Ever Heard of High Dynamic Range?

High Dynamic Range (HDR). Ever heard of it? I sure hadn't. As I am currently in a digital photography/Adobe Photoshop class, I was able to learn all about HDR images. An HDR image is where you take three shots of the same thing at -2, 0, and +2 exposures. I thought to myself that this sounds crazy. Why would I want three shots that don't look professional at these unnatural exposures? Just wait. After you take the shots you combine all three photos into one and it produces amazing results. The best shots are usually outdoors shots with a blue and gray colored sky. It gives a gorgeous contrast to the entire photo. I have posted a few of my shots that I took on a photography trip to Montana a few weeks ago.

Some may be wondering how do I combine three images into one? Many may think to just use the standby Photoshop. Wrong. You can use photoshop for these kind of images, but it does not do as well as other programs. My personal favorite is Dynamic Photo available at mediachance.com. They allow you to even download a free trial version so you can test out it's abilities. I have quite liked the trial version and I plan to get the full version within the next two weeks.

There is, however, a danger in creating HDR images. Many times when these images are combined and the hue/saturation is increased, the images start to appear fake and hand drawn. For a photographer this is not ideal. It is based on personal preference, really. I personally like the HDR images that look more realistic than fake.

Learning how to create HDR images was quite fun. It is a useful skill that I will be able to use in the future.