Oloneo PhotoEngine is a new player in the HDR space.  They just released their public beta 1 of their PhotoEngine application (links at end of post). I am very impressed.  Not only does it have a very desirable tonemapping operator, but it also has a truly unique way to approach relighting a scene in 32 bit space if you shot that scene with various light sources while the camera stayed on a tripod for each lighting change.  It is amazing.  User interface comments and samples here:
http://www.digitalcoastimage.com/photoengine/index.html

Click Image to View Larger Version

I’ve been using multiple applications to achieve the results I am getting with just PhotoEngine.  However, I’ve only run a few brackets through it so far and I’ve only tested landscapes, no architectural interiors.  I will report back what my results are for those much higher dynamic range scenes once I’ve had time to do so.  Here’s the biggest win using this app…

The slider to crush the dynamic range down does so WITHOUT introducing unwanted detail enhancement. So… You get to pull up shadows and bring down highlights with that slider and it has NO IMPACT on detail or sharpening.  Yipppeeeeeeee!!!!!

The slider just below the tonemapping strength slider is the one that seperately controls detail strength. Finally an application that gives you the results of Enfuse/Enblend without introducing unwanted detail cranking.  Oh, and did I mention halos?  No.  Because I’ve been unable to create any halos thusfar!!! Crazy!

I’m just addressing the default setting here which is the local tonemapper. There is also a drop down that allows you to switch to a global tonemapper or you could use the more detailed Advanced Local Tonemapper which has more controls surrounding how detail is enhanced.

Also, Oloneo PhotoEngine also has a very effective HDR DeNoise feature that reduces noise WITHOUT blurring/smoothing the image details.  Another major feature of PhotoEngine is that it is a very capable RAW processor.

And if that wasn’t impressive enough, the Relighting module allows you to take separate frames (that you took from a tripod) of a scene that was shot with different lights turned on/off for each frame.  On the merge PhotoEngine recognizes the different light sources and then get this…

… it allows you to control each light seperately for both white balance, hue and luminance controls.  FRIGGIN’ AMAZING!!!  It actually creates separate controls in the user interface for each light source so that you can control them all separately for lighting.  Its easier to watch it in action then explain so watch the YouTube video on their landing page for that Relighting module.

OK… so the app has some pitfals.  No mac version (that’s going to upset a ton of folks).  I don’t see any way to save recipes/settings and I don’t think it has any kind of batch processing.  I know it doesn’t have any ghosting controls either.  That said, there’s a lot to like.

Here’s the link again which has a gallery showing you various controls of the user interface and some sample images:

http://www.digitalcoastimage.com/photoengine/index.html

Oloneo’s Home Page:  http://www.oloneo.com/

Oloneo on Twitter: http://twitter.com/oloneo

HDR Expose by Unified Color - www.UnifiedColor.com

HDR Expose was just announced this morning over at http://www.unifiedcolor.com/ and is available for purchase on July 12th.

HDR Expose is a new application with a different user interface than HDR PhotoStudio 2 with some new workflows as well.  In addition to batch processing it also now plays nicely with Adobe LightRoom and Apple Aperture.

I was already impressed with HDR PhotoStudio 2 and I’m even happier now with their HDR Expose offering.

More to come later this week…

From Unified Color’s troops…

HDR PhotoStudio 2 Review will be coming as soon as I make my run through other HDR/Tonemapping apps, but just a few review comments:

1. It handles color/saturation/hue very well for HDR/Tonemapping.
2. I like that it has a Photoshop plugin so that PS can open their proprietary .bef file format.
3. If you don’t read the manual or watch their YouTube videos, you’ll waste valuable time.
4. White balance, color tuning, saturation & noise reduction are all VERY useful tools in the pipeline.
5. Recipes will come in handy when I get back to playing with the app (think presets).

This is a quick follow-up post with three images I merged to HDR then tonemapped in HDR Studio Pro 2.  I’m still new to the software so I’m sure I could have done a better job on these, but the only way to learn these apps is to get face time and just tinker (after reading the manual!!!).  I always finish off by exporting 16bit tiffs and then do spot removal and/or final tweaks in Photoshop CS3.

The shots are too large to post on the blog (1200 pixels wide for the landscape shots) so I’ll give you the gallery link I uploaded them to.

IMAGE GALLERY of shots edited in Unified Color HDR PhotoStudio 2

First up to bat for testing out HDR/Tonemapping aps is HDR PhotoStudio 2 (see blog post from this morning below).

Just a first run using it.  It is so very different from any other HDR/Tonemapping app I’ve used.  The color fidelity is tremendous.  It took me an hour to really figure out how to tame the app.  At first the windows/highlights were blown out and I could not figure out how to clamp down the exposure.

Full review once I have run it through its paces.  Here’s a sample from my first attempt using it.

I often get emails asking about which app to use for merging to HDR and/or which app to use for tonemapping.  That’s not an easy one to answer given I use various apps in my pipeline for various reasons.  It really varies (slightly) on what I’m shooting.  Pools, Interiors, Exteriors, etc.  My answer may change soon so I’ll let you all know once I’ve played with the new Photoshop CS5 HDR Pro tools and other apps I’m going to test/try again.

I won’t be reviewing all the apps out there, but I am about to explore the various HDR/Tonemapping options for mac/pc over the next 30 days.  For selfish reasons.  I want to see if there is a better way to do what I do right now to get better results.  Better for me is faster, more natural or both.

I’m happy with my current workflows (yes I have more than one).  But I know a lot of releases of various applications have occurred over the last 1-2 years.  Even though I keep an eye on what is out there I don’t test and play with all of them.  I’m about to start doing just that now to see if I can refine or improve my current somewhat proprietary/unique post workflow.

I definitely get the feeling that folks think I hate Photomatix Pro.  I don’t hate it folks, I just struggle with the amount of saturation and hue issues it creates during the merge/tonemapping process.  It is a very stable app and probably the best app to use for artistic and surreal images.  But something else about it makes it a no go most of the time that I don’t talk about much…

Photomatix Pro will CHANGE the pixel dimensions of your image depending on what camera you are using.   This makes it impossible for me to then bring in one frame from the capture later and overlay it in photoshop if I want to mask in something.  They don’t match.  Photomatix Pro does some kind of voodoo in the merge/tonemapping that causes the image to grow in width.  Now it’s only a couple of pixels, but it is just enough that even if you use Photoshop to try and align images…  they never will.  Because the pixels are added on one axis, not both.

Now if you have a camera like an origianl 5D or otherwise, you may not have experienced this issue.  With the D3 and other cameras I have… this is a problem for me.  It adds pixels on one axis when I save images from tonemapping.

Even with that downside, I have used Photomatix Pro and have delivered nearly 1000 commercial images using it.  If you wrestle with the sliders long enough you can get decent results for commercial work.

This gallery is from one shoot… not the whole shoot, just a handful from the shoot.  They were all merged/tonemapped in Photomatix Pro.  Probably more saturated than a lot of my work, but that was why I moved away from this app a few years back.  This particular builder liked the look he saw from another builder’s website that I had used Photomatix Pro on, so he asked for the same “results”.  So be it.  I also shot many other properties for him after this one.  So much so that he put up a new website last year and pretty much every gallery on the site I shot for him.  His website  is linked below as well.

PHOTOMATIX PRO EXAMPLES (GALLERY)
11 tonemapped images from one shoot (1200px wide)

Builder’s website (nearly entire site I shot for him)

Magic Bullet Photolooks 1.0 for Photoshop was announced last week, but I’ve been so busy shooting it slipped right by me. Some of you may already be familiar with Redgiant Software and Magic Bullet Looks which runs in Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Final Cut Express, Apple Motion, Avid Xpress Pro, Avid Media Composer and Sony Vegas.  Well now Adobe Photoshop gets to play too!

So why is a blog that focuses on HDRI (high dynamic range imaging) mentioning a photoshop filter?

Redgiant Software Magic Bullet PhotoLooks 1.0 works in 32 bit space.  That means the looks and tools provided in PhotoLooks 1.0 can be used on your HDRs.  Yeeessssss!

So if you haven’t yet thanked Stu Maschwitz for birthing the original concept and product that became Magic Bullet Looks, we can all thank him again and even moreso for getting that wonderful plugin over into the photo community via Photoshop.  Thanks Stu!!!

I grabbed a handful of shots from a few model shoots I’ve done and threw them into a collage to show how the looks can really change the feel of a shot (reference image linked directly below)

I tried to grab images with different primary colors and different contrast ratios (not a perfect mix, but good enough).  I then created a screen capture as I cycled through the images after launching PhotoLooks 1.0 from the Photoshop CS3 filter menu.  This is a compressed video (vimeo & youtube versions) so the quality is not tremendous, but I uploaded a 720p HD version to both services.  Also noteworthy, some of the presets were meant to be applied to one image, not a collage of images so vinetting for some presets won’t apply perfectly to the collage.

Last and important to remember.  I’m applying these presets on WEB JPEGs.  Results will differ if working in higher bit depth than 8 bit.

I decided NOT to embed the videos here because you really need to see them full screen or in larger format to appreciate Magic Bullet PhotoLooks 1.0 as I apply them to the larger image.  Links to vimeo and youtube below (vimeo generally has higher quality …. generally speaking).

VIMEO LINK

YouTube LINK

HDR tutorial requests about my high dynamic range imaging workflow have come in via email (my photography site email) for a couple of years now. Again a couple more last night, but this time through the form on this site that I finally “fixed”.

So my question is… what do you need help with the most? Use the Contact Me page to send me what area you need help in the most whether it be HDR Capture (camera settings), choosing a camera for HDR Capture, HDR Post Production like HDR in Photoshop or HDR in other apps, Tonemapping, or otherwise.

In 2006 when I first heard about HDR there was very scarce information online to work off of.  HDR Tutorials were geared towards grunge looks and I was seeking to provide my clients nearly photo realistic looks for real estate work. Back then there were very few players in the market for applications and I decided to just use Photoshop from Merge to HDR – to tonemapping – to final tweaks.

Late last year weather turned bad here for weeks so I took some time to peek around the net and even some books at Barnes and Noble just to see what was out there in terms of HDR Tutorials and HDR Training.  I was amazed to see so many “gurus” or folks posting tutorials either slamming Photoshop for HDR work or quickly moving folks on to Photomatix because the sliders are easier to work with for beginners.  The slider issue I understand totally, but the steering away from Photoshop for HDR work I don’t get at all.

For example, one of the many things I like about using Photoshop for HDR is it is a complete high dynamic range pipeline from raw to final output.  That and you can view the entire exposure range in pieces simply by opening up multiple windows of the same view.  You navigate to the top menu to WINDOW>ARRANGE>NEW WINDOW and presto, another window of the same file you are working on opens in a new window.  If you just merged to HDR here in 32 bit space in Photoshop, then this second window has another exposure slider at the bottom to change at will that has no impact on the file, it is simply for viewing purposes.  You use the slider at the bottom of that new window to adjust the exposure range of the image you want to view in that one window.

That slider  is NOT some kind of adjustment layer, it is just for viewing purposes.  So you can open multiple windows, place the exposure slider to various under/over exposed settings so that as you make changes to the document here in 32 bit space, those changes update in each window.  This way, you can make local or global changes using various adjustment levels over either parts of the image or the entire image and see the results across the ENTIRE exposure range via viewing the multiple windows you’ve opened.

Here is a screen capture to understand what I’m talking about.  What you see is nine windows opened and I’ve adjusted the exposure slider at the bottom of each window.  I took that screen capture after I had merged to HDR and before I made my tweaks in Photoshop in 32 bit space.  Once I finished my adjustments and then tonemapped out to a 16 bit TIFF, I made some final tweaks right there in photoshop and the image on the bottom was the result.

Photoshop is VERY capable at creating photo real images as a single application pipeline – from Merge to HDR to final output right in Photoshop.  I would say if Photoshop’s pipeline has a major fault it is that it is TOO GOOD at keeping saturation levels under control and makes creating grunge and technicolor images a more difficult process because it doesn’t over saturate colors and it doesn’t create wacky artifacts like other applications do.

It blows me away when I see “gurus” poo pooing photoshop as being lacking for editing HDR images.  There are so many things you can do right there after merging to HDR waaaaaaaay before you ever go to the menu to choose IMAGE>MODE>16 bit to tonemap it down.  And you can work in layers in 32 bit mode just as you can in any other mode so if you know photoshop well already, then why are you taking your HDR images to other applications, then bringing them back to photoshop when you could just do everything right there in Photoshop?

Give it a chance.

I can’t provide a link to an online tutorial showing how to take advantage of the full capabilities of Photoshop’s HDR workflow because I never found anyone else using it like I do.  I’m sure others use it this way and they are either too busy shooting to create tutorials (I can relate to that) or such tutorials do exist and I never found them.

Like I said, with nobody to turn to in 2006, I just starting farting around in Photoshop and eventually figured stuff out on my own.  Even Photoshop CS4 still has ZERO help files for working this way in 32 bit space, which is probably why so many folks use Photomatix Pro and the like.

HDR PhotoStudio™ Review will have to wait ’til another day sadly.

Despite having 12 gigs of ram, beefy graphics card, etc., etc. I unfortunately fell just shy of system specs to run HDR PhotoStudio because it requires a minimum of an Intel dual-core 2.5GHz, but my MacPro is only Intel dual-core 2.0GHz so I unfortunately won’t be able to review HDR PhotoStudio™ anytime soon.

Having just bought a Canon 5D mark II and about to purchase the $2500.00 Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 Tilt Shift lens, I don’t have the cash flow to buy a new beefy computer to test out HDR PhotoStudio™.  Bummer.  It looks very promising.

HDR PhotoStudio™ Now available for Macintosh!

I’ve been waiting for the Mac version for some time now.  Finally available!  Of course Murphy’s Law… I’m right in the middle of a huge edit and can’t/won’t mess with it to test until later this week, but rest assured I’ll be reviewing this app.  Why do I like this app?.. or at least find interesting?  This paragraph from their website:

HDR PhotoStudio is the only solution capable of creating HDR images that truly unlock the full range of color as perceived by human vision. The software grants complete control over the colors within an image and provides a comprehensive toolbox to address the effects of merging multiple exposures, while simultaneously improving workflow.

Here’s some geeky system/spec info:

Version: 2.15.28 build 4449.
Download size:
Mac OS: 21.9 MB.
Windows 32-bit (x86): 11 MB.
Windows 64-bit (x64): 12.5 MB.

System Requirements:

OS: Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard)/Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7.
CPU: Intel dual-core 2.5GHz minimum, quad-core, 2.8GHz is recommended for best performance.
RAM: 2GB minimum, recommend 4GB.

LINK = HDR PhotoStudio™ Now available for Macintosh!

More to come once I’ve played with it

Recently I tutored a photographer and while in Photoshop he mentioned that I’m a Photoshop Speed Demon. I’m not so sure I’m the fastest one out there, but I’ll tell you one thing that changed my life. It’s not a photoshop tip per se, it is a device that I use to speed up my workflow in photoshop (and other apps).

A brief run through history of how I got to this point. Like others (possibly yourself), I wanted to increase my productivity by converting repetitive tasks into actions that I could play back with keyboard short cuts.  So I created a dozen or so actions, associated keyboard shortcuts to those actions and for awhile I was content.

Then one night it dawned on me. Rather than keyboard shortcuts which take two or three keys pressed to activate, how could I dumb it down to one key.  More importantly, how could I get those one key strokes in one place on the keyboard, but also gather things like the “[" and "]” keys which control the brush size for when I want to paint on a mask or work with the stamp tool, clone tool, etc, etc.

I took a peak around sometime around 2008 and I settled on the Nostromo n52 (pictured below). The belkin nostromo n52 product link is HERE

As you can see, it has a keypad and a thumb joystick and various other buttons.  Now I’m not going to bore you with the details of each button and what I assigned it to, but when I am working in Photoshop I only need my mouse and that nostromo n52 gaming pad.  I don’t even touch my keyboard, but once or twice an hour when using Photoshop.  I’ll share a few vital keystrokes and anyone that does work with layers will relate to how easy this is for me now.

With my left hand on the pad, my left index finger sits on the top right key which I mapped as the “B” key to toggle on the BRUSH tool.  The key to the left of it is my middle finger and I’ve mapped that to the “X” key to switch back and forth between foreground/background colors which I usually have at White/Black for when dealing with masks.  The thumb joystick is where I mapped the “[" and "]” keys.  So if I press higher (top key on joystick) it bumps the size of the brush up a notch, pressing down makes the size of the brush lower.

As you can see with that index finger, one tap I get the brush tool and my thumb controls the size up or down and my middle finger switches the foreground/background color of the brush white/black so I can easily paint on masks very quickly.  I of course have another key stroke equal to command+Z for undo.   Also, that big red button above the joystick control I have set to command+shift+F which brings up the fade dialogue box.  So no matter if I just laid down a stroke or ANYTHING else in photoshop and want to fade that effect by 1-100%, that big red button brings up that dialogue.  For a final comment I have that key below the joystick for the thumb set to the spacebar for when I want to grab the canvas and pan, etc.

There are actually 14 keys on the pad plus a scroll wheel that can be pressed down like a key press and scrolled in either direction for additional commands.  Many of the keys on that keypad I have mapped to shortcuts to actions in the action panel.  Some of those actions are very intense 3-10 step actions that I used to do repetitively over and over using the mouse, keyboard and menu system.  Now they are just one key presses and my left hand doesn’t have to play “twister” all over the main keyboard as it used to.

Now here is the mind blowing part.  There are actually 3 “states” the keypad can be in so that technically the pad can be put in quickly so that you actually can map all those keys three times over.  That is information overload for me and I thought it would actually defeat my goal of one click key pressing so I ignored it.  The n52 works on Mac and PC, but I bought it two years ago so check the specs before you purchase.

Now did this take me a little while to play with and to get used to? Yes.  It took me a week before it stopped costing me more time to recall what each keystroke was equal to, but I have saved countless hours since by speeding up my edit sessions for portraits, landscapes and real estate shoots.  And photoshop is not the only application I use it in.

And when I want to switch to my PC I just unplug the USB connection and then go plug it in my PC and work with the PC apps I use.  Of course this means keystrokes for that new app are different, but I was surprised at how well I could compartmentalize things from app to app (your mileage may vary).

There may be better devices on the market than the n52, but it works for me and my hand sits comfortably on the hand cradle so that I can use it for many hours a day without strain. I also have a Wacom Intuos 6×8 tablet which I use when those rare edits benefit from from time to time as well, but I’ve found I’m far faster with a mouse and the n52.