What is HDR photography?

HDR photography stands for High Dynamic Range (HDR). HDR photography is a technique that allows you to capture a wider range of lighting and colors than normal digital cameras are capable of. HDR photography does this by combining three or more photos of the same scene with different exposures instead of just one photo. The advantage of HDR photography is that it gives you the ability to make a digital photograph that accurately reproduces the details and vivid colors seen by the naked eye. Because most digital cameras do not reproduce the dynamic range that the eye can see HDR Photography is the only solution for those who wish to accurately capture reality in their photos.

A brief introduction on making HDR photos: Take three photos of the same scene with different, (bracketed) exposures as in the examples below.

Import these photos into HDR Photo Pro or Darkroom. HDR Photo Pro or Darkroom then merges these photos into a single radiance map (32-bit per channel), which is also called digital HDR negative, through the steps of noise reduction, alignment and de-ghosting. Then a process called "tone mapping" is used to develop the digital HDR negative into a displayable HDR photo, showing rich details and vivid colors as in the photo below. Our HDR Photo Pro and HDR Darkroom are both innovative HDR software applications that use the above-mentioned processes to help you to create gorgeous HDR photos with minimal effort.

The tone mapping mentioned above, developing digital HDR negatives into a displayable HDR photos, is a significant step in creating the rich details and vivid colors seen in HDR photos. Our HDR software uses two patented, innovative Local Tone Mapping technologies to help you achieve this aim. The Local Tone Balancer balances tones in the photo revealing details in both the deep shadows and highlights. The Local Tone Enhancer works at extracting all possible detail in the rest of the photo.

The number of photos you need to make a HDR Photo depend on the exposure values and dynamic range of the scenes. If the scenes contain a high dynamic range, like a scene inside a room containing sun coming in from the outside, you may need more exposure variation to cover the whole dynamic range.

Note: Multiple photos of the same scene with different exposures need to be taken in order to create a true HDR photo. Although our HDR software provides advanced alignment methods to compensate for small movements during the photo capture, using a tripod is strongly recommended in order to ensure the highest quality results. Photos which you moved a great deal while capturing can not be aligned, merged and processed into the photo you desire.

HDR Photo Pro Tutorials and User Manual

HDR Darkroom Tutorials and User Manual

Reviews

Frequently asked questions