shadows (shadows and reflections in paint etc where they look a bit too dark at 0 exposrure). Upping the ISO introduces more "artifacts" in the image which the HDR will highlight, this is not good, I would avoid dark places, get some outside shots in good light (but not direct sunlight, it's too harsh) maybe cloudy days or dawn or dusk on bright days. HDR brings out cloud definition really well. How long have you been playing with HDR to get the standrd of pic that you keep producing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 How long have you been playing with HDR to get the standrd of pic that you keep producing. Couple of years now, I'd say the PhotoMatix side of things is quite easy, the source shots have the biggest influence on how good the finished shot is, they need to be clear, well composed & sharp. I def think it's a good idea to get a basic grasp of taking "normal" photo's 1st, I'm no expert, but feel I have a good feeling on when a photo is good or not. Maybe if Si could take some single frame shots with 0 exposure compensation to see if the source images he's using are good enough as HDR can defo make a dodgy source image even worse As an example this was one of the first HDR shots I did in Feb 2007 (you can see how a good setting & composition makes all the difference): One simple tip is try not to make the object (the car) central to the shot (the rule of thirds http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevins Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 so take a picture of a back drop with the supra in frame so its sort of in between the shot sort of thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 The link I posted explains much better than I can describe , most of the time I just ensure that the car is not bang on centre of the image, it just makes things a bit more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 If you check the photo's in this thread you can see how I will try and avoid having the car central to the shot (unless I'm going for a full frame pic) http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=207761 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevins Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Ahh right I get it now when looking to take a shot imagine the grid and position in 1 of the 4 areas to get a point of interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_si Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 I am using RAW then pulling them in to phtotomatix as tiff files... is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_si Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Im going to get up ealry tomorrow and try and get to a good location for a mini shoot outside rather in my garage with florescent tube lighting... jay your a legend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I am using RAW then pulling them in to phtotomatix as tiff files... is that correct? It should be OK but it's not how I do it. Basically you can pull the RAW images off the camera (the extension should be .CR2) and load them directly into Photomatix. You can convert the Raw CR2 into a TIFF 1st, but when I did that the results weren't as clear as using the CR2 files. Try both methods though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Did this one today, car is tucked up at the moment lol. Been messing around with the odd pic for the past few days. [attach]104344[/attach] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseys Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I did make a mkivsupra.net group for digital photography, I thought maybe we could start some basic threads up? http://mkivsupra.net/vbb/group.php?groupid=47 i.e for : ISO Settings RGB settings Aperture Raw Camera advice (SLR or compact) Lens / Filter advice Post-Production software - Lightroom, Photoshop, Aperture etc Admittedly it's empty right now But hey you gotta start somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseys Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 On another side note anyone got tutorials on to how to isolate colours in a photo? I.e strip everything but say brown or pink or orange? I know it's quite easy if you're just maintaining one of the RGB colours because I'd just set the others to zero... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 On another side note anyone got tutorials on to how to isolate colours in a photo? I.e strip everything but say brown or pink or orange? I know it's quite easy if you're just maintaining one of the RGB colours because I'd just set the others to zero... Not sure if it is exactly what you are after but in photoshop there is a Hue/Saturation setting. You can then select the colours you want to see and the range you want to see via the drop down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseys Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Not sure if it is exactly what you are after but in photoshop there is a Hue/Saturation setting. You can then select the colours you want to see and the range you want to see via the drop down. Alas I can't afford to buy CS3/CS4. I may look at buying Lightroom and I have a trail copy of Aperture 2 I'm using currently on the mac. Taken a few shots and unfortunately I think the light and the background aren't contrasting enough, so stripped out everything but the one colour and such but the background isn't really going that greyscale. Feh, will keep trying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_si Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 well sa soon as my mums been round for coffee im taking the supe out for a mini photoshoot before the gf comes round for the weekend will be a bit rushed but i want a nice scenery shot with her in to mess around with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_si Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 ok well i thought i needed some better scenary so popped out and found an ok location.. Am i improving?? your thoughts please.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Those last pics are cracking mate, well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_si Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 Thanks Wez much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Muchhh better. I would hold back a little on the effects though, they are still looking a little bit too fake. The initial pictures used are far far better than that you used previously. Keep the smoothing up a little higher to keep them looking a bit more natural Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesArup Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Yah .. looking really good . Once you have some good source images to work with, you can just mess about with Photmatix etc all day long until you find a pic you like (put the aerial down though ) I took this yesterday ... I know it's not a Supra, but I was dead chuffed ... I called him Brian http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/030/5/c/Ladybird_by_TheHoodedMan.jpg Keep experimenting, that's the best way. Can't wait to start taking shots of the Supra again now I've been geeking up on some techniques Cheers, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Cool pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Much better, as Scott says the "halo" effect around everything makes it look a little un-natural, the "light smoothing" option should sort that out, That 1st shot for me looks great, minus the lamppost that is , they get everywhere, you could edit it out of either the originals or the final shot by cloning the sky next to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetGasm Maus Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 way better ! love the scenery around the supra ! really cool ( but next time Pull in the antenna first ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.