HDR Photography with Free Software (LuminanceHDR)

Tue, 26 Jan 2016 14:57:59 -0500

I have a mostly love/hate relationship with HDR images (well, tonemapping HDR more than the HDR themselves). I think the problem is that it’s very easy to create really bad HDR images that the photographer thinks look really good. I know because I’ve been there:

Don't judge me, it was a weird time in my life...

The best term I’ve heard used to describe over-processed images created from an HDR is “clown vomit” (which would also be a great name for a band, by the way). They are easily spotted with some tell-tale signs such as the halos at high-contrast edges, the unrealistically hyper-saturated colors that make your eyes bleed, and a general affront to good taste. In fact, while I’m putting up embarrassing images that I’ve done in the past, here’s one that scores on all the points for a crappy image from an HDR:

Tone-Mapping on PIXLS.US

HDR Photography with Free Software (LuminanceHDR)