Terry’s video of the screen made all the difference. Well done (and thanks, Terry).

Hope you all have a good weekend. I think Bama is on a bye week this week, and the Bucs…well…sadly, they are who we thought they were. Ugh.

-Scott

P.S. I have a new online course for all you travel photographers out there. Check out the short official trailer below. Here’s a link to the course (you can buy it for $29, or get it and 1,000+ full-length Lightroom, Photoshop, and Photography courses to stream on-demand, by joining KelbyOne. Again, Here’s the link to this course.

The post Lightroom’s New HDR Feature Is Better Than You Think (but you might not be able to see it, until now) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

STEP ONE: Here are three images from a subway stop (I think I took these in Budapest a few years back). Let’s select all three images (according to Adobe, you actually only need the two-stops over-exposed image and the two-stops under image, but for this example, it’s important that I show all three, even though using three won’t make a better combined HDR image). I selected all three, right-clicked, and from the pop-up menu, I went under Photo Merge and chose HDR (as seen here).

STEP TWO: When the Merge to HDR window appears (seen above), the Auto Settings checkbox is on by default, and you’ll notice that this image looks quite a bit different than any of the three original thumbnails I chose in the previous step. That’s because what you’re seeing here is not just the three images combined into a single image — you’re seeing that, but on top of it, you’re seeing the image toned the same way it would look if you took this image into the Develop Module’s Basic Panel and clicked the Auto button in the Basic Panel. So, if you’re not the kind of person to ever use that Auto Button in the Basic Panel, you probably shouldn’t turn it on here either, but I think it’s really important to know that is what’s happening with that Auto Button. It applies the same Auto settings as if you clicked the Auto button in the Basic panel.

STEP THREE: If you turn off the Auto Settings checkbox in the Merge to HDR Preview window, you’ll see just the merged HDR image (the three images with different exposures combined into one) without any Auto toning added. It looks pretty much like the Normal exposure image (the first image on the left) from the three thumbnails you saw in Step One.

STEP FOUR: Just for example sake, I went ahead and opened that HDR image without the Auto Settings checkbox turned on, but then once the HDR image appeared in Lightroom, I went to the Develop Module and clicked the Auto Settings button. As you can see, it looks like the image in Step Two, which was the HDR image with the Auto button turned on. So, if without using the Auto button, the HDR image essentially looks the same as the normal exposure image, why would you want to take these extra steps to create HDR images at all? It’s because there’s a somewhat hidden advantage (and it’s a big one).

STEP FIVE: Here’s just the normal exposure image (not the HDR), and in the Basic Panel I dragged the Exposure slider all the way to the right — to +5.00, and you can see most of the image turned white. OK, so? Well, look at the next image.

STEP SIX: Here’s the HDR image with the Exposure slider dragged all the way over to the right. It’s solid white because the tonal range of the HDR image is so much wider than the normal image. So much so in fact, that now the Exposure slider doesn’t just go to +5.00. It now goes to +10.00.

So, what does that mean for us?

You might be thinking, “Scott, I’ve never wanted to turn an image solid white.” I know. Me, either. That’s just for example purposes, but this expanded tonal range allows us to open up the shadow areas in our image and reveal all kinds of detail, but with very little increase in noise in our image. You’ll be amazed at how much you can crank open the shadows, and it’s Lightroom’s HDR secret advantage (I’ve written about this before here on LRKT), but today’s post is really about the Auto button and what it does, but I couldn’t resist sharing this awesome advantage of HDR in Lightroom. You can push things farther with less noise or damage to your image.

I hope you found that helpful.Here’s wishing you a great Monday, a fantastic week!

-Scott

The post What The ‘Auto’ button does in the HDR Preview Window (sounds boring, but it’s not) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Before we get to today’s tip — I just released my annual Holiday Gear Guide for Photographers over on my daily blog today. You can check out all the goodies and gift ideas right here.

Now, on to today’s tip, which comes to us from the always awesome Terry White, and it’s on how to use Lightroom to create HDR images, panoramas, and 360° images. It’s so good (Terry is fantastic), and you’ll totally dig it.

See? Terry is the king!

Some cool news coming on Monday

Make sure you stop back by — I’ve got a short video for you you’ll want to check out.

Have a great weekend, everybody. Here’s wishing you a safe, happy, healthy one.

-Scott

The post How to Create HDRs, Panos, and 360° Images in Lightroom appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I had to go download a trial copy of Photomatix Pro 6 to get this classic look (ahem), that we saw so often at the birth of HDR photography.

Oh wait, I forgot the heavy Vignette.

Today, HDR (processed in Lightroom) looks like this (below):

Even Photomatix Pro 6 now has a bunch of presets that look more realistic and normal (though sadly they did keep some presets like the one you see up top, and worse, so -5 points on them. Just remember; just because the preset is there, doesn’t mean you have to cllick it).

The Damage Has Been Done

As a presenter teaching live seminars, when I say the word “HDR” in front of a crowd of photographers, the image at the top of this post is what instantly pops up in photographer’s minds, and you can literally see people in the crowd making faces like they’re smelling the inside of a wooden leg. That’s because they’re picturing that overly vibrant, Harry-Potter-esque look so many found an affront to good taste, honest living, and all we hold sacred as photographers. In our minds, that is HDR.

But HDR has changed.

Now it’s back to what I think it was first intended to be, which is a way for us to have our cameras capture and record a wider tonal range than today’s sensor’s can manage. It’s the shot of a cathedral where the stained glass windows are no longer blown out to solid white, but have their full color, depth, and dimension. Landscapes, interiors, architecture, and many more genres will have us doing less heavy lifting to make the image we see on screen looks like the image our eyes saw in person. If we manage to make the scene look even better, then even better.

How Do We Change That Initial Reaction?

I’d love to see us get to a place where when we mention HDR it doesn’t automatically elicit a negative response from photographers. I know that today, every time someone does one of those over-the-top HDR images, God kills a kitten, but that’s not enough.

I’m hoping that the more people try Lightroom’s built-in HDR, the more they’ll realize the benefits of that expanded tonal range (like we talked about here last Friday), and that at some point we’ll get past the past. I’d love to see us see HDR as an awesome tool that makes our photos more realistic, with a wider range of editing available to us without adding noise and damaging the image.

So, what I guess I’m asking is; the next time you hear the term HDR, and you immediately conjure up something like this HDR image…

…instead, try to mentally replace it with this HDR image (below):

Stepping off my soapbox now.

Here’s wishing you at least a semi-realistic day!

-Scott

P.S. Ready to go to Vegas? If you missed out on Photoshop World in Orlando, you don’t have to miss out again. August 21-23 at the Mirage — we’re bringing the big show!! Plus, on the Lightroom track you’ve got me, Rob, Serge Ramelli, Matt Kloskowski, Terry White, Kristy Sherk and the best of the best. Sign up today and save a bundle! PhotoshopWorld.com

The post HDR Doesn’t Suck Anymore. (Well, it Doesn’t Have to, Anyway). appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I have a ton to share from the trip (which started in Paris), — lots of great stories and plenty of pics, but I’ll have to cover that on another day. I did but want to let you know where I’ve been and why I’ve been missing in action here on the blog the past week or so.

Today we’re looking at something that I hope you’ll find helpful — it’s about the Auto button in the HDR Preview window; what it does, why it’s helpful, and a little about the advantages of creating HDR images in Lightroom.

STEP ONE: Here are three images from a subway stop (I think I took these in Budapest a few years back). Let’s select all three images (according to Adobe, you actually only need the two-stops over-exposed image and the two-stops under image, but for this example, it’s important that I show all three, even though using three won’t make a better combined HDR image). I selected all three; right-clicked and from the pop-up menu, I went under Photo Merge and chose HDR (as seen here).

STEP TWO: When the Merge to HDR window appears (seen above), the Auto Settings checkbox is on by default, and you’ll notice that this image looks quite a bit different than any of the three original thumbnails I chose in the previous step. That’s because what you’re seeing here is not just the three images combined into a single image — you’re seeing that, but on top of it you’re seeing the image toned the same way it would look if you took this image into the Develop Module’s Basic Panel and clicked the Auto button in the Basic Panel. So, if you’re not the kind of person to ever use that Auto Button in the Basic Panel, you probably shouldn’t turn it on here either, but I think it’s really important to know that is what’s happening with that Auto Button. It applies the same Auto settings as if you clicked the Auto button the Basic panel.

STEP THREE: If you turn off the Auto Settings checkbox in the Merge to HDR Preview window, you’d see just the merged HDR image (the three images with different exposures combined into one), without any Auto toning added. It looks pretty much like the Normal exposure image (the first image on the left) from the three thumbnails you saw back in Step One.

STEP FOUR: Just for example sake; I went ahead and opened that HDR image without the Auto Settings checkbox turned on, but then once the HDR image appeared in Lightroom, I went to the Develop Module and click the Auto Settings button. As you can see, it looks like the image in Step Two, which was the HDR image with the Auto button turned on. So, if without using the Auto button the HDR image essentially looks the same as the normal exposure image, why would want to take these extra steps to create HDR images at all? It’s because there’s a somewhat hidden advantage (and it’s a big one).

STEP FIVE: Here’s just the normal exposure image (not the HDR), and in the Basic Panel I dragged the Exposure slider all the way to the right — to +5.00 and you can see most of the image turned white. OK, so? Well, look at the next image.

STEP SIX: Here’s the HDR image with the Exposure slider dragged all the way over to the right. It’s solid white because the tonal range of the HDR image is so much wider than the normal image. So much so in fact, that now the Exposure slider doesn’t just go to +5.00. It now goes to +10.00.

So, what does that mean for us?

You might be thinking, “Scott, I’ve never wanted to turn an image solid white.” I know. Me, either. That’s just for example purposes, but what this expanded tonal range does do is allow us to be able to open up the shadow areas in our image, and reveal all kinds of detail, but all with very little increase in noise in our image. You’ll be amazed at how much you can crank open the shadows, and it’s Lightroom’s HDR secret advantage (I’ve written about this before here on LRKT), but today’s post is really about the Auto button, and what it does, but I couldn’t resist sharing this awesome advantage of HDR in Lightroom. You can push things farther, with less noise or damage to your image.

Hope you found that helpful. It’s time to board my flight. Here’s wishing you a great Monday, a fantastic week, and smooth sailing all the way.

-Scott

The post What The HDR Auto Button Does appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

We’ve all faced the same problem: photographs that lack contrast; images where the shadows and highlights look flat and the details are muddy. While the problem is common, the solutions are many. In this article, I want to show you several easy fixes (using built-in tools) — including some uncommon ones — that you should explore. We’ll also take a look at Aurora HDR, which works as a plugin to both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

The Problem

You open up an image and it just feels flat. Your mind doesn’t remember the scene this way, but your camera sure does. What’s the problem? It’s all about dynamic range.

Dynamic Range Explained

The dynamic range of your photo is the difference between the maximum and minimum values. In simpler terms, are the black points rich and the white points bright? Here’s a simple example where you can see which gradient has a true black and white point.

In most situations, a photo with a wide dynamic range feels rich and deep. Once adjusted, this low-depth image takes on a richer feel. Note that this isn’t just about moving the Contrast slider. It’s about extending the histogram to ensure a full balance.

There are several ways to improve the dynamic range of your images: You can change how you capture your images, change how you process them, or both. There’s no right answer, as it really comes down to how much effort you’re willing to put in and the results you want to get. Toss in the limiting factors of your camera and shooting style and you’ll quickly discover that one size does not fit all.

Why HDR Isn’t a Bad Word

For many photographers, the term HDR (high dynamic range) causes their blood pressure to rise. I encounter photographers all the time who tell me how HDR is awful. A fad. A gimmick. Absolute garbage. They cite garish examples where the colors and details have been pushed to cartoonish extremes.

Sure, if we judge HDR by its worst examples, that’s totally valid. But it’s akin to assuming that Photoshop is only capable of examples like this or this. Don’t blame the tool for a lack of good judgement by the user. For the record, I strongly prefer the third image below.

HDR has been around for a long time. Photoshop CS5 introduced Merge to HDR Pro back in 2010 to create 32-bit files. Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw more recently (version 6 in 2015) added an advanced option to create floating 16-bit DNG files from several raw images. This feature has received additional updates in Lightroom and now can even be used to create panoramic HDR images.

Using HDR imaging techniques really makes a difference in your photos. If you use the Shadows and Highlights sliders, you’re effectively using a less powerful version of HDR. Why not take these controls further and get even better results? When done correctly, HDR is naturally beautiful!

Let’s explore the options you have built into Lightroom.

Built-In Methods

Getting proper dynamic range in Lightroom has gotten easier as the application matures. Let’s take a quick look at the built-in options. These all work best with a raw file, so be sure to capture raw in-camera. These days, even smartphones and drones can capture DNG files, which result in superior quality.

Tone Controls: Shadows & Highlights, Whites & Blacks

These four sliders are the key to getting your dynamic range correct. Typically, it’s a give and take. For example, if you pull the highlights to the left to recover, you should pull the shadows to the right to lift.

• Highlights –This adjusts the brighter areas of the photo. Dragging to the left is typically ideal.
• Shadows –This slider works well in both directions. Dragging to the left darkens shadows and to the right lightens them. Typically, I’ll drag the Blacks slider in the direction opposite the Shadows.
• Whites –Use this slider to increase or decrease clipping in the highlights. If the image lacks dynamic range, drag this slider slowly to the right.
• Blacks –This slider behaves similarly to the Whites slider, except it affects the shadows.  Drag to the left slowly if the image lacks dynamic range.

Presence Controls + Contrast

The Presence controls generally affect the depth and color saturation of the image. I typically combine these controls with the Contrast slider.

• Contrast –While it may seem illogical, I tend to reduce contrast in an image to keep the midtones from getting bunched up. Try dragging the Contrast slider to the left and then using the Presence controls to add back depth.
• Clarity –The Clarity adjustment can be thought of as Contrast 2.0. It essentially adds depth to an image. Be sure to zoom to 100% magnification when using this slider and watch for halos around the edges.
• Dehaze –This is another method for affecting contrast and is useful to remove haze in an image.

Merging Exposures

If you’re using a newer version of Lightroom (or the Creative Cloud version), you’ll find the ability to merge exposures. The approach here is simple: To increase the dynamic range of a photograph, simply capture more information in the field.

In the field: Look for a setting on your camera called Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB). This option allows your camera to quickly switch through several exposures while shooting in a burst mode. Most cameras have this feature, but the number of shots and the exposure difference between each shot can vary between models.

In Lightroom: The process to create a basic HDR image is pretty easy.

Step One: Select the images you want to merge. You can use Cmd/Ctrl-click to choose multiple photos.

Step Two: Choose Photo > Photo Merge > HDR, or press Ctrl+H. A new dialog box will open. After a few seconds, a preview image should appear.

Step Three: Choose the Auto Tone option if you want Lightroom to create an evenly toned merged image.

Step Four: Choose the Auto Align option if you were shooting handheld. Otherwise, you can leave it unchecked.

Step Five: If there were moving objects in the scene (like a tree blowing in the wind or people walking), try one of the Deghosting options.

Step Six: Click the Merge button to generate a new DNG file and add it to your Lightroom catalog.

Step Seven: Adjust this new image like a regular raw file. You should see more flexibility in the dynamic range, however.

Using Aurora to Push Dynamic Range Further

While I’m a huge fan of Lightroom’s HDR toolset, I often want to take things further. For this, I turn to Aurora HDR from Skylum. It’s a plugin that works seamlessly with Lightroom. 

You can use Aurora’s Quantum HDR engine to:

• develop individual photos
• merge brackets to a 32-bit file
• enhance panoramic DNGs made in Lightroom.

While Aurora has been around for many years, the latest version changes everything. The Quantum HDR engine is a technological breakthrough. Not only are the best parts of each photo used when merging, details that are harmful are left out. This means no halos and less noise. In fact, the software use artificial intelligence to recognize key parts of the image and automatically create the best photo. If you haven’t seen it, you just have to give it a try.

Alternative Raw Developer

If you’re facing a tough exposure, there’s an alternative to fighting it in Lightroom. Sure, you could use Tone and Curves and localized adjustments, but that takes time and doesn’t always work. Instead, I just kick the raw file over to Aurora and let it solve things. This approach is really Expanded Dynamic Range photography; the image is maximized from a single raw photo.

Step One: Select the image in Lightroom.

Step Two: Choose File > Plug-in Extras > Transfer to Aurora HDR 2019. The raw image will be opened in Aurora HDR.

Step Three: In Aurora, choose the Color Denoise and Chromatic Aberration Reduction options from the gear menu.

Step Four: Click Create HDR. The full range of details in the raw file will be analyzed and recomposed into a proper exposure.

Step Five: Feel free to use an Aurora HDR Look to quickly enhance the image, or use the manual controls to dial in the perfect exposure.

Running as a Plugin

Sometimes I get to the end of my workflow in Lightroom and I just want some more pop. The Artistic and Dramatic Looks in Aurora are great for creativity. I also love black and white photography, and Aurora’s support for Lookup Tables (LUTs) makes for compelling black and white conversions.

To apply a Look in Aurora:

Step One: Select an image in your Lightroom catalog that you’d like to  enhance.

Step Two: Choose Photo > Edit In > Aurora HDR 2019.

Step Three: In the new dialog box, choose to edit a TIFF image in 16-bit color using the Adobe RGB color space.

Step Four: In Aurora HDR, if the Looks panel isn’t visible, choose View > Show Aurora HDR Looks.

Step Five: Click the Collections button to browse categories or download more Looks.

Step Six: Click on a Look in the browser.

Step Seven: Use the Amount slider to adjust its intensity.

Step Eight: Use the manual controls as desired to further enhance the image.

Step Nine: Click Apply to return the image to your Lightroom catalog.

Developing an Advanced DNG

I love the ability to merge panoramic photos right inside Lightroom. I use it all the time with my drone photographs. Most drones have panoramic shooting built right in. If not, a gentle tap on the control stick will let you pan the drone between shots. Just be sure to capture DNG files for the maximum benefit.

To develop a panoramic DNG:

Step One: Select the panoramic images in your library.

Step Two: Choose Photo > Photo Merge > Panorama, or press Ctrl+M. A new dialog box will open. After a few seconds, a preview image should appear.

Step Three: Choose a projection method. Spherical and Cylindrical usually work best.

Step Four: Adjust the Boundary Warp settings and the Auto Crop to taste to give a full image.

Step Five: When ready, click Merge. A new DNG file will be created.

Step Six: Select the new file and choose File > Plug-in Extras > Transfer to Aurora HDR 2019. The raw file will be handed off to Aurora, where exposure and detail can be maximized.

Step Seven: In Aurora, choose the Color Denoise and Chromatic Aberration Reduction options from the gear menu.

Step Eight: Click Create HDR. The full range of details in the raw file will be analyzed and recomposed into a proper exposure.

Step Nine: Use Aurora HDR Looks or the manual controls to refine the image’s appearance.

Step 10: Click Apply to return the image to your Lightroom library.

Merging Brackets

While Lightroom offers a compelling solution for HDR merging, it still only creates 16-bit files. These new DNG files are quite useful, but merging with Aurora HDR allows you to create a 32-bit image.

To merge brackets in Aurora HDR:

Step One: Select the source brackets in your Lightroom library. The files should all be in the same format.

Step Two: Choose File > Plug-in Extras > Transfer to Aurora HDR 2019.

Step Three: Choose options in the merge dialog.

• If you shot handheld, be sure to select the Auto Alignment option.
• From the gear menu, you can remove ghosting and remove chromatic aberration for backlit scenes.

Step Four: Click Create HDR to merge the files. The full range of details in the raw files will be analyzed and blended into a proper exposure.

Step Five: Use Aurora HDR Looks or manual controls to refine the image’s appearance.

Step Six: Click Apply to return the image to your Lightroom library.

Step Seven: Take advantage of Lightroom adjustments like Upright and Sharpening.

Now You Try

I’m sure you have images in your library where dynamic range is challenging. Try out the techniques in this article and see if they make a difference. Better yet, the next time you’re shooting, give bracketing a try. And don’t forget to give Aurora a chance. It’s perfect for unlocking the hidden beauty in your photos and gives a huge boost to natural light photographers. The power of HDR can be our little secret.

The post How to Recover Shadows and Highlights Like a Pro—A Guide to Maximizing Details for Any Photograph Using Aurora HDR appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Hi, gang, and happy Monday. I have a follow-up to my post from last Monday titled, “The Shocking Truth About Lightroom’s HDR” (link) after hearing from Adobe’s Lightroom team regarding my post. They noted there are several reasons for the sharper HDR results I was getting from Photoshop’s HDR Pro in 32-bit mode and some disadvantages to using Photoshop to merge your HDR images that I did not mention in my post.

First, the sharpness issue
What the Lightroom team pointed out was when your RAW images are imported into Lightroom, there is a default amount of capture sharpening already applied to the image, but when you use the “Tone in ACR” option when leaving HDR Pro in Photoshop, it applies another round of that sharpening on top, resulting in a sharper overall image. That’s because it’s been sharpened twice; once on Import into Lightroom and than again when the RAW image is opened in Adobe Camera Raw.

OK, this part is me talking: Lightroom does apply capture sharpening when you import any RAW image — this has been true for as long as I can remember. In fact, the default amount of sharpening has been increased with the introduction of a new default RAW profile in the most-recent Lightroom Classic update (the new default RAW profile Adobe Color boosts the initial capture sharpening Amount from 25 to 40). So, essentially you’re applying a default amount of 40 sharpening in Lightroom’s Detail panel, and then another 40, in Adobe Camera RAW’s Detail panel, and so the Lightroom team noted that you could just increase the Amount of sharpening in Lightroom to 80 on your bracketed images and effectively achieve a similar amount of sharpness without having to jump over to Photoshop at all.

Above: The default sharpening applied (+40) with the new default RAW profile Adobe Color.

Above: Increasing the sharpening amount to 80.

But it’s more than just sharpness
The other thing that I noted is the color rendition seems more accurate in HDR Pro, and the Lightroom team pointed out that HDR Pro in 32-bit mode handles the highlights differently than does Lightroom (Lightroom’s HDR has “hotter” highlights). Through my own tests, I found that reducing the Highlight amount in Lightroom to around -35 gets you close (not exact, but close) to the results of Photoshop’s HDR Pro in 32-bit mode. So, you put those two things together in Lightroom: bumping up the Sharpening amount to 80 in the Detail Panel, and reducing the Highlights to -35, and you’re pretty close to the result you’d get in Photoshop’s HDR Pro in 32-bit mode.

But Lightroom has another advantage
They pointed out that your result from Photoshop’s HDR Pro in 32-bit mode is a 16-bit TIFF image (it is no longer a RAW image), but when you create your HDR within Lightroom, the result is actually a RAW .dng file with all the properties and advantages of a RAW image, so that’s a big advantage of compiling your HDR in Lightroom.

So, now we know
While it’s still true that Photoshop’s HDR Pro 32-bit process does create a sharper and more accurate color rendition by default (the key phrase there being “by default”), the Lightroom team pointed out that you can easily tweak Lightroom’s settings to give you a very similar result, saving you a trip to Photoshop. You could also create a simple Develop Module preset that bumps the sharpening amount up to +80 and backs off the Highlight amount to -35 and then the process is literally just one click, and the results is a RAW dng file with more editing headroom if you continue your edits.

Thanks to the LR team 
A tip of the hat to Lightroom Product Manager Sharad Mangalick and the Lightroom team for pointing this out.

Here’s wishing you all an awesome week!

Best,

-Scott

P.S. Friday my Lightroom Seminar is in Washington DC. Hundreds of photographers are already signed up — don’t miss out. http://kelbyonelive.com

The post Follow-Up To Last Monday’s “Shocking Truth About Lightroom’s HDR” Post appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Hope you find that helpful.

One week from today, I’m in Washington DC with my Lightroom seminar
Come spend the day with me. Tickets and info here.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

-Scott

The post How to Create an HDR Panorama in Lightroom appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Hope you found that helpful.

Hey, it’s Worldwide Photo Walk Week!!!
Nearly 1,000 cities around the world — and the walk is this coming Saturday! If you haven’t joined a photo walk near you (it’s free), it’s not too late. Here’s the link to find a photo walk near you. It’s going to be a ton of fun!

I’m off to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow, where I’ll be leading a photo walk on Saturday, then I’m off to Morocco. Can’t wait! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see live stories and photos from the trip.

Have a great Monday everybody (I’ve got a photo shoot today for a book project – busy day before I head out).

Best,

-Scott

The post Lightroom Start to Finish Project: Atlanta Falcon’s Wide Angle New Stadium Shot appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

I love what Adobe has been doing with Lightroom Mobile, and the direction it’s been going, and their latest edition (in an update released late last week for iPhones and Android phones that can capture RAW images) adds an HDR shooting mode to their already robust in-app camera (you access the HDR feature from the pop-up menu in the app, as seen above). BTW: Professional mode allows you to control Aperture, ISO, and shutter speed among others.

Anyway, I did a field test shooting with HDR at Disney Springs, (a shopping and recreation area that’s part of Walt Disney World) and I’ll share my thoughts in the captions below.

1: Taken in “Automatic” (normal, non-HDR) mode. (note the super blown out windows). It looks pretty much like what you’d get with the iPhone’s regular built-in camera.

2: Here’s the new HDR version (un-edited). Now you can see detail out the windows. It takes three separate images (the normal exposure; one under-exposed and one that over-exposed) and merges them into a single image with the data from all three, and it uses the same technology that Lightroom on the desktop uses. The blue color here out the windows is a bit funky, but overall it’s a big improvement, and it doesn’t look too “HDR-y.”

3: Here’s the same HDR shot but I tweaked it in Lightroom Mobile, mostly by adding contrast, a little bit of clarity, and a -11 edge vignette. The blues in all these shots looks a bit “off” to me somehow (they look too cyan), but of course that’s something I could have probably fixed when I was editing the image in Lightroom Mobile.

Here’s another example:

1: Taken in “Automatic” (normal, non-HDR) mode. Notice the outside is pretty blown out (look out the door, and the windows directly above it, and the window panes up near the roof. Totally blown out).

2: Here’s the HDR version of the same shot. Now you can see what’s outside the door (it’s no longer blown out), and compare the window panes near the roof with the previous shot. It captured all that detail. All that being said — the image looks kinda flat and kinda HDR-y, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how you feel about that look.

3: Here’s that same HDR photo with contrast added, a little bit of clarity, a slight edge vignette (-11), and a slightly warmer white balance. I think it makes the HDR image look less “HDR-ie.”

One last one:

1: Taken in “Automatic” (normal, non-HDR) mode. Blown out, outside.

2: Here’s the HDR version of the same shot. Now you can see what’s outside the door (it’s no longer blown out).

3: Here’s the HDR shot tweaked in Lightroom Mobile, in the same way, but making the white balance warmer. The look outside in the HDR version, and this one, aren’t awesome, but still an improvement over the straight non-HDR shot.

An added benefit: Lower noise (big time!)
Because of the wider dynamic range of these combined HDR images, if you have to open up any shadow areas, the noise is dramatically lower than it would be using the regular camera without the HDR, and that’s a big win. In fact, the difference is pretty startling (like it is on the Desktop version of Lightroom as well).

One downside…
Lightroom Mobile is doing quite a bit of processing and de-ghosting in the background to make this all happen, so it takes a while for the image to appear in Lightroom (it’s processing in the background). I imagine over time, it’ll get faster (in later updates of LR Mobile), but for now, there’s a very noticeable lag (seconds) between when you take the HDR image and when you can actually see it.

Hope you found that helpful (and thanks for being patient while I was out launching my new Lightroom seminar tour).

Have a great Tuesday, and we’ll catch you tomorrow (when we’ll be back with Benjamin Warde’s “Lightroom Coffee Break”).

Best,

-Scott

P.S. Only 4-days left to save $100 on a Photoshop World 2017 Conference Pass using the early bird sign-up special. The conference is next month in Orlando, Florida (April 20-22, 1017). Tickets and more details here. 

The post Lightroom Mobile’s Awesome New In-Camera HDR appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.