OneStep - ImageBlending/ToneMapping at DPReview
Posted: November 27th, 2009, 3:20 pm
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!.
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!.