Can Lightroom do HDR?

<p>I have never used Lightroom, but currently use ACR then Photoshop. Here are the specific tasks for which I use Photoshop: HDR, shadow-highlights, curves, and sharpening. I know the last three can be done in ACR, but I prefer Photoshop. Can Lightroom do HDR? Needless to say, I'm looking to the future and have no plans to go to Adobe CC.</p>

<p>As I recall, the latest version of LR won't 'do' HDR (ie. create an HDR file from N bracketed exposures) but it will accept a 32 (?) bit depth file that is output from HDR programs so you can do some work w/ it.</p>

<p>Yep. Kind of weird the way that works. Think it has to be a .tif, but not positive.</p>

<p>You can easily use your existing version of Photoshop with Lightroom for HDR. There is a menu function that will allow you to send a set of images to Photoshop for HDR processing. It's explained <a href="http://help.adobe.com/en_US/lightroom/using/WS2bacbdf8d487e5822dbb5f3d134b48ff7aa-8000.html#WS4A8A46A8-683F-4bc7-9639-03CB8FE73E84">here.</a> I prefer the Nik plug-in for HDR, although my use is limited to real estate photos I'm hired to do.</p>

<p>You can also use the Lr/Enfuse plugin:<br>

http://www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrenfuse.php</p>

<p>LRenfuse is no real HDR, but it works.</p>

<p>True but enfusing, IMO looks a heck of a lot better than the usual over the top HDR that seems to be (unfortunately) popular.</p>

<p>Found the right term: LR/enfuse does Exposure Blending. In my experience it works quite well however for HDR/Exposure Blending/Focus Stacking there is no 'best' solution. Depending on the pictures you start with sometimes one program is better, sometimes another.</p>

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<p>True but enfusing, IMO looks a heck of a lot better than the usual over the top HDR that seems to be (unfortunately) popular.</p>

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<p> <br>

"Over the top" is about usage, not tools. Unless it's a tool with no controls, there's always a way to control things.</p>

<p>You can use the Nik plug-in and tune down the effect to where most people would not look at it and immediately go "Eeeew, HDR!" It will work by itself, sort of, but will plug into Photoshop and, I think, LR.<br>

I don't know if this bargain offer is still available and if the coupon code for additional discount is still valid, but.. <br>

http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00bUIW </p>

<p>Of course it's about the usage.<br>

In almost every Photomatix shot I've seen, the user seems to just crank every slider to the 'too much' position and thinks they're avant-garde grunge artists.</p>

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<p>You can use the Nik plug-in and tune down the effect</p>

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<p> <br>

That's not necessary. It's very flexible and you don't start from a "tune down" point. It has presets that are close to done for certain looks, including mild ones. This is from a job, the light was really difficult and the results impossible without HDR. And it was just one click in the Nik plug-in.<br>

<br>

<img src="http://spirer.com/images/real_estate_example.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Thanks all for responding. I use HDR for just that - extending the dynamic range, not for overdramatic effects. The Nik software is impressive - I like Jeff's image. I do have CS6. That in combo with Lightroom, and the Nik plug in, can keep me going for quite some time. I have no intention of going to a Photoshop cloud service.</p>

<p>If you shoot in Raw format then you can create an HDR image directly within Lightroom from a single image. Ok maybe not to the high end but probably good enough for most people's use.</p><div></div>

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<p>you can create an HDR image directly within Lightroom from a single image</p>

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<p> <br>

You can't do this. Lightroom can not pull out exposure information that isn't there in a single image. It doesn't work that way. This is "HDR look" and has little to do with HDR.</p>

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<p>You can't do this. Lightroom can not pull out exposure <a id="_GPLITA_1" title="Click to Continue > by Browse to Save" href="/digital-darkroom-forum/00bcsA?start=10">information</a> that isn't there in a single image. It doesn't work that way. This is "HDR look" and has little to do with HDR.</p>

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<p>The exposure information is there in a Raw image. As stated maybe to not quite the same extent as three seperate images but you will still get -2 stops to +2 stops from a single raw image. If you look at my photo you will see the boys are in deep shadow under the trees with bright sunlight shinning through. Lightroom has been able to pull detail from both the shadows as well as the highlights. <br /><br />HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. This image certainly has that so the answer to the original question "Can Lightroom produce HDR image" is yes.</p>

<p>HDR is a technique. It doesn't matter what the words are. There is no way in Lightroom to pull out the information in the image I posted, or in what HDR tools produce.</p>

<p>Not to sure that your 100% correct there Jeff.<br>

High-dynamic-range photographs are generally achieved by capturing multiple standard photographs, often using <a title="Bracketing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracketing#Exposure_bracketing">exposure bracketing</a>, and then merging them into an HDR image.<br>

As the above states "are generally achieved" My understanding is that HDR is an image that displays High Dynamic Range no matter how this was achieved.<br /><br />Your argument is that if I created three images from one raw file in Lightroom one as shot, one with +2 stops exposure and the last with -2 stops exposure and then exported these to lets say the Nik program to create an HDR image from these three images I would have a true HDR image as opposed to being able to do this in Lightroom by pulling +2 stops of information from the shadows and -2 stops of information from the highlights.<br>

I'm not saying that Lightroom would create and image as good as lets say the Nik software again. But the image from Lightroom does have a High Dynamic Range and is therefore a HDR image.<br>

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<p>Gene, here is a very good article on how to create an HDR image using only one raw image and Lightroom.<br /><br /><a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/correcting-and-creating-hdr-images-in-lightroom">http://digital-photography-school.com/correcting-and-creating-hdr-images-in-lightroom</a></p>

 

<p>It is with LR3. LR4 has more sophistigated possibilities ja different names to the panels.</p>

I use Timothy Armes Enfuse plug-in with Lightroom 4 and 5b for extending dynamic range while maintaining a

perceptually realistic appearance and color balance in the image. It is very effective at its default settings for doing that

but the control parameters are easily tweaked to produce different effects. The finished image can be output as a TIFF,

JPEG, or PSD in the 8 or 16 bit per channel color space of your choosing and there is an automatically re-import into

your Lightroom library and catalog option.

 

I've tried and continue to try other HDR plug-ins, programs, and Photoshop workflows but for me Enfuse continues to

produces results that I am happiest with.

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<p>LRenfuse is no real HDR</p>

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<p>Please enlighten us as to what criterion of "real HDR" enfuse fails to meet.</p>

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<p>It's very flexible and you don't start from a "tune down" point. It has presets that are close to done for certain looks, including mild ones.</p>

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<p>Come on now, very few of the presets that it comes with are all that close to what anyone would want who is not into the neon edges look.</p>

 

 

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<p>Come on now, very few of the presets that it comes with are all that close to what anyone would want who is not into the neon edges look.</p>

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<br />Here you go, which one of these has that kind of look?

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<p>Let me put it another way, which of those, even starting with your own picture, would you want to accept without adjustment?<br /> "Neon edge" may have been a bit strong, but none is really natural looking. Most of the presets require at least adjustment of the exposure, and many more than that. The most likely acceptable out of the box, are the B&W HD conversions.</p>

<p><br /> Edge of vase, edge of cabinet (slight), and noise/banding in dark area:</p><div></div>