Let's Create An HDR Image Using Aurora HDR 19

Let’s first understand what exactly is an HDR image. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. HDR images display tones far exceeding the recording capabilities of a digital camera’s imaging sensor. This of course needs further explanation. Photographing high contrast scenes using a single exposure, and expecting adequate details in the highlights as well as the shadows, is not always possible under today’s technology. If you expose correctly for the bright sky, the foreground will be underexposed (will be very dark); if you expose correctly for the darker foreground, the highlights (the sky) will be overexposed. At such times, we say that the dynamic range of the scene is greater than the dynamic range of the camera’s imaging sensor.

One way to deal with a high-contrast situation is to use a Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filter. GND filters are are also known as Split Neutral Density filters. The lower half of a GND filter is totally transparent while the upper half has a gradual darkening. Using a filter holder (you could also use the filter without the holder) you adjust the filter in front of the lens so that the demarcation line is at or near the horizon. GND filters are available in various strengths. Meter the sky and the foreground, while keeping the aperture and ISO unchanged. Let us assume that the difference in shutter speed is four stops. In other words, the sky is four stops brighter than the foreground. In such a situation you should opt for a three-stop GND filter (if you use a four stop GND filter, the sky as well as the foreground would be at a same brightness level, which would look wrong; you want the sky to be brighter). While this method is workable, there can be issues if the horizon in the scene is not level or if there is some projection into the sky (trees or buildings for example). The projected area would also get darkened gradually.

A better solution is to use two, three, five or even exposures of the same scene with varying exposures and then combining them in a specially designed software.

Note: It is possible to create an HDR effect using a single raw capture. This is often known as Pseudo HDR (False HDR). The final result will be good but not as good as an HDR photo created using two or more captures.

How do you expose the images for an HDR effect?

There are several ways to do this. For all the methods, I suggest that you shoot in Raw format.