HDR on RAW files, why not?

[starfire]

Photomatix can do a good job these days with just one Raw file, especially the newer 14-bit variety. There are already far more levels of information than a monitor these days can display, so 'tone-mapping' seems justified as a way to portray them. Granted, we are limited by the dynamic range that the camera is actually capturing in that one shot- which will vary from one camera to another. Fuji DSLRs are the best here, with their 'Super CCD SR', but others are catching up. My D300 has a pretty good range, I'd say.

 

Perhaps it is wrong to call this HDR and we should just call this a 'tone-mapped Raw file'. The effect can be very satisfying within certain parameters, i.e. not going so far as to get a noisy image and having an original that is well-exposed. Sometimes you can't get the bracketed files and then, I'm just saying- the process is worthwhile and can lead to some satisfying images. The fact that I find taking one photo more natural than three or five helps the spontaneity of the process, too, I find.

 

I just think it's a bit of a myth that you absolutely need 3 or more files to do tone-mapping on, as is the idea that you need to always use a tripod. As dynamic range in digital cameras increases, it will probably become more acceptable to present Raw files this way. I'd go even further and say that the very low dynamic range of monitors and the internet they display lends itself to (tastefully) tone-mapped images, as they stand out so well in the limited SRGB colour-space. When it comes to printing, this may well be less true.<div></div>

[Brad_]

>>> You are not increasing the dynamic range of the camera by using one raw file.

 

That needs to be repeated again and again...

[emre]

Autopano will not only make HDR out of RAW files, it will stitch them into a panorama at the same time...

[glyn r]

>>> You are not increasing the dynamic range of the camera by using one raw file.

 

That needs to be repeated again and again...

 

Emre Safak, Feb 15, 2008; 11:46 a.m.

 

But you are making more use of the range that is there. It allows some shadow and highlight recovery which is very difficult any other way. I dislike the effects created in Photomatix and other software so I do it with layers in PS which give more control.

[emre]

You are merely manipulating it in another way. I use the Shadow/Highlight tool in such circumstances. Much less trouble than tone mapping a pseudo-HDRI.