How can I get better dynamic range results with LR/Enfuse in Lightroom?
Asked 7/18/2012
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I'm using Lightroom 4 on Mac with the LR/Enfuse plugin. I've read the documentation and tried blending bracketed exposures, but the enfused results don't look very different from the original files. I expected more dynamic range, though not the strong HDR/tone-mapped look you might get from software like Photomatix.
What are some good practices for using LR/Enfuse effectively? Are there Lightroom adjustments or bracketing approaches that help produce better exposure-fusion results?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
3
Are you expecting exposure fusion or HDR results? See: How does exposure fusion work?
LR/Enfuse uses Enfuse which merges exposures but does not create an HDR image.
This is an example of an image that used exposure fusion:
This is an example of an image that was output from an HDR image and tone mapped:
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
14y ago
0
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LR/Enfuse does exposure fusion, not true HDR creation with tone mapping. So if you're expecting the dramatic HDR look, LR/Enfuse will usually appear much more natural and subtle.
A few practical tips:
- Use properly bracketed exposures, such as 0 / -2 / +2 EV, so Enfuse has real highlight and shadow information to combine.
- In Lightroom, try raising Fill and Recovery before running Enfuse. This can help the source files contribute more usable shadow and highlight detail.
- Judge the result as a natural dynamic-range blend, not as a stylized HDR effect.
In short: if the result looks only modestly different, that may be normal for exposure fusion. LR/Enfuse is designed to merge the best-exposed parts of each frame into a realistic image, rather than generate the stronger, tone-mapped HDR appearance produced by dedicated HDR software.
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