Hi,
When I use the transform HDR / Stack Images to blend three or more exposures,the results often come out very flat and take a lot of work to make them presentable.
I believe that "Tone mapping" is often recomended.
How do I do thin within PWP, or is a diferent program required?
Thanks
Jerry
Tone maping
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den
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Re: Tone maping
Exciting possibilities arise when using PWP to tone-map a blended image set to preferences... There usually is no need for another program if the goal is photo-realism with no objectionable halo/aura and no unrealistic colors...
Sometimes... this goal can be reached using only the 'HDR/Stack Images' transform's HSV-V Brightness Curve and either a symmetrical or asymmetrical tone range Amount mask for each of the Input images with a finalizing HSV-V curve. The resulting HSV-V blended image version may need additional HSV-S adjustments to obtain preference colors and color contrasts...
...or...
...use the either the '2-Zone' or '3-Zone Adjustment' transform to finalize HSV-V,S of the blended image version.
For myself, I tend to use '2or3Tone Methods' [http://www.ncplus.net/~birchbay/3tone/3tone.htm] for a blended image version where landscape type image highlights are adjusted in the HSL color space model, the mid-tones are adjusted in the RGB color space model, and the shadows are adjusted in the HSV color space model.
If you post an image set to be blended/tone-mapped, or a blended image version to be tone-mapped... even at the limiting message board resolutions [longest pixel dimension: 400, file size: less than 50KB], sufficient data would be available to provide possible PWP solutions that could be with some modification applied to the full sized image(s)...
Might be instructive to have a 'challenge'... ;-)
Sometimes... this goal can be reached using only the 'HDR/Stack Images' transform's HSV-V Brightness Curve and either a symmetrical or asymmetrical tone range Amount mask for each of the Input images with a finalizing HSV-V curve. The resulting HSV-V blended image version may need additional HSV-S adjustments to obtain preference colors and color contrasts...
...or...
...use the either the '2-Zone' or '3-Zone Adjustment' transform to finalize HSV-V,S of the blended image version.
For myself, I tend to use '2or3Tone Methods' [http://www.ncplus.net/~birchbay/3tone/3tone.htm] for a blended image version where landscape type image highlights are adjusted in the HSL color space model, the mid-tones are adjusted in the RGB color space model, and the shadows are adjusted in the HSV color space model.
If you post an image set to be blended/tone-mapped, or a blended image version to be tone-mapped... even at the limiting message board resolutions [longest pixel dimension: 400, file size: less than 50KB], sufficient data would be available to provide possible PWP solutions that could be with some modification applied to the full sized image(s)...
Might be instructive to have a 'challenge'... ;-)
Re: Tone maping
Thanks for your reply Den,
I have tried the 3 Zone adjustment transform but it seems to produce a monochrome image.
I will try re blending the images using curve adjustments in the HDR/ stack transform.
thanks again,
Jerry
I have tried the 3 Zone adjustment transform but it seems to produce a monochrome image.
I will try re blending the images using curve adjustments in the HDR/ stack transform.
thanks again,
Jerry
Re: Tone maping
3 Zone adjustment produces a full color image. What may be confusing you is that it has several different kinds of previews, selected by the Z,M, B, and A buttons. Hovering over them displays tooltips on their functions as with all buttons.JerryF wrote: I have tried the 3 Zone adjustment transform but it seems to produce a monochrome image.
Jerry
The Z preview is a three tone grayscale image. It is used to set the thresholds between the three zones of the transformation by setting the sliders below the histogram. Because you set the thresholds first, this is the first preview displayed when you bring up the dialog.
After setting the thresholds, set the preview to A -- "show image after adjustment" to see the full color image.
Kiril
Kiril Sinkel
Digital Light & Color
Digital Light & Color
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den
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- What is the make/model of your primary camera?: Canon EOS-350D/Fuji X100T
- Location: Birch Bay near Blaine, WA USA
Re: Tone maping
JerryF....
How did you make out with your tone-mapping?
Kiril's right... you may have been looking at a Mask Preview. Jonathan's white paper: "Multi-Zone Adjustment" very adequately describes the 2 and 3 Zone Adjustment transforms...
Sometimes, the judicious use of a medium radius, then a large radius, High Pass Filter/Composite--Soft Light or --Hard Light limited to Midtones so as to not enlarge dark shadow or high highlight image areas, i.e., multi -- 'local contrast enhancement', can be of significant help to reduce 'flatness' of an HDR/Stack Images image blend.
Be glad to be of help if I can... camera exposures or virtual exposure image blends/tone-mapping and/or separating a visual element's image area and changing it to preference brightness/contrast/colors without significantly changing other image areas nor generating objectional halos/auras in the process is a challenge I enjoy...!
How did you make out with your tone-mapping?
Kiril's right... you may have been looking at a Mask Preview. Jonathan's white paper: "Multi-Zone Adjustment" very adequately describes the 2 and 3 Zone Adjustment transforms...
Sometimes, the judicious use of a medium radius, then a large radius, High Pass Filter/Composite--Soft Light or --Hard Light limited to Midtones so as to not enlarge dark shadow or high highlight image areas, i.e., multi -- 'local contrast enhancement', can be of significant help to reduce 'flatness' of an HDR/Stack Images image blend.
Be glad to be of help if I can... camera exposures or virtual exposure image blends/tone-mapping and/or separating a visual element's image area and changing it to preference brightness/contrast/colors without significantly changing other image areas nor generating objectional halos/auras in the process is a challenge I enjoy...!
Re: Tone maping
Thanks for your interest Den,
I have realised my mistake in the 3 zone adjustment but still find getting good results a bit of a struggle. I will just have to keep on trying.
It didnt take me too long to get the hang of processing JPEG'S, except that I now see that some of my earlier results "could have been better".
The next step is raw, I will get there!
Jerry
I have realised my mistake in the 3 zone adjustment but still find getting good results a bit of a struggle. I will just have to keep on trying.
It didnt take me too long to get the hang of processing JPEG'S, except that I now see that some of my earlier results "could have been better".
The next step is raw, I will get there!
Jerry
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MikeG
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- Location: Sydney, Australia
Re: Tone maping
Jerry,
I too, find the stack transform rather difficult and now use SNS-HDR for blending 2 or 3 images together. This program has a plus in that image alignment is integrated in the process, which, I have to say, is quite slow.
If you search the forum for SNS-HDR you should find a thread in which Den explains how to use the free SNS-HDR lite program as an adjunct to PWP.
Mike.
I too, find the stack transform rather difficult and now use SNS-HDR for blending 2 or 3 images together. This program has a plus in that image alignment is integrated in the process, which, I have to say, is quite slow.
If you search the forum for SNS-HDR you should find a thread in which Den explains how to use the free SNS-HDR lite program as an adjunct to PWP.
Mike.