59
votes
Why is software-based manipulation of images frowned upon while hardware-based manipulation is acceptable?
Why are hardware-based manipulations, like black and white photography (traditionally using black-and-white film), long exposure, etc., which also result in an "unnatural" image, acceptable while ...
- 143k
44
votes
Accepted
Things to look for in a camera to match cameraphone image quality
TL;DR - Pretty much everything in your post indicates that you don't really need a new camera, but need to learn how to use the equipment that you have.
I haven't used RAW... it still boggles my ...
- 20.5k
24
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between "Fake HDR" and real, bracketed exposure HDR?
What's the difference between “Fake HDR” and real, bracketed exposure HDR?
The only difference is how broadly or narrowly you decide to define the term High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDR). Do you use ...
- 175k
21
votes
Why is software-based manipulation of images frowned upon while hardware-based manipulation is acceptable?
Is it frowned upon? Photography has always made use of whatever technology was available, whether in the camera, the darkroom or, now, the computer.
It's a long time since other forms of art were ...
- 1,686
14
votes
If, brightness → dynamic range... white balance → what?
The phenomenon you describe is called color constancy, and it is enabled partially by the human vision system's chromatic adaptation and partially by something I will describe using the scientific ...
- 143k
14
votes
How can I improve my photo of a night city landscape with a starry sky?
Your basic problem is that most stars are much dimmer than the parts of your scene lit up by artificial lighting. Combined with the diffusing properties of air and all of the particulates and moisture ...
- 175k
13
votes
Accepted
What are the advantages of additional exposures between outer brackets of an HDR stack?
There are quite a few advantages. A difficult problem that often arises is blooming of bright areas into adjacent dark areas. So, the overexposed pixels that are in the bright area will leak electrons ...
- 3,596
13
votes
Things to look for in a camera to match cameraphone image quality
Almost any camera system will out perform a camera phone when used properly.
A camera phone uses a tiny sensor so even MFT cameras have a bigger sensor capturing more light so superior in low light ...
- 595
12
votes
Accepted
What causes this dark halo around the sun?
This can happen when there are strong light light sources in the scene (such as shooting sunrises/sunsets like yours), when Nikon's Active D-Lighting is on. Active D-Lighting (ADL) tries to help ...
- 32.3k
12
votes
What causes this dark halo around the sun?
Separate answer, just to show confirmation of scotbb's diagnosis.
CaptureNX-D with Active D-Lighting overridden.
Screen shrunk just to show relevant info.
As to whether or not it's an optical ...
- 23.2k
12
votes
Accepted
Why is software-based manipulation of images frowned upon while hardware-based manipulation is acceptable?
Why are hardware-based manipulations, like black and white photography (traditionally using black-and-white film), long exposure, etc., which also result in an "unnatural" image, acceptable while ...
- 2,090
11
votes
Accepted
What exactly does DRO do, and how does it work?
DRO stands for Dynamic Range Optimization. It is designed to fit more dynamic range into images. A single exposure is still taken so you are always limited to the sensor's latitude. However, from what ...
- 103k
11
votes
Are three different exposures enough for a good HDR image?
It all depends on the scene in terms of overall brightness, the total dynamic range, and how fine the graduations are between bright and dark.
The wider the difference is between the brightest part ...
- 175k
11
votes
Accepted
How to get clear tree branches when bracketing for HDR?
There are usually small variations between images when you shoot a stack for HDR, especially shooting handheld. Wind may cause larger variations, as well as other moving entities within a shot (such ...
- 657
10
votes
When is it better to use HDR rather than just pulling extremes from a RAW file?
It is appropriate in situations where you can't capture the dynamic range in one shot and in situations where lifting the shadows would reveal too much noise. Certain landscape shots and night time ...
- 5,215
10
votes
When is it better to use HDR rather than just pulling extremes from a RAW file?
The short answer is: When the dynamic range of the scene exceeds the dynamic range you can capture in one shot with raw.
A somewhat longer answer is that is that there are complicating factors, for ...
- 2,363
10
votes
Do I need in-camera HDR if a camera can take RAW?
Yes and No.
Taking a single RAW, you have more dynamic range than a single JPG, so you have a limited 'high dynamic range', depending on the camera's capabilities.
For a less limited HDR, you need ...
- 2,021
9
votes
Why is software-based manipulation of images frowned upon while hardware-based manipulation is acceptable?
I got into photography with a compact digital P+S just before DSLs became affordable, when all the photography experience and wisdom to absorb was about film. Because the people I learned photography ...
- 412
9
votes
Halo in pictures taken with HDR
Is it normal? Yes… and no.
It depends on the ability/quality of the HDR routine and its ability to recognise & correctly handle edges where the overall light level changes rapidly.
A low-ability ...
- 23.2k
8
votes
What this guy does when shooting in bracketing mode?
The user in the video is using a specialised bracketing function on a Canon body, called Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) (complete description from Canon here)
In the "exposure" setting, you can ...
- 4,163
7
votes
Accepted
How to make a shot when light comes from outside and subject is moving (Cannot use HDR)
The photographer can claim there are no reflectors all he wants, but there are several things visible in the photo that are functioning as reflectors!
The pages of the book the child is holding are ...
- 175k
7
votes
What's the difference between "Fake HDR" and real, bracketed exposure HDR?
In my opinion, it's as simple as this: An HDR photo is a photo in which you try to bring up the details in every part of a scene with a high dynamic range. After all that's what the name "HDR&...
7
votes
What is the cause of these hard transitions after HDR processing?
Those artifacts look like the result of JPEG compression. Such compression artifacts are particularly likely to be visible in large flat areas with slowly changing intensity, like your blue sky.
If ...
- 17.4k
7
votes
How to get clear tree branches when bracketing for HDR?
If you're going to use HDR techniques, you need a perfectly motionless subject. If there is even the slightest breeze, small tree branches are going to move and will not be in precisely the same ...
- 1,760
7
votes
Accepted
How do you achieve this soft/glowing low-contrast black and white look?
I think what is really making the difference here is a misinterpretation of a colour profile/icc. The darker version might be Rec709 being misinterpreted as sRGB - one is a video profile, the other ...
- 23.2k
6
votes
Are three different exposures enough for a good HDR image?
In practice, when the scene has a large dynamic range, you need to take many exposures despite the fact that in theory a few exposures suffice to cover the entire dynamic range. You may want to limit ...
- 3,596
6
votes
If, brightness → dynamic range... white balance → what?
The human eye can also adjust to any color temperature. So, it has a broad ______. What is the blank?
Our eyes have a wide range of color (chromatic) adaptation.
- 175k
6
votes
Why is software-based manipulation of images frowned upon while hardware-based manipulation is acceptable?
Why... acceptable while... frowned upon by the photography community?
The context changes what is acceptable and what isn't. The context of your original question was "traditional photography rules" ...
- 26.9k
6
votes
Accepted
How to avoid these artifacts around cables in HDR?
The effect is very common and most, if not all, HDR applications will demonstrate it at edges between very bright and very dark areas of an image. It's usually referred to as
a "halo".
'Deghost' ...
- 175k
6
votes
Fast, lossy compressed, 10 bit image format (Or 12 bit or 16 bit)
No single file format currently fits your requirements. Your current solution is the most practical for now. JPG for viewing and export. TIF/PNG/RAW for preservation and editing.
Most image ...
- 26.9k
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