What does the first preview screen in Luminance HDR show before tone mapping?
Asked 3/9/2018
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2 answers
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In Luminance HDR, after importing and merging bracketed photos, the first screen appears before I save or export anything. I’m trying to understand what that screen represents.
Does it show the merged HDR image before any tone mapping is applied, with the tone-mapping options on the left only affecting the preview? In my testing, changing the mapping option or the blue slider doesn’t seem to change the final HDR merge itself, so I’m wondering if that screen is just a preview of either the HDR image or a tone-mapped LDR version.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
You are correct. The various operator options are different previews of the HDR - you can save them as tonemapped LDR images (*.tiff, *.jpg, *.png, *.bmp, *.ppm, .pbm, set from Tools > Preferences, under the 'Fast export' tab) using the panel on the left, or use the 'save as' button to save the image as an HDRi in one of 4 formats (.exr, *.tiff, *.hdr, *.pfs). The 'Update preview' button simply updates the tonemapped LDR image in the preview.
If you are creating an HDRi, you will probably just want to use the 'Save as...' button at the top, unless you are looking to make tonemapped LDR's.
Originally by user74969. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user74969
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. That first screen is essentially a preview stage after the HDR merge. The tone-mapping operator settings on the left are used to generate a preview of a tone-mapped LDR image, not to change the underlying merged HDR data itself.
In other words:
- the merged HDR image exists already,
- the operator choices affect the preview/output of a tone-mapped version,
- clicking the preview/update button refreshes that preview,
- the actual final output happens when you save/export.
If you want the HDR image itself, use “Save as...” and save to an HDR format such as EXR, HDR, TIFF, or PFS. If you want a tone-mapped LDR image for normal viewing, export to formats like JPG, PNG, or TIFF from the tone-mapping/export options.
So your understanding is correct: the first screen is not the final processed result, but a preview workflow step.
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