4 Create an HDR Image
58 MAXIMUMPC july 2007
how 2 ImprovIng your pc experIence, one step at a tIme
Download your images to your computer and then follow the
instructions below for the app you have at hand to create an
HDR image.Photoshop Users —Choose File > Automate > Merge to HDR. In
the resulting dialog, choose Files from the Use drop-down menu
and then click Browse. Navigate to and select your five images
in the resulting dialog, click Open, click OK to have Photoshop
work its magic, and then click OK to confirm. To save your new
32-bit image, choose File > Save and then choose an HDR
format from the Format drop-down menu, such as the stan-
dard Radiance HDR (.hdr) format or Industrial Light & Magic’s
OpenEXR (.exr) format, which is widely used in the CG and ani-
mation industry. Then click Save.5 Bring out the Details
All right, you’re probably wondering, “What the f***? Why does my
photo look so crappy? High dynamic resolution my ass!” Don’t worry,
all of the exposure information is there—your computer screen just
can’t display all the info due to its low dynamic range of brightness. To
make your photo fit for public consumption, you need to down-convert
your 32-bit HDR image into an 8- or 16-bit image for proper display and
editing. In the HDR world, this is called tone mapping.Photoshop Users —Choose Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel to open
the HDR Conversion dialog. From the Method drop-down, choose
Local Adaptation. You should see your image’s brightness change
dramatically. Click the “Toning Curve and Histogram” reveal button and
then use the Toning Curve (along with the Radius and Threshold sliders)
to fine-tune the exposure. Just click on the diagonal line (Toning Curve)
to plot a point and then drag it around to see how your changes affect
your image. Plot several points and shape the curve initially so that it
complements the shape of the histogram (the mountain-looking graph-
ic). Then fine-tune the curve so that your image displays an optimal
amount of contrast while retaining a high degree of detail throughout.
Be careful that you don’t inadvertently wash out your image (low con-
trast) as you bring out its details. Play around until you’re satisfied with
the image’s appearance and then click OK. Save your result as a TIFF
image and then tweak it to perfection.Photomatix Pro
features options to
improve your HDR
image, including a
function that can
align your images
to help eliminate
camera shake.Photomatix Users —Choose HDR > Generate. In the resulting
dialog, select the “Load differently exposed images” option and
then click Browse. Navigate to and select your five images in the
resulting dialog, click Open, and then click OK. In the resulting
dialog, Photomatix provides options to help improve your image;
select the ones you want, then click OK to have the app blend
everything together. To save your new 32-bit image, choose File
> Save As and then choose an HDR format from the “Save as
type” drop-down menu, such as the standard Radiance HDR
(.hdr) format or Industrial Light & Magic’s OpenEXR (.exr) format.
Then click Save.Photoshop’s easy-to-use HDR merge feature quickly turned
our five shots into a detail-enriched HDR image. You just
can’t see all of the details—yet.Photoshop’s Toning Curve tool works like the Curves tool to
fine-tune different levels of exposure in your image.Photomatix Users —Choose HDR > Tone Mapping to open the
Tone Mapping window, which offers a variety of contrast, color, bril-
liance, level, and other controls. The idea is to balance your image
so that it displays an optimal amount of contrast while retaining
a high degree of detail throughout. If your image needs a good
amount of exposure tweaking, choose Tone Compressor from the
Method drop-down menu and use the controls to tweak the bright-
ness, contrast, and levels in your image. For fine-tuning, choose
Details Enhancer from the Method drop-down menu and use the
sliders to enhance the contrast, color saturation, luminosity, levels,
and more. When satisfied, select either 8-bit or 16-bit under Output