articles/Nature/nikhdrpro-page1

Nik HDR Pro - part 1 of 1 2 3 4

by Tom Lee Published

The concept of high dynamic range photography has been around for some time now and there are many programs on the market that help you do this with varying degrees of success. Many images that come across my path are generally overdone because most photographers do not understand the principle behind their creation, or indeed why they are doing it. For the novice worker it can be a daunting task. In this review we are going to look at Nik Filters HDR Pro, which allows users the simplicity of single click presets as well as the versatility of their patented U Point technology, allowing total control over tonality, colour and contrast within a single program, to selected areas of the image without having to change programs mid workflow.

What is HDR?

Simply put, an image captured on the camera has a limited tonal range that can be manipulated to a degree using proprietary programs such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture, to increase the visual effect of what otherwise might be considered a flat image.

A High Dynamic Range Image, as the name suggests, increases the ranges of tones within a scene beyond the capabilities of the camera chip, giving more control over the captured image. The human eye has the ability to see in a similar fashion, increasing the tonal range of the shadows and highlights above and beyond that of current camera technology. The eye's iris is constantly opening and closing to compensate for the varying changes in tonality, allowing us to see more. The problem with some images that are produced using HDR technologies is that they go too far beyond what we might consider normal and become almost comic book or false in appearance. This may be the photographer's original intention, but much like the Cokin filter craze, it has a limited potential for holding a viewer's attention. Used wisely, they are great tools for enhancing an image, but over used they become boring and uninteresting.

Creating an HDR image

So how do we create an image that goes beyond the limitations of our cameras? The general concept is to make multiple captures of the same scene at varying degrees of exposure. Set your camera to capture a minimum of three images at least one stop apart. (-1stop, correct exposure, +1stop). You could capture, say, 5, or 7 exposures at 1 stop apart but this increases computing power and takes longer to process. Three exposures should be plenty for most applications but more images allows for finer tuning.

Once HDR pro has been installed on your computer it can be accessed through Bridge or the Filters command from your drop down menu and has the ability to process 32-bit RAW files as well as JPEGs. Simply highlight the three images you want to use in Bridge, and select Tools>Nik Software>Merge to HDR Efex Pro.

• Nik HDR Pro page 1
  
• Nik HDR Pro page 2
  
• Nik HDR Pro page 3
  
• Nik HDR Pro page 4
  

There are 37 days to get ready for The Societies of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Wednesday 17th January 2024