PHOTOSHOP: Absolute Beginners Guide To Mastering Photoshop And Creating World Class Photos (Step by Step Pictures, Adobe Photoshop, Digital Photography, Graphic Design) by Mckinnon Andrew

Author:Mckinnon, Andrew [Mckinnon, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-05-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10 – How to Get HDR Style Results in Photoshop by Using Layers

There is currently a good deal of interest in HDR, or in processes that are like it, but what exactly, is HDR? In a nutshell, it is all about taking a series of photos, using a tripod, at a number of different exposures; you then let a very clever piece of software, like Photoshop, put them all together, merged into one image that is apparently perfectly exposed. There are other pieces of software that will do the job, but as this book is about Photoshop, and it is undoubtedly the best, that’s the one I am going to talk about.

Now, once this image has been put together, you have to decide if it looks right. Does it look nice? Some images will look amazing but others really won’t look any different, or they will look downright awful. For some people, it is merely a case of using the process because it is there, not necessarily because it is needed. The idea of retouching an image is to improve it significantly, but for this to work it has to look seamless; amazingly good, perhaps too good to be true, but with absolutely no sign that any manipulation has taken place.

The process I want to take you through with this chapter is essentially the same, but it will provide a far more realistic result. To begin, you are going to need a nice sturdy, good quality tripod. This will be much easier if you use a DSLR camera, but you can use a simple point and shoot, provided you are able to adjust the exposure manually.

1. Mount the camera securely on the tripod and compose your image how you want it. Make sure your camera does not move while you are taking the images. If you have a built in timer on the camera, use it, or buy a timer – they are not expensive. The reason for this is, when you take a photo, no matter how much you try, your camera will shake, even if only slightly and the result will be a blurry image.

2. Each situation is different because the subject and lighting will be different. Let’s say you are going to take a photo that contains water, rocks and trees with a nice sky. The ideal situation would be to take one shot of the water exposing it at 4 seconds on f22. Then take another one, exposing the trees and the rock face for 1 second at f22. For the third image, expose the sky for ¼ second at f22. If you can, keep the f-stop constant. Because you are using a tripod, you can shut down the f-stop/aperture, which will give you the maximum depth of field.

3. Now that you have your images, it’s time to turn to Photoshop. You can use any version of Photoshop provided it includes Layers. Download the images onto your computer and choose the exposures that you are intending to use.

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