HDR example images

A common problem when taking pictures of outdoor scenes is that some parts are very bright (the sky) and some very dark (shadows) and it can be hard to capture everything in one shot without under/over exposing some parts of the scene. One solution is to take multiple pictures with different exposure settings to increase the dynamic range and then combine them. For all of the examples here 2-3 pictures were combined using the Image Analyzer Advanced Filter Pack plugin. Usually you would use a tripod when taking the source pictures for HDR, but all of these are shot with hand held camera and then aligned using the stabilize feature in Popims Animator - mostly because I was too lazy to set up the tripod... The series are made with the exposure bracketing setting on my Canon PowerShot. If your camera does not have a bracketing feature you should be able to do it by changing the exposure settings manually, but then you will definitely need a tripod.

Next to the Combine button there is an arrow for a dropdown where you can select the tone mapping method, and I recommend using Advanced increase local contrast for the most flexible tone mapping options.

The software has a number of parameters where you can tweak the result. Depending on settings the results will look more or less natural. The first examples here looks fairly natural whereas in the last the effect is more exaggerated.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Dana nature reserve, Jordan

Jerusalem

Chiang Mai, Thailand 1

Chiang Mai, Thailand 3

Amagerfælled, Denmark

Erawan National Park, Thailand

Al Hussieni Mosque, Amman, Jordan