Handling extreme light with DRI (Dynamic Range Increase)

[venchka]

Another way to handle and expand dynamic range. I'm sure anyone with Photoshop knows all about this process. So, what's the difference you ask? On my monitor, to my eyes, these photographs look more natural than any HDR processed images I have seen. YMMV.

By the way, go to the home page and there are other helpful articles and many good samples of various subjects and post-processing treatments.

http://www.tofahrn-foto.de/index.php?lg=en&pg=tipps.dri

I hope this helps someone out there. Enjoy!

[TexasTrails]

Thanks Wayne!

[Howard Barlow]

Hey, I like that. Check is in the mail.

[JohnT]

Yep. Good stuff. Thanks, Wayne. :-)

[Jake]

Isn't this the same thing as HDR? Or am I missing something?

[KdLaneJr]

Originally Posted by thejakestir

Isn't this the same thing as HDR? Or am I missing something?

If you're missing something, so am I. Must be a potayto, potahto thing

[venchka]

Nope. It's a do it yourself with Photoshop or let Photoshop or Photomatix software do it for you. As I understand packaged HDR, there's a tone mapping operation which seems to be where the "unnatural" look comes in. Personal preference too. Different strokes for different folks.

Having said that, if the gentleman in Germany is doing exactly what everyone else is doing with regard to HDR, he is one of the very few who brings it off without his photos screaming, "HEY! This is an HDR image."

[jeffkohn]

The layer approach is definitely different than real HDR/tone-mapping and I agree in many if not most situations you can get a more natural-looking result with layers. It can be pretty tedius work though, depending on the scene.

The 'HDR look' comes from the local contrast that's added during tone-mapping and was not actually in the original scene.

[venchka]

Thanks Jeff. I was wondering why they always look unusual.