How can I make HDR photos look more natural and reduce haloing?
Asked 7/15/2010
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My HDR images often end up looking artificial, especially with noticeable halos after tone mapping. What settings or workflow changes can help produce a more natural-looking HDR result?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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The key to a good hdr photo is to use the correct amount of processing for the feel you want to achieve.
If your goal is to get the "hdr look", then you're probably doing it about right, because there should be a slightly "fake" feel.
If you are only using hdr as a method to improve a photo, then just be careful and try to under-process it. If you can't quite tell what method you used to process the image then you've probably done it right.
This is a lot like sharpening, it's best if you can't tell that you did it.
Originally by user67. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
To make HDR look less fake, the main fix is to process more gently. Haloing usually comes from aggressive tone mapping, so back off the settings and aim for a result where the processing isn’t obvious.
Helpful approaches from the community:
- Use less intense HDR/tone-mapping settings overall.
- Spend more time adjusting the image manually instead of relying on automatic presets.
- After tone mapping, refine contrast, color balance, and saturation for a more natural look.
- Blend some of the best single exposure back into the HDR result to restore a realistic appearance.
- For the most natural result, manually blend exposures with masks rather than pushing HDR effects.
- If you use Photomatix, increase Light Smoothing (often to the highest or near-highest setting) to reduce halos.
A good rule of thumb: if viewers can’t immediately tell you used HDR processing, you’ve probably achieved a tasteful result.
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