Photomatix Pro User Manual
Contents
1. If you rather wish to tone map one photo with a preview to adjust the settings close this window and open the photo via File gt Open Processing Options F Tone map with Details Enhancer C Tone map with Tone Compressor Settings M Reduce noise before tone mapping 7 100 F Reduce chromatic aberrations before tone mapping With raw files set White Balance to As Shot Color Space to ProPhoto RGB C Remove Photomatix watermark from images created when Photomatix Pro was in trial mode Destination Created under Source Folder C Customized location Choose C images Canon 7D PhotomatixConversions01 Save tone mappedimage as 8 bitIPEG JPEG Quality 90 4 Batch Tone Mapping on Single Photos Note The Batch Single Files feature is intended for automating the processing of a lot of photos To process a single image file load the image file using the information in Section 3 and Section 4 5 Tips and Techniques This section provides tips for working with images in Photomatix Pro More tips and techniques and regularly updated information can be found on the Photomatix Pro FAQ on the HDRsoft website at http www hdrsoft To remove the watermark com support faq_photomatix html Photomatix Pro requires that the image was not retouched after the 5 1 Integrating Lightroom with Photomatix Pro watermark was added to it If the brightness or contrast of the image You can ex2. Settings Generate HDR _ When source images are in TIFF format Process strip by strip to avoid memory limitations 18 4 1 3 Batch Processing Subfolders When your bracketed series are located in multiple folders they can all be processed in one run provided they are in subfolders of the same parent folder To batch process multiple subfolders check the Process subfolders option at bottom of the Source frame on the Batch Processing dialog and contained in the main parent folder select sequentially When Process subfolders sequentially is selected for this option to work properly the batch will process the bracketed image files in one subfolder and then move on to the next subfolder all of which are contained in the main parent folder All of the subfolders must be Processing Series of Photos with Varying Numbers of Exposures When your bracketed sets are composed of varying numbers of exposures you can use Process subfolders sequentially to combine the exposures in these sets in one batch run Place each set in a separate subfolder group the subfolders under a parent folder select Process subfolders sequentially and select All from the pull down menu for the number of images to process at one time Grouped by Exposures Option If you are processing bracketed photos that will be part of a panorama you may find it useful to be able to organize your photos in such a way that all exposures of the s
3. Bracketed sets have MEN frames each but process only Photomatix Pro uses the metadata from the image files to perform EE First Frame automatic detection Second Frame ourth Frame Last Frame e Specify a range using the two drop down lists to automatically detect This option is useful when some of the photos in the processed folder are the number of bracketed frames not part ofa bracketed set andor when the number of frames per Note that the automatic detection is based on the metadata information e e image not on the image content It can therefore Move the Maximum time between two bracketed frames slider right only when the bracketed photos have been taken with Automatic We Exposure Bracketing and when the EXIF data have not been removed or left to allow more or less time read from the metadata Min is 72 second and max is 64 seconds Advanced batch processing options Photomatix Pro User Guide 19 Click Select only part of the frames in bracketed set to load only selected frames from a bracketed set e Specify the total number of frames in each set using the drop down list e Select the specific frames to process from the list Select more than one file by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the desired frames 4 2 Batch Processing Single Image Files Photomatix Pro supports processing of single image files using tone mapping To batch process single image files 1 Click Batch Single Files fr
4. The Black Point slider sets the value for the minimum of the tone mapped image pure black or level 0 The default values are O Temperature Adjusts the color temperature of the tone mapped im Tone Mapping age relative to the temperature of the HDR source image Move the Tone Compressor Settings slider to the right for a warmer more yellow orange colored look Move it to the left for a colder more bluish look A value of 0 default pre serves the original color temperature of the HDR source image Saturation Adjusts the color saturation of the tone mapped image The greater the saturation the more intense the color The value affects each color channel equally The default value is 0 Photomatix Pro User Guide 15 3 5 Exposure Fusion Adjust Settings e Accentuation Adjusts the strength of local contrast enhancements The default value is 0 e Blending Point Adjusts the weighting given to the underexposed versus overexposed images When you move the slider to the right overexposed images are favored which has the effect of brightening the image The reverse applies when you move the slider to the left The default value is 0 e Shadows Adjusts the brightness of the shadows without affecting the highlights The default value is 0 e Color Saturation Adjusts the saturation of the color channels The greater the saturation the more intense the color A value of 0 produc es a grayscale image The default value is 0
5. dialog if two or more source images share the same exposure information Photomatix Pro User Guide If you check the Show intermediary 32 bit HDR image box you will be able to save the pre processed 32 bit image in an HDR image file format such as Radiance or OpenEXR Saving the 32 bit HDR image is useful when you want to be able to process the image with other tone mapping settings later without having to pre process and merge your bracketed photos again However you will still need to pre process and merge the photos if you want to use exposure fusion You will have to click the Tone Mapping Fusion button to go to the next step if you check this box The order of the files in a bracketing sequence does not matter Photomatix Pro systematically sorts the image files based on the exposure information retrieved from the EXIF data If the exposure information is not available in EXIF data Photomatix Pro uses the relative brightness levels of the photos 2 1 2 General Pre Processing Options After the bracketed images are selected the pre processing settings for the images may be customized before the 32 bit HDR image is generated Refer to the following list for a description of the available options for merg ing bracketed images Alignment Options Preprocessing Options Y Align source images MY Crop aligned images The Align source images option is checked by default It corrects EE misalignment prob
6. e White Clip Specifies how much the highlights are clipped Move the slider to the right to increase contrast and remove details in the bright est highlights The default value is 0 e Black Clip Specifies how much the shadows are clipped Move the slider to the right increase contrast but remove details in the darkest shadows The default value is 0 Exposure Fusion Adjust Settings e Midtone Positive values brighten the image but reduce the overall contrast Negative values darken the image but increase overall con trast The default value is 0 e 360 Image Checking this option eliminates the seam between the left and right sides of a panorama viewed in a 360 panoramic viewer The seam would otherwise show because Fusion Adjust takes into ac count local contrast assigning different tonal values to the right and left parts of the image The default value is unchecked 3 6 Exposure Fusion Intensive Settings e Strength Adjusts the strength of local contrast enhancements The default value is 0 e Color Saturation Adjusts the saturation of the color channels The greater the saturation the more intense the color A value of zero pro duces a grayscale image The default value is 0 e Radius Controls the area used to calculate the weighting of the source images A higher radius reduces halos but significantly increases pro Exposure Fusion Intensive Settings cessing times The default value is 40 Photomatix Pro U
7. slider to the right to boost L Light mode shadow details and brighten the image Move it to the left to give a more natural look to the resulting image The default value is 0 Tone Mapping Details e Microcontrast Sets the how much local details are amplified A higher value EES gives a sharper look The default value is 0 e Smoothing Controls smoothing of the contrast variations throughout the image This setting has an important influence on the look of the tone mapped image High values give a more natural look low values a more artificial or painterly look Light mode Smoothing is available in two modes The default mode is a slider If the slider is not visible uncheck Light mode in the Smoothing section The Light mode takes the form of labeled buttons and can be accessed by check ing Light mode The effect on the image differs depending on the mode The Light mode tends to produce a more surreal effect Note that a different algorithm is used depending on the mode Photomatix Pro User Guide 13 Tone Settings e White Point Black Point Both sliders control how the minimum and maximum values of the tone mapped image are set Moving the sliders to the right increases global contrast Moving them to the left reduces clipping at the extremes The White Point slider sets the value for the maximum of the tone mapped The Black Point slider sets the value for the minimum of the tone
8. your bracketed photos are assembled in linear space into an image that spans the full range of luminance values captured by the camera If the lightest photo of your exposure sequence is not bright enough to expose the shadows of the scene then the noise in the source photographs will be transferred to the HDR image Noise in the HDR image will then be made more apparent by tone mapping especially with Details Enhancer as this tone mapping method increases local details Though Photomatix Pro includes options to reduce noise it is still always better to avoid noise at capture time as much as possible There are two tips to ensure a low noise level e Tip 1 Set alow ISO setting ISO 100 or lower whenever possible e Tip 2 Overexpose sufficiently ensuring that the lightest image of your exposure sequence has its shadows in the mid tones 5 4 Photomatix Pro and Color Management Photomatix Pro supports color management even if RAW files are processed You should use the same working Space in Photomatix Pro as you use in other image editors e g Photoshop Photomatix supports the three most popular working spaces e SRGB Use if the images are created only for the web e Adobe RGB Popular working space for printing if extremely saturated colors are not used e ProPhoto RGB Wide gamut working space This should never be used for 8 bit images For all JPEG and TIFF files Photomatix Pro preserves the color spaces of the source files
9. Photomatix Pro User Guide 22 Glossary AEB Mode Aperture Priority Bit Bit Depth Bracketed images Chromatic Aberration Contrast Ratio dSLR Dynamic Range EXIF Exposure Exposure Fusion EV Exposure Value Photomatix Pro User Guide Automatic Exposure Bracketing DSLR cameras and some compact digital cam eras offer this feature It enables you to automatically take three or more expo sures in a row one at the proper exposure one or more underexposed and one or More overexposed In Aperture Priority mode you select the aperture and the camera determines the correct shutter speed for the available light The shutter speed also depends on ISO sensitivity This is the right mode for shooting bracketed shots for HDR refer to Section 1 for more information Bits represent digital data in computers Digital Images are made of bits A bit depth corresponds to 2 Bit Depth levels e g 256 for 8 bit The number of bits a file type uses to represent a pixel s color at a given location in an image A group of photos taken with the Automatic Exposure Bracketing function of a camera resulting in photos of the same scene taken with different exposures As the lens focuses different wavelengths slightly differently chromatic aberra tion occurs For example the purple fringing you often find around edges leaves in front of a bright sky Another way to describe the dynamic range of a scene The ratio between
10. Photomatix Pro User Manual Version 4 0 2010 HDRsoft All rights reserved Contents OO ven rTP TTT EEAO AEE EEE 1 1 Taking Photos for TT inner 2 EI SR D OR beeen Ne PPP A AN EEEE AE 2 e SCA Me OU EE 3 SO ln BR E N EEEE eRe eee eee 3 2 Loading and Pre Processing Images ss 4 21 MUNA FAG SOS TEE eee eee 4 211 OGC AO backa UNa treet cacti hee EN 4 Scherer 6 2 1 3 Using the Selective Deghosting Too nu 7 2 1 4 Pre Processing Options for RAW File 8 2 2 Working with Single Image Files 9 2 2 1 Options for Single RAW Image Files nee 9 3 Adjusting Images Using Tone Mapping or Exposure FUSION ccccssssssssssssssesesssessssesssssseessssseessseesesees 10 EA Wu Te FANS nent VV OI GO WY ccc cecccecessnasecncececeressseeeeeececetensiassseceacesststsesaennececcteseasatuo vanes eeesssuarsntceeeronan aaron 10 32 MVS UE RO VV ele 11 B POV ee 11 722 PROSE EE 12 3 3 Tone Mapping Details Enhancer Settings 13 34 Tone Mapping Tone Compressor Settings 15 39 Exp s reF sion Adjust S SU LE 16 3 6 Exposure Fusion INTENSIVE Settings nn 16 4 Automating with Batch Processing sn 17 AT Batch Processing Bracketed PAGES name 17 Gr Ur PO COS S aae ES TE 17 SEENEN 18 Hoa ee Ee COR a ener 19 OC OO eee eee 19 4 2 Batch Processing Single Image Files 20 5 Tips and Techniques ss 21 5 1 Integrating Lightroom with Photomatix Pro een 21 5 2 Processing RAW files in Third Party RAW Converters oi ccccsccsss
11. age you can return to Tone Mapping or Exposure Fusion to make further changes if you are not satisfied with the results You may undo processing using one of the following methods e Select Undo Tone Mapping or Undo Exposure Fusion from the Process menu Photomatix Pro returns the image to its original state e Click Tone Mapping Fusion from the Workflow Shortcut bar or select Tone Mapping Fusion to return to the image adjustment window 3 2 Image Adjustment Windows 32 1 Preview Window For the Details Enhancer method of Tone Mapping and the Adjust method The Preview Window provides a preview of the tone mapped or fused of Exposure Fusion the preview is not image as you adjust the settings as well as the following controls always an accurate representation of the final tone mapped image Preview venice_normal_over_under amp Previewing image adjustments e Size Ratio The radio buttons at top of the Preview dialog may be used to select the preview size related to the size of the original For instance 1 4 displays the preview one quarter the size of the original image e Zoom The Zoom slider scales the selected size by a percentage e Preview The Preview checkbox quickly toggles between a preview of the tone mapped image the default and the original image Use this to compare the effects of the changes with the original e Floating Histogram The tone mapping Histogram is a floating window that contai
12. ame levels are in the same folder Let s take as an example a panorama composed of four views that need to be stitched with each view having been taken under three exposures 2 0 2 You will then have 12 photos and may need to place them in three separate subfolders composed of four photos each as follows e Subfolder1 contains the four photos for the panorama taken at EV 2 e Subfolder2 contains the four photos for the panorama taken at EV 0 e Subfolder3 contains the four photos for the panorama taken at EV 2 If you check Process subfolders and select grouped by exposures the batch will combine the first file of Subfolder1 with the first file of Subfolder2 and the first file of Subfolder3 The batch will then combine the second file of Subfolder1 with the second file of Subfolder2 and the second file of Subfolder3 and so on for the third and fourth file of each subfolder 4 1 4 Advanced Options Set Selection Options _ Automatically detect number of bracketed frames The following items are accessed when you click Advanced and click ee er ae a oe Options to configure automatic selection of bracketed image files Z Bracketed sets may have an even number of frames Maximum time between two successive bracketed frames Click Automatically detect the number of bracketed frames when E processing a folder that contains files in addition to those in the set Re mn ie of bracketed frames or when the number of frames in the set varies
13. e arranged in alphabetical order N files at a time are processed with N being the number specified in the previous step To save the results in a different folder than the folder containing the source photos select the Custom location option in the Destination area at the bottom right of the window Accept the default of Created under source folder to create a subfolder with the name PhotomatixResults in the source image folder In the Destination area select the output file type Click Run to start batch processing While the batch is running the results display in the area below the Run button 4 1 2 Batch Processing Settings Use the Settings buttons to access HDR generation Tone Mapping and Ex posure Fusion settings Refer to Sections 3 and 4 for a description of these settings The following settings for generating HDR images are specific to batch processing Force Exposure Values spacing to Forces the EV spacing to the speci fied value This option can be used when the exposure information is not available in the EXIF data if two or more images have the same exposure information or to force the EV spacing in all cases In the lat ter case the exposure information in the EXIF data is ignored Source images are linear no tone curve applied Intended for 16 bit TIFF files that have been converted from RAW files with a RAW converter that allows the image to be left in linear space Very few RAW converters allow this
14. eeded depends on the dynamic range of the scene in addition to the exposure increment For most outdoor scenes three exposures taken at 2 exposure increments is sufficient provided the scene does not include the sun However for the interior of a room with a bright view out the window you will need at least five images taken with an exposure increment of 2 or nine images taken with an expo sure increment of 1 In scenes with extreme differences between light and dark details you should change the exposures manually to ensure you capture a wide enough range to cover your scene 1 3 Using Film Based Cameras e Follow the camera setup listed at the top of Section 2 1 and the tips on selecting exposures in Section 2 2 Keep in mind that you will not have the option of previewing the live histogram to determine your exposure range e Scan film or slides not prints Photo labs attempt to make the best print from each of your source images and you will not achieve good results scanning these for HDR generation e Turn off your scanner s auto exposure options This allows you to manually control the exposure e Make sure you select the Align images option in Photomatix Pro when combining your images Photomatix Pro User Guide 2 Loading and Pre Processing Images This section describes how to load and merge bracketed image files of a scene taken under different exposure settings as well as how to load single images into Pho
15. ent exposure settings and stored in special HDR image format The 32 bit intermediary HDR image must be processed with tone mapping for proper display on standard monitors and prints It has become very common to define HDR image as the result of processing the 32 bit HDR image with tone mapping i e the tone mapped output but this is not techni cally correct Histograms represent brightness distribution in digital images They help evalu ate correct exposure The y axis represents the amount of pixels and the x axis represents the brightness value A common image file format with two primary strengths a relatively small file size and universal compatibility JPEGs use a lossy compression scheme and should not be edited and re saved Statistical variations inherent in the sensor system cause noise Noise is always present but higher sensitivities and smaller sensors usually generate more noise Digital pictures consist of pixels the smallest units Each pixel has a color that can be represented by 8 or 16 bit or as a floating point number 32bit HDR Pixels per Inch Can be used to describe the actual pixels per inch of a print Of ten confused with DPI Dots per Inch used by color printers to print an image A file containing the raw data from the camera sensor RAW files do not have a color profile or other stylistic preferences permanently applied A comprehensive image format that offers lossless compression schemes for
16. ieved by setting the Color Saturation to zero Fusion Adjusted Default Exposure Fusion method with adjusted settings Fusion Auto Quick access to Fusion Auto as opposed to selecting Exposure Fusion and Auto Fusion 2 Images Default Fusion 2 Images options Fusion Intensive Default Fusion Intensive settings Photomatix Pro User Guide Z Bap 7 AN a He V auma US NUE Le n i areg vd E MI LI i ese ee Enhancer Grunge example To use built in presets click Built in on the Preset Thumbnails panel The thumbnails display with a label describing the preset Click the desired thumbnail to refresh the pre view image and view the results You may also access custom presets that you have saved when adjusting your images refer to Saving Custom Presets below for more information on how to save these To use the custom presets click My Presets on the Preset Thumbnails panel To toggle the orientation of the Preset Thumbnails panel between horizontal and vertical select Toggle Preset Thumbnails Orientation from the View menu To toggle display of the Preset Thumbnails panel select View Preset Thumbnails from the View menu 12 Saving Custom Presets There are two ways to save custom presets as an XMP file for future use during the image adjustment phase or after Tone Mapping or Exposure Fusion is complete If you save the preset in the default location which is the Presets folder of the Photomatix Pro a
17. ing for removing ghosting due to the movement of the subject Photomatix Pro uses the image that it deems the best exposed for the selected area as the default image for deghosting You may change the image to one of your choice using the tool Select Semi manual from the Reduce ghosting artifacts preprocessing options to access the Selective deghosting tool To use the Selective Deghosting tool click and drag the mouse to draw a line around the region that requires deghosting Ensure the selection is a fully closed loop with a dashed line Semi manual deghosting Right click Windows or control click Mac inside the selected region and select Mark selection as ghosted area from the pop up menu The line around the selected region changes from dashed to solid to indicate that the area has been selected for deghosting At any time use the Brightness slider to increase or decrease the brightness of the image Or use the Zoom slider to zoom in and out If necessary you can remove a region from the deghosting selection Control click or right click inside an already marked region and click Remove selection from the pop up menu Photomatix Pro User Guide You may also change the image used as the default image for deghosting Control click or right click inside an already marked region and click Set an other photo for selection from the pop up menu The tool displays a pop The photo that the tool automatically up menu with a list
18. lems when the camera moves slightly between the bracketed frames Hand held photographs and even some images shot Par with a tripod have camera movement Automatic Detection High 3 By correcting horizontal and vertical shifts Faster method but only PS Dre corrects for translation movements eg on merged image e By matching features Corrects for rotation and translation Recom mended for hand held shots E Reduce chromatic aberrations e Crop aligned images Checked by default Removes the unused oa borders that appear when the images are shifted to correct for mis registration Leave this box unchecked if you need the resulting image Selecting pre processing options to have the same width and height as the source images The Reduce ghosting artifacts option addresses the problem of artifacts The deghosting option is effective that appear when combining images of a dynamic scene For example if for images processed with Tone the moving subjects are people walking the persons show multiple times Mapping or with the default in the combined image as if there were ghosts This is why artifacts arising SE eto Ge It is not from movements in the scene are commonly referred to as ghosting and ne a Meier the attempt to eliminate them as deghosting e Semi manual select the ghosted regions and change the image used for deghosting the selected region Refer to Section 3 1 3 for more information about the tool e Automa
19. mapped image The default value is 0 25 for the White Point setting and 0 for the Black Point setting e Gamma Adjusts the mid tone of the tone mapped image brightening or darkening the image globally The default value is 1 0 Color Settings e Temperature Adjusts the color temperature of the tone mapped image rela tive to the temperature of the HDR source image Move the slider to the right to give a warmer more yellow orange colored look Move the slider to the left for a colder more bluish look A value of 0 default preserves the original color temperature of the HDR source image e Saturation Highlights Adjusts the color saturation of the highlights relative to the color saturation set with the Color Saturation slider Values higher than 0 increase the color saturation in the highlights Values lower than 0 decrease it The default value is 0 e Saturation Shadows Adjusts the color saturation of the shadows relative to the color saturation set with the Color Saturation slider Values higher than zero increase the color saturation in the shadows Values lower than zero decrease it The default value is 0 Miscellaneous Settings e Micro smoothing Smoothes local detail enhancements This has the effect of reducing noise in the sky for instance and tends to give a cleaner look to the resulting image The default value is 2 Important note The Loupe may not properly show the effect of the Micro smoothing setting whe
20. ment to 2 for optimal exposure range If your AEB settings on a Nikon D80 camera does not offer 2 exposure increments select the maximum 3 shots with 2EV possible Consult the camera manual for model specific instructions for choosing this setting 1 2 Selecting the Exposures The continuous shooting mode may not always be the best strategy be Cause camera shake may build up It is recommended to use a method In the lightest photo of the sequence the darkest shadows should be at that ensures the least possible least in the mid tones To check this use your camera s histogram preview Shake for each single shot such as To get good results with HDR processing your capture sequence must include photos that correctly expose highlights and photos that correctly expose shadows The latter is especially important to prevent noise from showing in the processed HDR image mirror lock up functionality if in playback mode In your most overexposed photo the left part of the available histogram should be empty until 1 3rd of the histogram s width If this is not the case add one or more photos taken with longer exposure times Another option is to re shoot the exposure sequence with the normal exposure set one or more EVs higher if your most underexposed image in the exposure sequence was too dark This is the case when the histogram of your darkest image is completely empty on the right half The number of exposures n
21. n the area magnified is uniform If you want to see the effect of the Micro smoothing setting at 100 resolution on a uniform area such as the sky you will have to select an area that contains an object in the scene in addition to the sky e Highlights Smoothness Reduces the contrast enhancements in the highlights The value of the slider sets how much of the highlights range is affected This control is useful for preventing white highlights from turning grey or uniform light blue skies becoming dark blue grey It is also useful for reducing halos around objects placed against bright backgrounds The default value is 0 Photomatix Pro User Guide Tone Settings White Point 0 250 S 5 Back Point 0 000 SSS Gamma 1 00 Tone Mapping Details Enhancer Tone Settings Color Settings Temperature 0 0 Saturation Highlights 0 0 er a Saturation Shadows 0 0 Tone Mapping Details Enhancer Color Settings MM Miscellaneous Settings Micro smoothing 2 0 Highlights Smoothness 0 eee Shadows Smoothness D d O Shadows Clipping 0 i Tone Mapping Details Enhancer Miscellaneous Settings 14 3 4 Tone Mapping Tone Compressor Settings Shadows Smoothness Reduces the contrast enhancements in the shadows The value of the slider sets how much of the shadows range is affected The default value is 0 Shadows Clipping The value of the slider sets how much of the shad ows range is clipped This control may be u
22. need to scan the photographs into your computer before processing them refer to Section 1 3 Three exposures of amedium dynamic range scene taken in two EV steps 1 1 Setting up the Camera e Set your camera to Aperture priority A setting so only the shutter E speed varies between the exposures et DI AER gr ZO ER IB Select a low ISO such as ISO 100 or lower Flash exp comp Turn off the flash The flash may try to balance the exposure of all the Aol A images when the goal is a range of exposures Color space e Mount the camera on a tripod whenever possible Even though Picture Style Photomatix Pro offers automatic alignment of hand held photos using Dust Delete Dat a tripod is always better Canon Rebel XTi 400D LCD showing DSLR cameras and some compact digital cameras offer Automatic AEB with 2 increments selected Exposure Bracketing AEB This enables you to automatically take three or more exposures in a row one at the proper exposure one or more underexposed and one or more overexposed Follow these steps if your camera offers AEB mode Photomatix Pro User Guide e Select the Continuous shooting mode on the camera s drive setting Consult your camera manual for model specific instructions for using this setting e Set the camera to Auto Exposure Bracketing AEB e If possible use the camera s self timer setting or a cable release to mini mize camera shake e Set the exposure incre
23. noise on a single image JPEG file Tone mapping with the Details Enhancer method makes any noise present in the image much more visible so it is a good idea to pre process your image with noise reduction before tone mapping Raw Processing Options D2X_ISO100 nef el W Reduce noise r 100 W Reduce chromatic aberrations White Balance As Shot D Color Space Adobe RGB DI en II ox RAW Processing Options dialog box 3 Adjusting Images Using Tone Mapping or Exposure Fusion Photomatix Pro provides access to HDR Tone Mapping and Exposure Fusion methods in one window The window includes a preview so you can see how adjustments to settings or changing the adjustment method affect the result This section describes the workflow for adjusting and processing images and details the Tone Mapping and Exposure Fusion settings 3 1 Image Adjustment Workflow After you have preprocessed and merged your source images or opened a single image file the next steps are 1 Adjust the image to your liking Photomatix Pro offers different Tone Mapping and Exposure Fusion methods Most methods offer different adjustment settings Refer to Sections 3 3 through 3 6 for detailed descriptions of the settings You can use presets for easier image adjustment Refer to Section 3 2 2 for more information about using presets 2 Process the image When you are satisfied with the adjustments click on the Process button located at bott
24. ns four selectable tabs to improve analysis of the image Luminance Red Green and Blue In addition move the mouse back and forth across the histogram to display Level Count and Percentile information If the histogram is turned off enable it by selecting 8 bit Histograms from the View menu Photomatix Pro User Guide 11 3 2 2 Preset Thumbnails Panel The Preset Thumbnails area provides access to built in settings each with its own corresponding thumbnail im age The built in presets are factory settings showing various effects The thumbnails provide a way to quickly view the effect of the settings on the image Using the Preset Thumbnails Panel to Adjust an Image shown in vertical mode Preset Thumbnails vente JS The following built in presets are available Enhancer Default Default settings for De tails Enhancer Compression Default Default Tone Com pressor settings Fusion Default Default settings for Fusion Adjust Enhancer Smooth Effect that produces a smooth image by avoiding too much contrast enhancement in the highlights which is use ful for instance to prevent a blue sky from turning dark grey blue Compression Deep darker more com pressed Tone Compressor settings that result in an image with more pronounced colors Enhancer Painterly See second image on the right Enhancer Grunge See third image on the right Enhancer B amp W Monochrome image which is ach
25. of the available exposures Select an exposure value sets for the selection is not always the from the list most appropriate exposure choice It is thus a good idea to check whether changing to another photo produces a better deghosting result Mark selection as ghosted area Remove selection Set another photo For selection k 2 EY photo OEY photo 2 EV photo To view a preview of the deghosted image click Preview deghosting To make more selections or modify existing regions selected for deghost ing click Return to selection mode You may continue selecting regions of the image and previewing the results until you are satisfied with the results Click OK to apply the deghosting to the image or click Cancel to stop merg ing the images 2 1 4 Pre Processing Options for RAW Files Preprocessing Options E Align source images Crop aligned images C By correcting horizontal and vertical shifts By matching features Photomatix Pro offers additional pre processing options for RAW files The White Balance drop down list includes the following selections W Reduce ghosting artifacts As Shot default value Reads the white balance from the EXIF meta ened men da ta Automatic Detection D e To adjust the white balance select a pre defined value from the White ee ner e Balance drop down list or specify the color temperature in Kelvin EE Click Preview sample to view the effect of the white balance change on Boos ee
26. om of the Adjustment window to process the image at original resolution with the selected settings 3 Save the image When you have processed the image you can save it Select File gt Save As Navigate to the folder where the file should be stored Use the default file name or enter a name in the File name field Select a file type e TIFF 16bit best choice for further processing e TIFF 8bit for use in applications that cannot work with 16 bit or for avoiding too large a file size on disk e JPEG for use on the web without further editing If you would like to view the file with a photo viewing application you can click Open Saved Images with Accept the default program or select the program from the drop down list If the program is not on the list click Add application navigate to the folder containing the program select the program and click Open Photomatix Pro User Guide Exposure Fusion is only available when bracketed photos were loaded When a single image is loaded only tone mapping is available To undo changes made during the adjustment process click the undo arrow at the bottom of the adjustments panel To redo adjustments click the redo arrow to reapply changes The settings are automatically embed ded in the saved processed image To view the settings click View Settings from the Workflow Shortcuts bar 10 Undoing Adjustments and Reprocessing an Image After processing an im
27. om the Workflow Shortcut bar or select Batch Single Files from the Automate menu 2 Toselect the source folder that contains the files click Select Folder 3 Navigate to the folder that contains the files and click OK Photomatix Pro displays the folder path and the files in the folder 4 Tonarrow down the files to process if needed hold down the Ctrl key and click the files to process 5 To process using the details enhancer click Tone Map with Details Enhancer Click Settings to customize how the files are processed 6 To process using the tone compressor click Tone Map with Tone Compressor Click Settings to customize how the files are processed 7 Click the checkboxes for noise and CA correction if needed 8 To select a destination folder click Created under Source Folder to save the images in the same folder as the source files OR Click Customized Location to save the images in a dif ferent folder Click Choose to select the destination folder Photomatix Pro displays the folder location 9 For JPG file output select the quality from 0 to 100 from the drop down list with 100 yielding the largest file size 10 Click Run The batch processing status displays Photomatix Pro User Guide il Batch Tone Mapping of Single Photos Col ES Source Select Folder MG 0044 C images Canon 7D MG_0048 CR2 All files listed on the right will be processed unless you select specific files with your mouse
28. options are available for pre processing the RAW data The Reduce noise option reduces chromatic and luminance noise It is checked by default as reducing noise is always recommended when process ing RAW files The Strength slider lets you increase or decrease the strength of the noise reduction relative to the automatically determined value based on the noise level in the image Values range from 50 to 150 The Reduce chromatic aberrations option automatically corrects color fringing due to chromatic aberrations of the lens The White Balance drop down list includes the following selections e As Shot default value Reads the white balance from the EXIF meta data e To adjust the white balance select a pre defined value from the White Balance drop down list or specify the color temperature in Kelvin Click Preview sample to view the effect of the white balance change on the source image The Color primaries HDR image drop down list provides options for to con verting the RAW data from the camera native color space to the display pro file of the selected value AdobeRGB is the default value and is appropriate when you want to print the resulting image If you do not intend to print the image select sRGB for web only images to avoid having to convert the image from AdobeRGB to sRGB Photomatix Pro User Guide Do you want to process your image with noise reduction before tone mapping C Do not ask me again Reducing
29. otograph a high contrast scene you need to take several exposures in order to capture information in both the highlights and the shadows of the scene The exposures taken must properly cover the dynamic range of the scene especially the shadows The number of photos you need depends on the scene It also depends on the Exposure Value EV spacing separating the photos If you take them in one EV steps e g 1 0 1 EV you will need more photos than if you take them in two EV steps Leg 2 0 2 EV We recommend shooting in two EV steps whenever possible High contrast scenes can be grouped into roughly two types depending on their dynamic range e Medium dynamic range scene Most landscapes and other types of outdoor scenes fall into this category Three exposures taken in two EV steps i e 2 0 2 EV or five exposures taken in one EV steps are usu ally sufficient for this type of scene e High dynamic range scene A typical example is the interior of a room with a view outside the window on a sunny day You need to take at least five exposures in two EV steps or nine exposures in one EV steps to capture this type of scene but you may need more Taking the expo sures manually is recommended in these cases The source photographs for HDR processing can be taken with digital or film based cameras The only requirement is that the exposure can be ad justed when taking pictures If you use a film based camera you will
30. port photos for processing in Photomatix Pro directly from was changed or the image was Lightroom and reimport them back into the Lightroom library cropped or resized then Photomatix will not be able to remove the The Lightroom Export plug in to Photomatix is free and included with the Photomatix Pro package Please refer to the HDRsoft website at http www hdrsoft com download Irplugin html for installation instructions and a short tutorial showing how to use the Lightroom export plug in for HDR processing in Photomatix Pro 5 2 Processing RAW files in Third Party RAW Converters watermark When using a third party RAW converter develop the RAW images with the following settings As an example the screenshots show the settings in Lightroom Auto i 0 0 j D GE Basic Settings in Lightroom Working with curves in Lightroom e White Balance Use the same white balance for all source photos e Basic settings Set all to zero It is particularly important to set the Blacks setting to zero e Curves Parametric and Point Curves should be linear e Details Set the Sharpening Amount to zero Photomatix Pro User Guide 21 5 3 Dealing with Noise When you process your photos using Exposure Fusion the fused image will tend to show less noise than the source images This is because Exposure Fusion works by directly combining your bracketed photos thus averaging out noise However when you create a 32 bit HDR image
31. pplication 1 Inthe Adjustments panel click the Presets drop down list the preset is automatically added to the Presets combo box list and also shows on the My Presets tab 3 Enter a name for the preset in the File name field and click Save of the Preset Thumbnails Panel To save custom presets during image adjustment 2 Select Save Settings from the list To save the processing selections as a preset after Tone Mapping or Expo sure Fusion processing 1 Click Save Settings from the Workflow Shortcuts bar or select Save Settings from the File menu A dialog prompts for the file name 2 Enter the file name and click OK 3 3 Tone Mapping Details Enhancer Settings Strength 70 ci a General Settings Color Saturation 46 e Strength Controls the strength of the contrast enhancements Move the slider P E right or left to change the setting A value of 100 gives the maximum increase Ses 0 0 in both local and global contrast enhancements The default value is 70 E e Color Saturation Controls the saturation of the RGB color channels The Microcontrast greater the saturation the more intense the color Move the slider right or left to change the setting A value of 0 produces a grayscale image The value af fects each color channel equally The default value is 46 Smoothing 0 0 e Luminosity Controls the compression of the tonal range which has the effect of adjusting the global luminosity level Move the
32. seful to cut out noise in the dark area of a photo taken in a low light situation The default value is 0 360 image Checking this option eliminates the seam between the left and right sides of a panorama viewed in a 360 panoramic viewer The seam would otherwise show because Details Enhancer takes into account local contrast assigning different tonal values to the right and left parts of the image The default value is unchecked Note that this option is not enabled when the image is in portrait mode as the option is intended for panoramas Brightness Adjusts the overall brightness of the tone mapped image The default value is 0 Tonal Range Compression Controls the compression of the tonal range Move the slider to the right to shift both shadows and highlights toward the mid tones in the tone mapped image The default value is 0 Contrast Adaptation Adjusts the influence of the average brightness in relation to the intensity of the processed pixel Move the slider to the right to create more pronounced colors Move the slider to the left to create a more natural look The default value is 0 White Point Black Point Both sliders control how the minimum and maximum values of the tone mapped image are set Moving the sliders to the right increases global contrast Moving them to the left reduces clipping at the extremes The White Point slider sets the value for the maximum of the tone mapped image pure white or level 255
33. ser Guide 16 4 Automating with Batch Processing Use batch processing to automatically process image files The batch processing tool saves time processing many images Photomatix Pro offers two different batch modes e Batch Bracketed Photos Processes bracketed sets using HDR Tone Mapping and or Exposure Fusion all in one step which can save you a lot of time when you have many series of photos to process e Batch Single Photos Processes single image files using Tone Mapping 4 1 Batch Processing Bracketed Photos This section describes batch processing photos taken under multiple exposure settings E Save aligned output In each one of the subfolders Batch Processing of bracketed photos 4 1 1 Using Batch Processing To batch process photos select Batch Processing from the Automate menu or click Batch Processing from the Workflow Shortcuts panel To batch process series of bracketed photos do the following 1 Click the checkboxes on the left side of the window to select how the images should be processed 2 Select the number of exposures to combine using the pull down menu below the checkboxes For example select 3 if your bracketed shots consist of three exposures each such as when you have taken for each scene one photo at median exposure one underexposed and one overexposed Photomatix Pro User Guide 17 6 7 In the Source area select the folder where the bracketed photos are located The files ar
34. smaller file sizes with higher quality This format is suitable for editing and printing but not publishing on the Web Processing a 32 bit HDR image into an image that can be properly viewed on monitors and prints 24 Resources You can find more tips techniques and regularly updated information in the Photomatix Pro FAQ on the HDRsoft website at http www hdrsoft com support faq_photomatix html Photomatix Pro User Guide 25
35. so only check this option if you are sure that the tonal values of the images are linear relative to the values of light captured Process strip by strip Check this option if the source images are large TIFF files With this option the HDR image file is created in several pass es processing and loading only one strip of each image into memory at a time One strip is composed of a limited number of rows set to not exceed approximately 512 MB of RAM This option is particularly useful when processing large panoramas Note though that the alignment functions are not accessible when the Process strip by strip option is used Photomatix Pro User Guide C Force Exposure Values spacing to fe If exposure information not found in Exif data In all cases C Reduce ghosting artifacts Detection Normal 4 C Reduce noise Le On source images Strength on merged image C Reduce chromatic aberrations C Source images are linear no tone curve applied When source images are in RAW format White Balance Color primaries HDR image AdobeRGB color space from which primaries will be taken Generate HDR image settings The term linear may have a different meaning depending on the RAW converter For example in Adobe Camera RAW linear is relative to the Adobe RGB color space and not to the values of light Therefore do not select this option with files converted with Photoshop or Lightroom
36. sssssssssssssussssssssssecscssssssssssssssssssssseessessssssssssssusssesssseeeeees 21 J Dealing with NOISE peeo T ANNEE OOOO EEEE seed aareenesree essence 22 5 4 Photomatix Pro and Color Management 22 CO cccnccanm ccc ee op eect cece sansa cece eereeaeerec ee eneereeesseeeeeeneeetoeeeerceceee tinea 23 Photomatix Pro User Guide Introduction Photomatix Pro works with photographs of the same scene taken under different exposure settings often called bracketed images in reference to the auto bracketing exposure functions available on many camera models If you have not taken bracketed photos you can start using Photomatix Pro with the sample images available from the download page of the Photomatix Pro website http www hdrsoft com Use the information in Section 1 Taking Photos for HDR to try Photomatix with your own images This manual contains information about how to use Photomatix Pro to adjust images using different Tone Mapping or Exposure Fusion methods All of the methods are accessed from one window within the application making it easy to try different settings to achieve the results you want Refer to Section 2 Loading and Pre Processing Images and Section 3 Adjusting Images Using Tone Mapping or Exposure Fusion for detailed information about the different settings that are available Photomatix Pro User Guide 1 Taking Photos for HDR The shooting phase is essential for getting good results with Photomatix To ph
37. the darkest and brightest areas Digital Single Lens Reflex camera In the context of HDR photography the total range of light in a scene from the deepest shadows to the brightest highlights The Exchangeable Image File header contains information about the image the camera location date and time and camera settings The amount of light that enters a camera for the length of time the shutter is open Exposure depends on aperture and shutter speed as well as the camera s sensitivity to light controlled by the ISO An exposure is also shorthand for a photograph or frame refers to a frame of film Combination of photos of the same scene taken under different exposure set tings in such a way that highlight details are taken from the underexposed pho tos and shadows details from the overexposed ones A measure of exposure which is the equivalent of a stop In the absolute sense EV is defined as the exposure from a photo taken at 1 second f 1 and ISO 100 In the relative sense the correct exposure is normally 0 EV and any deviation is measured in positive or negative EV from that mark 23 HDR HDR Image Histogram JPEG Noise Pixel AN RAW File TIFF Tone Mapping Photomatix Pro User Guide High Dynamic Range Strictly speaking an HDR image is an intermediary image with 32 bits per color channel 96 bits per pixel An HDR image is the result of merging photos of the Same scene taken under differ
38. the source image The Color primaries HDR image drop down list provides options for con J verting the RAW data from the camera native color space to the display pro Preprocessing Options file of the selected value AdobeRGB is the default value and is appropriate when you want to print the resulting image If you would like to display the resulting image only on the web and do not intend to print it then select SRGB to avoid having to convert the image from AdobeRGB to sRGB Photomatix Pro User Guide 2 2 Working with Single Image Files Photomatix Pro supports Tone Mapping of single image files To load a single image file 1 Drag the image file to the Photomatix Pro application Windows or icon on your Dock Mac OR Select Open from the File menu A file browser window displays Navigate to the file and open it 2 To process the image using Tone Mapping click Tone Mapping from the Workflow Shortcut bar If the file is a JPG a dialog will show to let you decide whether to reduce the noise on your image before tone mapping If desired check Do not ask me again to skip this dialog and use your Yes or No selection for all single JPGs that you process with Tone Mapping If you need to re enable the dialog later access the Photomatix preferences on the View menu to change the setting 2 2 1 Options for Single RAW Image Files When your single image is a RAW file Photomatix must first convert the RAW data The following
39. tic have Photomatix Pro automatically detect ghosted zones in the merged image and select a Detection level Normal or High This sets the criteria for determining if a pixel is or is not ghosted when using automatic deghosting Noise Reduction Options The Reduce noise option reduces chromatic and luminance noise and is recommended when processing RAW files directly in Photomatix Strength Increase or decrease the strength of the noise reduction relative to the automatically determined value based on the noise level in the image Values range from 50 to 150 e Onsource images Apply noise reduction on the source image files Use the associated drop down list to select the image types to apply noise reduction to This option takes more time but yields better results e On merged image Apply noise reduction on the merged image once it has been created Note that the noise reduction algorithm is different when applied on the merged image It is recommended to apply the noise reduction on the source images e The Reduce Chromatic Aberrations option automatically corrects color fringing due to chromatic aberrations of the lens Checking this option is recommended given that chromatic aberrations tend to show around high contrast edges and are particularly an issue for HDR images Photomatix Pro User Guide 2 1 3 Using the Selective Deghosting Tool The Selective Deghosting Tool lets you select the portions of the image that require process
40. tomatix Pro 2 1 Merging Bracketed Images Photomatix Pro merges bracketed images that are in 8 bit or 16 bits chan nel mode as well as Camera RAW files Supported file types include JPEG TIFF PSD DNG and RAW files from many camera models The list of supported camera models for RAW files changes frequently You can check the the Photomatix Pro FAQ page on the HDRsoft website at http www hdrsoft com support raw html to determine whether or not your camera model is supported 2 1 1 Loading Bracketed Images To load bracketed image files do one of the following e Drag and drop the files into Photomatix Pro e Use the Workflow Shortcuts area or the File menu to load the files Dragging and Dropping Bracketed Image Files To drag and drop a group of image files to Photomatix Pro e Windows Drag the files from Windows Explorer and drop them on the open Photomatix Pro program e Macintosh Drag the files from the Finder and drop them on the Photo matix Pro icon on your Dock Photomatix Pro User Guide The term bracketed images refers to images of the same scene taken under different exposure settings This manual uses the term bracketed images to simplify how these images are defined It also applies to the case when you have not used the Automatic Exposure Bracketing function of the camera to take the exposures Drag the image files for the exposure sequence at the same time so the files are properl
41. y processed by the merge Newer camera models may not be supported by older versions of Photomatix Pro To ensure your camera is supported upgrade to the latest version If you have Lightroom use the Lightroom Export Plug in to load images into Photomatix Pro Refer to Section 5 for more information Using the Workflow Area or the File Menu To load images using the Workflow Shortcuts Area or the File menu 1 Click Load Bracketed Photos in the Workflow Shortcuts area OR Select Load Bracketed Photos from the File menu The Select bracketed photos dialog displays A Generate HDR Selecting source images Either use the Browse button or drag files below C Show intermediary 32 bit HDR image Selecting bracketed photos 2 Drag and drop the files into the Selecting bracketed photos dialog OR Click Browse A dialog displays prompting for location of the files 3 Select the files to load using one of the following methods e Click the first file hold down control key Windows or command key Mac and click the last file e Click the first file hold down shift key and click each file 4 Click Open Windows or Select Mac 5 Click OK to pre process the files Entering Exposure Values If the exposure information cannot be located in the metadata of the image files Photomatix Pro displays a dialog prompting for input of the relative Exposure Values for each image Photomatix Pro also displays this
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