The Definitive HDR Tutorial

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Introduction:
About HDR
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, this type of
photography is obtained combining more pictures with
different exposures into a unique one.
Imagine a landscape, mountains, sky and clouds: usually you
need to choose whether to expose the shadows or the
highlights.
In HDR you can take perfect exposure of the clouds, then the
sky and then the mountains and combine them all.
The result will be the most varied dynamic range.

Introduction:
About HDR
Basically it allows you to highlight the details of every element
of your image.
Without having to lose some of them, to highlight the others.
The results can be really amazing!!

Introduction:
About HDR
Modern cameras should have this function already integrated
in their software.
In this case all you have to do is choose how many pictures
you want to take and how many “stops” of exposure you want
from picture to picture.

Introduction:
About HDR
Wait… What does “stop” mean?
A stop is a doubling or halving of the amount of light let
in when taking a photo.
For example, if I increase my exposure by 1 stop, it means I’m
going to capture twice as much light as on the previous shot.

Know when you need HDR
You shouldn’t use HDR for every picture
you take!
Generally, you should use it when there is
co-presence of highlights and shadows in
your frame, and you want to outline the
details of both the elements.
You get the best results with cloudy sky,
craftsmanship and detailed architecture.
1

So when should you use HDR?
• When your frame has dark areas next to bright
areas, and it is impossible to expose them
correctly in just one picture.
• When you want to define every single detail of a
particular scene.
• When you are shooting a Portrait in Sunlight.
• Poor-lit and Back-lit scenes. HDR can brighten
them up, without overexposing the areas that were
already bright.
• Landscapes, which are often full of nice contrasts.

Use a Tripod
HDR merges different pictures together. So
for the result to be clear and sharp, the
frame must be the same through each of
them.
Only the exposure changes.
A tripod allows you to do this. Even with
long exposures!
2

Avoid Wind
For the same reason (the scene must be
the same, only the exposure changes) you
should avoid windy scenes.
You could end up with blurred details
because the wind has caused a tree to
move and when you merge the pictures the
scene is slightly different.
3

Avoid Movement
The reason is always the same.
If you have movement in front of you, you
can end up merging different scenes.
The results can be really terrible.
4

Burst mode to Freeze the details
You don’t want to use the burst mode every
time.
Sometimes long exposures can result in
fantastic pictures.
But if you want to shoot in HDR and capture
every detail of a cloudy sky, you should
definitely shoot really fast (burst mode) and
prevent the clouds to move from pic to pic.
5

1 of 3 - Procedures to shoot HDR:
The Classic Way:
• Use a tripod
• Shoot 2 to 5 photos with 1/3 or 1/2 stops difference.
• Go home, open a postproduction software, like
Photoshop or Photomatix Pro and combine them
together.

The Camera Way:
• Select the HDR mode on your camera.
• Decide how many pictures you want it to take.
• Set the difference between the exposure levels.
• Hold steady or use a tripod and shoot.
• The more photos you take, the better the result will
be.

The Post-Production Way:
Using postproduction software, you can re-create the
HDR effect even from a single photograph.
You have to use Lightroom presets, or act on the
curves and settings that the software provides.

And this is it for this presentation!
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The Definitive HDR Tutorial

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