HDR Post-Processing Tutorial

This tutorial will cover how to edit those HDR photos that you have taken as explained in the first tutorial "The Basics of HDR"

Every has their own different ways to process their HDR photos. For me, I edit my photos using Photomatix and then subsequently by Photoshop. I like my HDR effect to have less saturation and more details.

Today we are going to work on this sunset photo. This is a regular un-edited sunset photo taken using regular settings. Sunset? No too visible.

 Our final product. A HDR sunset photo.

It takes me roughly about an hour to get to this. If this is your first time working with HDR, be prepared to spend many hours working on a HDR photo. Also don't be discouraged if your HDR photo doesn't turn out good. It takes practice to perfect the skill. I too, is practicing daily. Let's begin!

Editing in Photomatix

First, bring up your Photomatix application and click on the "Load Bracketed Photos". As mentioned in my basic HDR photography tutorial, you should have taken at least 3 shots of varying exposure. Browse for the photos and click ok.

 A preprocessing option dialog box will appear. The defaults is fine, but we want to reduce the noise on the underexposed image as it's a sunset and the lack of light will generate more noise in the image. we don't select reduce chromatic aberrations because photomatix doesn't do a good job removing it, and we'll address the issue later in Photoshop using a fast and easy method.

Because by the selective deghosting is selected by default, we will reach a screen like the one below. Normally, when shooting scenes like this example, there isn't any moving objects fast enough to register a change in the 3 photos you have taken, so we'll skip this.

selective deghosting does not repair motion blur due to long exposure. It just fix differences between the 3 photos

A HDR photo is generated! Sure it looks like sh*t now, but that's ok.

Now, SAVE this photo by clicking on the save button before doing anything to this photo. This is an important step because we would have to use this later.

Click on the "Tone Mapping / Fusion" button and we'll arrive at this page with a number of sliders. If the default is not the first preset "Enchancer - Default", then manually click on that preset as shown by the red arrow. Actually the default enhancer is already pretty good, but the default does not fit every scene and preference, so we're going to do a little adjustment here. 

We won't use most of the sliders, but the sliders that we are using are shown in the red box. If you want to know what each slider does and my recommended settings, please see my previous post: The Basics of HDR. Tweak it however you want, but do keep in mind that this is just a base to work on, so it is 100% alright for your photo to have low contrast, and low saturation. Once you're happy with it, click on the process button and let it chew through your photo.

Do not over saturate the photo by using too much color saturation. It only destroys the picture.

Once you're done, save your photo, and we'll call it tonemapped photo. Next, open the first ugly HDR photo that I asked you to save earlier on.

This window will appear. Click on the "Tone Mapping" button.

 Now, we're going to create a black and white high contrast image of your original photo. The idea of creating a photo like this is to use as an overlay over the original photo. This increases the edge contrast for the photo without affecting the tone of the colors in the photo. To do this, retain all the previous settings and reduce the color saturation to 0, change the Lighting Adjustments to medium or surreal, bring the white point and black point all the way to 5%. Click process when we're done.

Save the black and white photo under another name, and we'll call this the shadow. And that's all we need to do in photomatix! The rest is now in Photoshop.

Editing in Photoshop

Open your tonemapped and shadow photos in Photoshop. Make sure the both files are sitting in the same document. If it's not, duplicate the shadow onto the tonemapped photo.

With the shadow layer selected, Change the blending mode to soft light. Soft light is the softest blend of the overlay group as it retains the most colors. If you like a harsher shadow, choose overlay, or even harsher shadows, hard light. In this example, I find soft light a little too harsh for my liking, so I turned down the opacity of the shadow photo to 75%. Hold down CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + E, and it will create a layer copy of the visible layers.

Next step, we are going to fix those chromatic aberrations (CA). Generally, when there is chromatic aberration, there will be two colors appearing on either side of an object. It's usually purple and green, or a similar shade of color. Click on Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, or CTRL + U, to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Click on the tiny hand icon as show with the red arrow, and a Eyedropper tool will appear. Using that tool, click on a purple CA area that best represents the average shade of purple in the picture (as shown in red circle).

If there are any purple CA that is not selected by dropper, you can use the dropper+ tool (middle tool of small red box), to select those purple. Vice versa, the dropper- tool removes colors you do not want to be included from the selection.

Using the Saturation and Lightness sliders, adjust until the purple CA cannot be seen (or significantly less visible). We've adjusted the saturation and lightness sliders to -75 for both. Our goal is to desaturate and blend the purple CA into the photo.

Zooming out, we can check if by desaturating the purple CA, we have affect the purple in the photo which you do not want to affect. In this case, the floor tiles and the roof (marked in red circles) are of a similar shade of purple. That is the downside of using this tool; it targets CA very well, but it affects similar colors in the whole photo. But go ahead and click OK, and we can fix that later.

Click on the "Add layer mask" as pointed out by the red arrow to create a layer mask. A layer mask shows or hides a certain part of the photo as required. A white layer mask shows, and a black layer mask hides. Now press CTRL + I, to inverse the color of the layer mask to black. Now the picture is completely hidden like nothing has been done yet. Making sure we have selected the black layer mask, and our brush foreground color is white (as shown in red boxes), select the brush tool (or keyboard shortcut "b") and paint over the parts that we want to have the purple CA removed. And there we have it. We removed the purple CA without affecting other parts of the photo.

Create a layer copy of the visible layers (or 2 just for backup), and repeat the steps for removing CA for the green CA. For the green CA, it will be slightly trickier because there are a lot of greenery around the photo and we don't want to desaturate the grass and trees. In this case, once we have selected the green that we want to remove, we can pull the two tiny triangles closer together in the pair of rainbow colored stripes in the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Zoom out and ensure the grass and tress are not affected by the desaturation. We might have to keep trying to find a shade of green that only affects the green CA. But once we're done, click OK.

Now, I'm going to introduce a Photoshop plug-in that is extremely useful to any photographers, amateurs or professionals. That has to be Nik Software. The first piece of Nik Software that I'll be using is the Nik Software Dfine 2.0. This is a tool to remove excessive noise from the photo so it doesn't look too grainy. Do not over use this tool because denoising an image will cause it to lose sharpness. Another thing to remember is to always perform denoising before sharpening (if you need to). In this case, I used the manual method because I want a little more control over the denoising, but automatic works great as well.

While we're at it, I find that the tree by the left of the picture seems a little distracting, so using content-aware, we removed the tree. Simply use the lasso tool to encompass the tree, right click over the lasso area, and click "Fill" option. Ensure Content-Aware is selected and press OK. This step can be anytime, but it is always recommended to remove any large objects from the picture early in post processing as it can be harder for content-aware to generate the image when details are pulled from the picture in the later steps.

Next, we'll be using another Nik Software plug-in, Color Efex Pro 4.0. This is by far the most useful tool I ever used and I always use this for my HDR photos, and frequently for other photos. Firstly, we want to pull more details from picture, so we use the "Detail Extraction" filter. The defaults are usually fine for me, so we go on by clicking the "Add Filter" button. We can always come back later and tweak the settings if you're not happy with it.

Next we add the filter "Tonal Contrast". This filter adds contrast to the picture without ruining the colors. The effects are a little too strong for my liking, so we turn the opacity down to 60%. To pull a little more detail from the image, I set the contrast type to "Fine". The rest of the sliders are on default.

What is a sunset without warmth? Our picture doesn't too much of a sunset feel because it's lacking warmth, so using the "Brilliance / Warmth" filter, we add 75% warmth and 10% saturation to the photo.

The last filter we will use is "Darken / Lighten Center". As the name suggest, this filter lightens the center and darkens the borders. It's similar to vignetting but we have the option to lighten the center to draw the viewers' attention. In this case, we will set the center luminosity to 0% (no change in brightness), and reduce the border luminosity to -25% to give it a little vignetting effect. Press OK when we're done and let the plug-in chew through the photo while we take a minute break.

 

 Because extracting details from the photo amplify those small details and those undesirable noise, we will have to do another denoise. For this case, we're cool with the noise level in the ground area, but not the sky, so we select the sky using the Quick Selection Tool (or keyboard shortcut W). Then we use Dfine 2.0 again to remove excessive noise.

Next, we use another Nik Software plug-in, Sharpener Pro 3.0, to give it a little sharpening before publishing the image. Do not over sharpen the image or it will show visible noise and degrade the overall aesthetics of the image.

One last thing that I have done is to bring the photo over to the latest Photoshop CS6 and used the Adaptive Wide Angle filter to correct the distortion present in this image. As you can see, the lamp post is now standing straight, instead of slanting before applying the filter.


There we have it, the final HDR photo!

If like this tutorial, please share it on facebook, twitter, or whatever. And if you're inspired, please create a HDR photo and comment on this post, with your photo. Enjoy and don't forget to have fun!

ROM of Nachu & Meiyappan

I was recently asked to shoot for an ROM of Nachu & Meiyappan. I've done wedding shots before but this is my first time shooting for an ROM. What's more, the couple are Indians, so I have a lack of understanding of their culture and procedure during the ROM. If you ask me, sure it's a challenge, but I'm prepared for it.

A few days before this ROM, I attended a seminar from Clubsnap about wedding photography. What I learnt was that I need a 33k hasselblad camera, a huge light & umbrella, and of course, assistants to do anything but shooting. Sure, I have none of the 3, and nowhere near, so most of things don't apply. But what I took away from the seminar is the way the photographer interacts with the model, and some typical wedding poses (and it helps alot!).

Enjoy the photos!

Buying Body or Lens?

Whether or not, you own a DSLR or considering buying one, this is one of the things you must consider. Good body with a lousy lens or lousy body with a good lens? Let me take you through and help you make the decision.

Image Quality

If you're looking for image quality, then a good lens must be in your shopping list. Light itself is rather difficult to manage. Lenses often suffer from various forms of optical degradation, such as vignetting, barrel distortion, Chromatic Aberration, flare. You see, even the best and most expensive lens may not fully resolve these issues, but merely reduce the effects.

Let's bring out an example. I used 2 different lens on the same camera body to shoot the same subject. On the left is shot with a EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, selling for about $900 online. On the right is shot with a EF-S17-85mm lens, selling for about $660 online. Both pictures are shot with Canon EOS 7D.

My first impression is that the 15-85mm lens has a better contrast than the 17-85mm. Zooming in, you can clearly see the difference in sharpness. If you own a 18-55mm kit lens, the results are worse than the 17-85mm lens.

Comparing 15-855mm vs 17-85mm (click to enlarge)

So you see a better lens does give an additional advantage in image quality. But does it mean that more expensive lens have better image quality? In fact, no.

Generally, prime (fixed focal length) lens have a higher image quality over a zoom lens at the same price range. The reason is because zoom lenses have more moving parts, and as mentioned above, light is difficult to control and manage, and with moving glass inside the lens, it becomes much harder to align everything to give a equal optical quality like a prime lens. It takes much more engineering or better glass to construction a lens of similar optical quality compared to a prime lens, and to maintain the low price, some things have to give.

For example, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens offer a much better image quality than the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Both are in the same price range of $100 to $150, yet one performs much better than the other. That's because the 50mm lens is a prime lens. The same is true other lenses in different price ranges.

Functionality

A camera body plays a big part when it comes to taking the picture. After all, it houses the sensor which is used to take the photo. Advances in technology made cameras have bigger and sharper LCD screens, video capabilities, higher megapixels, better sensors, just to name a few. However, if you already own a DSLR or planning to get one, it may not be the best to get the latest model.

Take for example, the EOS 600D and 550D. Both cameras have 18 megapixels and run on DIGIC 4 sensor. The few difference is an improved video recording system and a flip out screen. The rest of the changes are minor.

My suggestion would be to own a decent DSLR and stick to it. I still use my EOS 500D, and I know of friends who still use their EOS 450D even though it's a rather old camera. If you're planning an upgrade, try not to upgrade to a similar series, but a higher series if you have the budget. Because even an old higher series camera would normally have much better functions than a basic model (but not too old please).

For lenses, an upgrade would normally bring about better control of those optical degradation as mentioned above, a new or better image stabilization, or better auto focusing. Because lenses don't get upgraded often, they don't have to be replaced for a long time.

Cost

When it comes to buying a camera or lens, you are spending big bucks on it, and you won't want to change every few years, don't you? Yes, good lenses can really cost a lot, and they only operate within a limited focal length, but they are well worth the money. Camera bodies don't cost as much and they can be used in all kinds of shots, so are they really worth putting all the money into?

Let's first bring our attention to the basic DSLR series, the Canon EOS rebel series. Almost every year, Canon releases a new rebel camera (latest is 600D, but due for a upgrade at time of writing), introducing more and more technological advances into that same sized body.

For example, in 2004, Canon releases the EOS 350D camera. It has 8 megapixels and DIGIC II processor. Now in 2012, the EOS 600D has 18 megapixels and DIGIC 4 processor. On the other hand, Canon releases the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens, and now is 2012, the same EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5mm lens is still in use.

You may not have upgraded your camera body since 2004, but you are now using some old technology 8 years old. However, if you are still using the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5mm lens, you would still be using the "latest" technology.

Lenses do receive updates like camera bodies do, however, not so frequently. maybe once in many years. So if you're looking for a cost effective equipment, investing your money in the right lens is the way to go!

Depreciation

All equipment depreciates. Camera equipments are one of the few things that depreciates very slowly. If you're looking to upgrade your equipment from time to time and not want to lose too much money, then this is for you.

Firstly, all equipments depreciates faster when there is a upgrade to it. This goes the same for both camera bodies and lenses. But considering camera bodies get a more frequent update, you would have guessed that camera bodies depreciate faster than lenses.

For this example, we see how a lens upgrade will cause it's resale value to drop. The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 is an upgrade for the older EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6. The price for the 17-85mm used to be selling in the $900 range, and now, it goes for about $300. Comparing the lens to EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, both lens are sold from 2004, within the same price range, but the 10-22mm still goes for $700. Now for lenses such as the 10-22mm, it depreciates very slowly, and probably you can get back over half of what you paid for after many years.

For the next example, we will see how camera bodies depreciates. Because all camera bodies made in 2004 have gotten at least an upgrade, so we won't be comparing the depreciation after an upgrade. The EOS 350D used to retail for about $1000 back in 2004, but now, you would be glad if someone decides to pay $200 for that camera.

So if you owned an EOS 350D and a 10-22mm from it's inception till now, you would have lost much more on that camera body than the lens.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you have the cash and you're looking for an upgrade or buying a new camera, always remember to get a better lens!

My Qing Ming Festival (清明节)

There are a couple of festivals in Singapore that we never fail to celebrate even though they aren't public holidays. Qing Ming Festival(清明节) is one of the few. Once a year around April, people flock to the cemeteries and temples to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones. Way in the past, other than paying respects to the dead, family members will also rid tombstones of weed and clean up the tombstones. In some cases, they may also repaint the inscriptions on the tombstones with red ink, if the tombstone requires it. People offer fruits and food (from vegetarian to roast meat!), and burn simple offerings to the dead.

Fast forward 20 years, where land in Singapore is becoming ever more scarce, people settle their deceased loved ones in temples or columbariums. People now still offer fruits and food, but more westernized food like cup cakes and chicken chop?! No longer are burning simple offerings enough. Now they come up with all sorts of stuff, from iPhones, iPads, and all sorts of gadgets to be burned for the dead.

To be honest, I never liked the idea of Qing Ming Festival since I was a child. What I don't like is the incense smoke coming all over me and leaving me breathless (I have a sensitive nose, so it drives me crazy). But regardless of how much I hate going to the temples and columbariums, paying respects to ancestors is a basic courtesy. I never actually seen my grandfather before, but I still pay respects to him.

So here I am, on an awesome sunday, at Guang Ming Shan Temple (光明山). So here is a typical sequence of events that will follow:

1) Pray to the heavens
2) Offer the food and pray to ancestors
3) Burn offerings to ancestors
4) Ask if ancestors have eaten their fill.
5) If no, repeat step 4. If yes, go to step 6.
6) Pack up and go home!

The photos below were shot at Guang Ming Shan Temple and  Zi Du An Temple.

Let's start by first praying sincerely. Palms together and bow.

As expected, jobs like these are also done by foreign workers. The Singaporeans are there too, but they just sit around to supervise. Offerings comes in boxes or paper bags and have the deceased person's name and birth date written on the offerings before being sent into the fire pit.

I like the feel of this photo. I already knew how I wanted this photo to look when I was shooting it. Black & White is the way to go.

Temporary shelters and tables are set up during the yearly Qing Ming festival for the families to pray and offer food. Inside the building where the urns are kept, it's a strict no offerings and incense, so families pray outside the building.

The food that most people choose to offer. Since this is a Buddhist temple, no meat is allowed, so you won't see chicken chop lying around. So most people offer a popular local dish "Vegetarian Beehoon" (斋米粉). After the prayers, some people will not bring back the food and leave it lying around, waiting for someone to clear..

 Yes! And somebody is here to clear it. It's our Bangladesh friend. He dumps the cooked food, and keeps all the fruits. And the amount of fruits he can collect a day is amazing! I bet he and his friends can't finish them all.

 What's prayers without incense?

This is Zi Du An Temple. It's much more rundown compared to Guang Ming Shan Temple. I've only been inside the building once, and it really freaks me out. The urns look exactly like those in Chinese horror movies, and not to mention the creepy atmosphere...

They too have tables, but no shelters. Those coming to pray must stay in the sun...

More food offerings. The bottom right hand corner is the vegetarian BeeHoon that most of us often eat and are familiar with.

People normally don't clear up after their prayers, so they all end up in the bin, and it takes a huge bin to load them all.

 Other offerings that are used to burn. Waiting to enter the fire pit.


Will the new generation continue this tradition? Or will they choose to offer their prayers via an iPhone app next time? Only time will tell.


(This series of photo has been processed with the cross processing effect to bring out the nostalgic feel.)