OneStep - ImageBlending/ToneMapping at DPReview

[den]

A recent DPR RetouchingForum thread introduced a preliminary image blending/tone mapping program in development apparantly by an individual that may be of interest... "SNS-HDR"
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=33683786

The offered 'lite' version provides no other processing options than inputing images to be 'blended' and 'tone mapped'...

...and currently the output is a 1600 pixel maximum dimension image with program selected jpeg quality, tone/color, noise reduction, and sharpening...

...yet seems to have the potential to provide a near photo-realistic image. At least as near photo-realistic as hdr's tend to be as most are way over-done resulting in unrealistic lighting effects [halos] and colors.

Below are two examples from my image files, where a plus and minus exposure image version was created from a base image, then "SNS-HDR" processed Both examples have no apparant tone reversals nor apparant saturations exceeding the input images'... but with definite halos which would probably be reduced had less of an exposure differential from the base exposure been simulated for the input images or added intermediate exposure image versions used.

This posting is by no means an endorsement. If you have taken the time to analyze a scene to be photographed with multiple exposures or a scene already recorded... then take the time/effort to use PWP5's transforms/tools for imaging blending and/or tone mapping... HDR/StackImages; 2/3 Zone Adjustment; Composit-Blend; with Mask Tool: asymmetrical/symmetrical tone range, luminance, and image area; masks... [or just 'one to one' cloning of preference image areas from one image version to another].

Every image is different and has different needs to be optimized to preferences while making compromises along the way to achieve a blended photo-realistic image without apparant halos or tone reversals and where each of the image's visual elements has been adjusted for brightness, contrast, and color.

PWP is unequaled in this task if one is somewhat artistic and has the patience to gain experience/knowlege to become adept.

Please ask if there are questions as I particularly like this aspect of PWP... especially PWP5!.

[den]

Update--

The SNS-HDR program is NOT working as I thought on my system [Vista32 Home Premium]. It is only performing an aggressive Local Contrast Enhancement on the first image that is placed as instructed on the program icon and not waiting for the loading of the other exposure image versions. Since I was consistently loading the center exposure image version first, I was mis-led, thinking the result also included the over and under exposure images...

Will advise if I discover anything further...

Anyone else been playing with this program? It is rather CPU usage intensive for taking 3 to 4 minutes to process a 3456x2304 pixels, 48-bit tiff file on a dual core processer.

[den]

Update2--

It seems that with Vista one can select a number of files [the little check boxes] and then drag the slected images as a group over to the program icon....

Another one of those sernior moments!

[MikeG]

I've had a little play with it. Agree that it takes a l-o-n-g time to process just two images.
As far as I can see it doesn't perform as well as enfuse, never mind the more subtle treatments available in PWP.

Mike.