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How to Create Stunning HDR Images: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to Create Stunning HDR Images: A Step-by-Step Guide
by Keenan Hursh
Have you ever found yourself photographing a beautiful scene, perhaps early in the morning or late in the evening, and realized that the difference between shadows and highlights is simply too great to photograph? Perhaps it’s a sunset and the sky is significantly brighter than the dark landscape. Sometimes it can seem utterly impossible to expose your camera properly for both ends of this extreme spectrum.
As it turns out this is quite common and I’m sure it’s a problem many of us have faced before. Even with highly advanced and impressive modern cameras you sometimes can’t seem to get around this issue. Luckily there is an effective and relatively straightforward solution to this problem. And that solution is to create an HDR image through exposure bracketing.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is a powerful technique that allows photographers to capture and display a wider range of tones and details in their images. This method is particularly useful in scenes with extreme contrast, where the camera's sensor struggles to capture both shadow and highlight details effectively.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the art of creating stunning HDR images, from understanding exposure bracketing and HDR imaging to mastering the process of merging multiple exposures using Adobe Lightroom. Let’s get into the details and discuss everything you’ll need to know to start creating your own stunning HDR images!
As it turns out this is quite common and I’m sure it’s a problem many of us have faced before. Even with highly advanced and impressive modern cameras you sometimes can’t seem to get around this issue. Luckily there is an effective and relatively straightforward solution to this problem. And that solution is to create an HDR image through exposure bracketing.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is a powerful technique that allows photographers to capture and display a wider range of tones and details in their images. This method is particularly useful in scenes with extreme contrast, where the camera's sensor struggles to capture both shadow and highlight details effectively.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the art of creating stunning HDR images, from understanding exposure bracketing and HDR imaging to mastering the process of merging multiple exposures using Adobe Lightroom. Let’s get into the details and discuss everything you’ll need to know to start creating your own stunning HDR images!
Understanding Dynamic Range in Photography and HDR Images
We’ll start out with the basics. What exactly is dynamic range and how does it affect the way your camera captures images? In the world of photography, dynamic range refers to the range of tones from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights that a camera's sensor can capture in a single exposure. Modern mirrorless cameras usually have higher dynamic ranges than older DSLRs due to their more advanced sensors.
The dynamic range of a scene can vary significantly, especially in high-contrast lighting conditions such as sunsets, where there is a vast difference between the darkest and brightest areas in a composition. In such situations, your camera may struggle to represent the full breadth of tones accurately, resulting in either clipped highlights or blocked shadows where information is lost and can’t effectively be recovered in post-processing. Quite simply, dynamic range is the amount of information, from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows, that your camera can obtain in a single exposure.
And being limited to your camera’s native dynamic range can certainly create some challenges. When faced with high dynamic range scenes, photographers often have to make difficult choices about which parts of the scene to expose properly. A well-exposed sky may lead to underexposed foreground details, while properly exposed foreground elements may result in blown-out highlights in the sky. This limitation can be frustrating, especially when trying to capture the scene's true visual impact as perceived by the human eye.
This is where exposure bracketing and HDR images come into play. By capturing multiple images at slightly different exposures, you can overcome these issues. HDR photography presents a revolutionary solution to overpower the limitations of your camera’s sensor in capturing high dynamic range scenes. By combining exposure bracketing and specialized post-processing techniques, photographers can create stunning HDR images that showcase the full spectrum of tones, from deep shadows to brilliant highlights all in one image. The result is a photograph that can more closely mimic the dynamic range perception of the human eye, offering a more immersive and realistic viewing experience.
But what exactly is exposure bracketing? This simple technique forms the foundation of HDR photography. It involves taking multiple shots of the same scene, each with a different exposure value. The range typically includes one image at the camera's metered exposure (standard exposure), one underexposed shot to capture shadow details, and one overexposed shot to retain highlight information. By merging these images together during post-processing, photographers can create an HDR image that blends the best tonal details from each exposure into a single, visually striking photograph.
So, now that we’ve discussed what exposure bracketing and HDR images are let’s dive into the actual techniques and processes employed to create this effect.
We’ll start out with the basics. What exactly is dynamic range and how does it affect the way your camera captures images? In the world of photography, dynamic range refers to the range of tones from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights that a camera's sensor can capture in a single exposure. Modern mirrorless cameras usually have higher dynamic ranges than older DSLRs due to their more advanced sensors.
The dynamic range of a scene can vary significantly, especially in high-contrast lighting conditions such as sunsets, where there is a vast difference between the darkest and brightest areas in a composition. In such situations, your camera may struggle to represent the full breadth of tones accurately, resulting in either clipped highlights or blocked shadows where information is lost and can’t effectively be recovered in post-processing. Quite simply, dynamic range is the amount of information, from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows, that your camera can obtain in a single exposure.
And being limited to your camera’s native dynamic range can certainly create some challenges. When faced with high dynamic range scenes, photographers often have to make difficult choices about which parts of the scene to expose properly. A well-exposed sky may lead to underexposed foreground details, while properly exposed foreground elements may result in blown-out highlights in the sky. This limitation can be frustrating, especially when trying to capture the scene's true visual impact as perceived by the human eye.
This is where exposure bracketing and HDR images come into play. By capturing multiple images at slightly different exposures, you can overcome these issues. HDR photography presents a revolutionary solution to overpower the limitations of your camera’s sensor in capturing high dynamic range scenes. By combining exposure bracketing and specialized post-processing techniques, photographers can create stunning HDR images that showcase the full spectrum of tones, from deep shadows to brilliant highlights all in one image. The result is a photograph that can more closely mimic the dynamic range perception of the human eye, offering a more immersive and realistic viewing experience.
But what exactly is exposure bracketing? This simple technique forms the foundation of HDR photography. It involves taking multiple shots of the same scene, each with a different exposure value. The range typically includes one image at the camera's metered exposure (standard exposure), one underexposed shot to capture shadow details, and one overexposed shot to retain highlight information. By merging these images together during post-processing, photographers can create an HDR image that blends the best tonal details from each exposure into a single, visually striking photograph.
So, now that we’ve discussed what exposure bracketing and HDR images are let’s dive into the actual techniques and processes employed to create this effect.
Capturing Multiple Exposures with Your Camera
In order to create an HDR image that perfectly captures all the details in a scene, you’ll have to learn the process of exposure bracketing. This is quite simply capturing multiple exposures of the same scene. I usually capture one image at a neutral or normal exposure and then capture one image at a stop or two above that and another image at a stop or two below that. You can always capture even more exposures, especially if the dynamic range in a given scene is super extreme, but three exposures are a good starting point. The idea is to capture mid-tones, then highlights, and then shadows with each exposure.
In order to do this, you’ll need a camera with manual settings that will allow you to change the settings. You’ll start out by getting your settings dialed in for the standard or metered exposure. For this, I usually change settings and take sample images until I’ve settled on one that I think is a good starting point that is properly exposed for most of the scene, or for the mid-tones. Then once I’ve captured that image, I’ll change the settings on my camera to capture an image for the highlights and an image for the shadows. If I’m using a tripod, I like to change the shutter speed so that I’m not changing the depth of field at all or increasing digital noise between images.
And this brings up another great tip. I pretty much always use a tripod when exposure bracketing. This allows me to easily change the shutter speed, as long as nothing is moving in my frame and ensures that my composition doesn’t change between images. You can do this handheld, and Lightroom will automatically align the images, but your composition may end up getting severely cropped and other issues could arise. If you can, use a tripod to make things easier. And when shooting with a tripod, if some of your images require longer exposures, using a remote shutter release or a delayed shutter is a great idea as well to prevent any shaking or vibrations.
I would also recommend shooting these images in the RAW file format so that your camera can capture the maximum amount of detail and information in each exposure. This will give you greater freedom when combining the exposures and when editing the HDR image.
One other thing to note is that many cameras have a built-in HDR mode and can automatically capture HDR images without you needing to do much. This is more common on newer cameras but it’s worth investigating to see if your camera can do this. If not, no worries, you’ll just have to do it the manual and old-fashioned way.
In order to create an HDR image that perfectly captures all the details in a scene, you’ll have to learn the process of exposure bracketing. This is quite simply capturing multiple exposures of the same scene. I usually capture one image at a neutral or normal exposure and then capture one image at a stop or two above that and another image at a stop or two below that. You can always capture even more exposures, especially if the dynamic range in a given scene is super extreme, but three exposures are a good starting point. The idea is to capture mid-tones, then highlights, and then shadows with each exposure.
In order to do this, you’ll need a camera with manual settings that will allow you to change the settings. You’ll start out by getting your settings dialed in for the standard or metered exposure. For this, I usually change settings and take sample images until I’ve settled on one that I think is a good starting point that is properly exposed for most of the scene, or for the mid-tones. Then once I’ve captured that image, I’ll change the settings on my camera to capture an image for the highlights and an image for the shadows. If I’m using a tripod, I like to change the shutter speed so that I’m not changing the depth of field at all or increasing digital noise between images.
And this brings up another great tip. I pretty much always use a tripod when exposure bracketing. This allows me to easily change the shutter speed, as long as nothing is moving in my frame and ensures that my composition doesn’t change between images. You can do this handheld, and Lightroom will automatically align the images, but your composition may end up getting severely cropped and other issues could arise. If you can, use a tripod to make things easier. And when shooting with a tripod, if some of your images require longer exposures, using a remote shutter release or a delayed shutter is a great idea as well to prevent any shaking or vibrations.
I would also recommend shooting these images in the RAW file format so that your camera can capture the maximum amount of detail and information in each exposure. This will give you greater freedom when combining the exposures and when editing the HDR image.
One other thing to note is that many cameras have a built-in HDR mode and can automatically capture HDR images without you needing to do much. This is more common on newer cameras but it’s worth investigating to see if your camera can do this. If not, no worries, you’ll just have to do it the manual and old-fashioned way.
Combining the Images in Adobe Lightroom
Now that you’ve captured your bracketed exposures let’s go over how you can combine them into one HDR image in Adobe Lightroom. Luckily this is pretty straightforward as well.
First, you’ll want to import all of your exposures into Lightroom as separate images. Once you have them in Lightroom you can then start the process of merging them. As you can see in this example, I have 4 images of the same subject captured on a tripod each at different exposures. On the far left I have my overexposed image that is picking up all of the details in the darker, shadowy parts of the composition, and on the right, I have my image that is under-exposed capturing all the highlight details. These images were captured with the same aperture and ISO and I simply changed the shutter speed by a stop or two between each exposure.
Now that you’ve captured your bracketed exposures let’s go over how you can combine them into one HDR image in Adobe Lightroom. Luckily this is pretty straightforward as well.
First, you’ll want to import all of your exposures into Lightroom as separate images. Once you have them in Lightroom you can then start the process of merging them. As you can see in this example, I have 4 images of the same subject captured on a tripod each at different exposures. On the far left I have my overexposed image that is picking up all of the details in the darker, shadowy parts of the composition, and on the right, I have my image that is under-exposed capturing all the highlight details. These images were captured with the same aperture and ISO and I simply changed the shutter speed by a stop or two between each exposure.
Now that you have your images imported you’re going to select all of the ones you want to combine and then right-click that selection. You’ll see a list of options pop up and you’re going to click “Photo Merge” and then “HDR…” to start the process. This is the same way you would create a panoramic image but instead of clicking “panorama…” we’re doing the HDR option today.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll see the “HDR Merge Preview” Popup window. There are several options here so let’s discuss them.
The first box you’ll see is the “Auto Align” option. This will take all your images and make sure they are all aligned and have the exact same composition. You absolutely must do this if you captured your images handheld and I always click it even if I’ve used a tripod to account for any microscopic changes.
The next box is the “Auto Settings” option. This is really up to you, but it will simply apply an automatic edit to the final image based on what Lightroom thinks looks best. Sometimes I check this box and sometimes I don’t. The choice is yours.
The next option is the “Deghost Amount” which you only really need to use if there was any movement in your image between exposures. Say, for example, if there was some foliage blowing in the wind. Deghosting allows Lightroom to choose which of the exposures to pull information from so that you still retain sharp details instead of ghosting ( a kind of motion blur effect due to differences in exposures) when you combine your images. If you did experience any movement between images, you can select the options available between Low, Medium, or High but a lot of the time you’ll be fine with selecting None, especially if the scene was static.
The next option you can click is the “Create Stack” box which simply tells Lightroom if you want to stack or combine the original images in addition to the HDR file. I usually don’t do this just in case I want to edit one of the original images after the fact but you can always recover them even if you do choose to stack.
Now all you have to do is hit the “Merge” button in the bottom right and boom, you now have an HDR image. You can then continue to edit this image as you normally would, but you’ll notice you have way more information to work with and a much higher dynamic range with lots of details in both the shadows and highlights.
The first box you’ll see is the “Auto Align” option. This will take all your images and make sure they are all aligned and have the exact same composition. You absolutely must do this if you captured your images handheld and I always click it even if I’ve used a tripod to account for any microscopic changes.
The next box is the “Auto Settings” option. This is really up to you, but it will simply apply an automatic edit to the final image based on what Lightroom thinks looks best. Sometimes I check this box and sometimes I don’t. The choice is yours.
The next option is the “Deghost Amount” which you only really need to use if there was any movement in your image between exposures. Say, for example, if there was some foliage blowing in the wind. Deghosting allows Lightroom to choose which of the exposures to pull information from so that you still retain sharp details instead of ghosting ( a kind of motion blur effect due to differences in exposures) when you combine your images. If you did experience any movement between images, you can select the options available between Low, Medium, or High but a lot of the time you’ll be fine with selecting None, especially if the scene was static.
The next option you can click is the “Create Stack” box which simply tells Lightroom if you want to stack or combine the original images in addition to the HDR file. I usually don’t do this just in case I want to edit one of the original images after the fact but you can always recover them even if you do choose to stack.
Now all you have to do is hit the “Merge” button in the bottom right and boom, you now have an HDR image. You can then continue to edit this image as you normally would, but you’ll notice you have way more information to work with and a much higher dynamic range with lots of details in both the shadows and highlights.
And that’s really all there is to it. This process is quite simple in Adobe Lightroom, and it works great! I use this trick all the time since I have an older DSLR camera that doesn’t have the best native dynamic range. But by capturing multiple exposures and combining them together, I can create awesome HDR images with ease.
Conclusion
Creating stunning HDR images is an exciting and powerful process that allows photographers to unleash their creativity while preserving the full range of tones and details in a scene. By understanding exposure bracketing and mastering the HDR merging process in Adobe Lightroom, you can elevate your photography to new heights and produce captivating images that leave a lasting impression on viewers.
I sincerely hope this article has been educational and informative and I strongly encourage every photographer, regardless of skill level or experience, to experiment with capturing HDR images. I use this simple trick all the time and often love the results I’m able to get.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see ya on the next one!
Creating stunning HDR images is an exciting and powerful process that allows photographers to unleash their creativity while preserving the full range of tones and details in a scene. By understanding exposure bracketing and mastering the HDR merging process in Adobe Lightroom, you can elevate your photography to new heights and produce captivating images that leave a lasting impression on viewers.
I sincerely hope this article has been educational and informative and I strongly encourage every photographer, regardless of skill level or experience, to experiment with capturing HDR images. I use this simple trick all the time and often love the results I’m able to get.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see ya on the next one!
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AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Keenan Hursh is a Photographer, visual designer, and creative story teller based out of Bozeman, Montana. He draws inspiration from his frequent excursions into the natural world and always brings his camera along to capture whatever adventures he finds himself in. Keenan is passionate about documenting and sharing fleeting moments from the natural world and focuses primarily on wildlife, landscape, and adventure photography.
When it comes to gear, he primarily shoots digital with his Canon EOS R5 and EOS 6D mark ii but also has several 35mm film cameras that get out every now and then.
At a very young age, Keenan started bringing a camera along on his excursions and immediately fell in love with the art of photography. He started out with his parent’s cheap point and shoot and has continuously improved his craft and gear refining his shooting style and producing more compelling and intriguing images.
Growing up in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, surrounded by mountains and wilderness, Keenan has developed a deep passion for many outdoor activities. When he’s not out on a shoot or using his camera, Keenan enjoys skiing, climbing, hiking, backpacking, cycling, whitewater rafting, and paragliding. If he’s outside, away from the distractions of society and civilization, he’s in his happy place.
Keenan studied Emergent Digital Practices at the University of Denver while minoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Since earning his degree in 2019 he was worked with a wide range of clients, companies, and organizations throughout his career. Apart from photography he specializes in content creation, writing, brand development, and graphic design.
You can view Keenan’s portfolio on his website at www.keenanhurshphoto.com
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
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Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.