What is HDR Imaging, and what’s all the fuss about it?
High-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI) is a technique used to create images with a wider dynamic range of luminosity than is possible with standard digital or photographic techniques. The aim is to reproduce the same range of luminance as the human eye. Our natural vision can constantly adjust to translate the broadest possible range of luminance available. Normal images are too flat for this. Since our eyes provide our brains with maximum detail by constantly changing to extract the best info under varying light conditions based on where we look, HDR images combine multiple levels of detail and contrast extracted from multiple flat versions of the same image, shot in different levels of light. Such combined images can contain much more collected detail than any of the original source images.

One common way HDR images are created is to take a series of images of the same scene or subject matter– some over-exposed, others under-exposed (between 3 and 5 is a good number of variations) and merge them together so different details from all the combined images get displayed to their best advantage in the combined HDR image. In effect, tou produce a single photo with the combined detail of multiple light levels.

There are three ways to make an HDR image: shoot it with a special HDR camera; create it manually in a photo editing program; or use an automated function to have Photoshop create it for you. HDR cameras aren’t the topic of this tutorial, so we’ll focus on doing the last two.

Creating an HDR Image Manually in Photoshop

First let’s learn how to create an HDR image manually, using the layer function in Photoshop CS5. Please note that when shooting images for conversion to HDR, you want to shoot them on a decent quality tripod, preferably with a built-in bubble level. The level is important to the end result: working from leveled images shot on a locked-off tripod makes it much easier to combine them later on without loss of image quality.

First, pick your subject, level your camera, and shoot your series of photos. For best results, shoot in RAW for greater editing power once you get the images into Photoshop. You’ll want to produce an even range of exposures: identically composed shots of still subjects, exposed at different light levels. Changing your shutter speed will change the exposure (but don’t mess with the aperture or you’ll change the depth of field, which can blur some areas of your photos). You can also adjust the ISO, but try to avoid it since it can cause unwanted image noise. Make sure your darkest image is underexposed by at least 1 stop. For a 5 shot spread, go darker and create an image under-exposed by 2 stops. Then do the same thing again, except this time over-exposing each shot.

Adjust upward or downward from the baseline to create a full spread; you might do a five shot series at -2.00/-1.00/0.0/+1.00/+2.00/ or some other range. Whatever gives you the number of shots you want combined. Use as many exposures as you want, but be careful: the more shots you combine, the harder it will be to match them all up later.

Once you have your shots, open them all in Adobe Camera Raw. On the underexposed images, adjust your fill light to bring out detail in all shadows. You may need to adjust recovery a little. Adjust temperature and tint to account for any ugly extremes or variations in color. When you’re happy with the result, move on to the next underexposed image and repeat the process, finding the best level of detail in each variation as you go.

Then turn your attention to the overexposed images, and tweak the fill light to get the best level of detail for each one of those. Adjust temperature and tint again on each new image, creating a range of exposures from dark to light, all with the best detail level you can get.

Now open them all in Photoshop. Create a new blank image file (the same size as the others) as a plain white background. Then copy/paste or drag-n-drop each of the project images as new layers, with the darkest underexposed layers on the bottom, each layer becoming progressively lighter/overexposed.

On your topmost overexposed layer, apply the multiply blending change. This should begin the process of tone mapping the image.

Now you can start stacking and manually touching up combinations of the various layers. You can do this either by masking sections of the stacked images, or by editing the top layer with your eraser tool to allow selected details from the layer below to show through the upper layer, blending the best elements of the combined layers in unison. Choose the eraser tool and keep the opacity level to a setting lower than 10%, and use an appropriate sized large brush. You should be able to see elements of the darker layer below peeking through your working layer. Keep going until you are satisfied.

Afterward, use selective color, color balance and local desaturation to finalize color correction in your new HDR image.

How to merge the range of images automatically in Photoshop

Step 1. Open Photoshop and choose File > Automate > Merge to HDR Pro. Choose the pre-prepared your source images you have shot in advance (see above). Select the option “Automatically Align Source Images.”

Step 2. Click “OK.” It may take a few seconds for Photoshop to process the files. When ready, select 32-bit depth for the widest amount of tonal range (8-bit and 16-bit file formats aren’t capable of storing sufficient data to record the full spectrum of tonal light).

Step 3. Check the 32-bit image preview for any ghosting or noise in the composite shot. If there is any, remove the source image which is causing the problem.

Step 4. Save the (extremely large) 32-bit preview shot for later use as a 32-bit (tiff, .pbm etc) HDR full of details.

Step 5. The merged result now is a floating-point 32-bit image. Choose Image > Mode > 8-bit. Use the resulting option dialogue to find the best exposure for your image. The HDR Toning Dialog has two options – Exposure and Gamma.

Step 6. Adjust the Gamma and the Exposure to really make your image pop. When you’re happy with the image, click OK and save the result.

Feel free to experiment to find the absolute best, most vibrant (and detail-packed) version of your new HDR image. You can return to your saved copy of the merged 32-bit image and re-edit it at any time, according to your liking.

Casino websites differ in the way that they are designed and this design can actually be really important. It can mean a lot to players for lots of different reasons and whether they like the design of a site such as netbet.co.uk will influence whether they are likely to play it often or not or whether they decide to play it at all. Therefore if you are design g a site, it is really important to think hard about what you are doing and how it might impact the amount of players that you have.

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Things aren’t the manner by which they used to be. Before, programs with constrained functions made it simpler to pinpoint which tools you ought to learn as a novice. Nowadays, however, given what number of tools, tips and tricks there are to learn, you can regularly feel overpowered and not know where to begin.

I’ve been utilizing Adobe Illustrator for well more than 10 years now and I’m fixated on vector. I’m here to impart to you my 10 essential tips and tools all Adobe Illustrator apprentices should learn for Graphic Designers, and interface you to a tutorial or two which will enable you to figure out how to utilize them.

1. Utilize The Pen Tool

Numerous novices bashful far from the pen tool, as it look significantly more confounded than whatever else Illustrator offers. Truth be told however, you can get to grips with it effortlessly, and make amazing craftsmanship with it. In case you don’t know where to begin, take a stab at searching for practices on the web. They’ll demonstrate to you best practices to utilize it, and soon you can benefit as much as possible from this tool. (more…)

Illustrator has been used over the years to produce some beautiful illustrations, including infographics that serve the double purpose of passing on information while having an artful design. Illustrator is the number one software that designers use to create great print and digital art. It is often used for a variety of reasons such as layout design, web design, drawing, and many other uses. Every other day, a new application for illustrator is discovered.

However, it may be challenging to put Illustrator to its proper use unless you really know what you are doing. Consider asking for help from experts who will make your design really shine. You can find experienced graphical designers at uk illustration agencies who will be able to help you with your design. (more…)

Greetings fellow twirps! Are you ready to get your social media management on track for the big time? If so, keep reading for some wise words that this head twirp has learned on her journey, as well as some quick and dirty tips that you can take away and use on the campaign you are currently running.

Know your field

It is vital for social media management success that you know your field. After all, it’s not like running your own personal page now, is it? Knowing your field includes all the social media platforms, but also the area of marketing in general. So you can use the principles present in marketing that are directly applicable to the world of social media.

For example, an understanding of good content and compelling images are necessary for success. As is a grasp of where your social media accounts place in term of the client funneling process. (more…)

Most of the people think it takes immense efforts and time while working on Photoshop but actually it requires smart approach exclusively combined with creativity that brings unexpected design outcomes in no time at all. Bringing cool 3D effects to text or an image is one of the fabulous things you can play around while using Photoshop. Let us now get to know how it can be possible in just a few minutes.

The basic elements and tools that you will use:
You might want to enrich the list of various ingredients in terms of designing a cool 3D effect to a given text by using Photoshop but, here we will focus on the simplest tools and features to achieve the end product;
– A stable version of Photoshop
– A simple set 3D oriented text
– A large Photoshop black canvas
Step 01 – Getting the 3D text ready and done to be used with Photoshop:
There are a number of tools through which you can make a set of 3D text but, in our list of preferred tools, Illustrator and Xara3D comes on top of the list to get a well-structured 3D object. (more…)

As a designer or artist, it can be so frustrating when you know that you’re good at what you do but you don’t get the recognition for it. No one wants to be arrogant or too forthright with these views. But when you’re being left behind and not getting noticed, you want to know why. If your work is up to scratch, it could be more to do with how you handle your work and your personality. Here are five ideas you can implement to help get your work finally noticed.

Encourage Word of Mouth

If you do design work for clients, you will want to make sure that they spread the word. If you can encourage more word of mouth, more people will start to learn about you and what you do. Before you know it, you will be reaching new clients and building your brand thanks to your work and your past clients. Always prompt people to tell their friends if they are happy with the work you do. It could make all the difference.

Have a SEO-Friendly Website to Display Your Work

Next, you need to make sure that you have somewhere where your work can be displayed for the world to see. And it’s the 21st century, so it makes sense to do this online. Create a website where people can see your past work and learn more about what you do. The website should be easy to find, but a SEO agency can help you with that. That way, more people will flock to your website from search engines. (more…)

If you make your money through your creative talents, be it design, photography, art, or anything else, then you have to pay more attention to your website than the average person does. Your website isn’t just a place for people to find you; it’s a place to show the world your talents, to sell them the idea of who you are and the way you think. Below, we take a look at a few things your website must have. Get them wrong, and it doesn’t matter how talented you are: it’ll be hard to find new business! (more…)