360 Controller | HDR comparison

[Manik]

Hey guys,

I'm back with another photo in need of critique. I took the photo today, I found the shapes of the controller would look interesting with the grain of the wood. I focused on composition and was thinking of the desaturated HDR result I've seen so many times.

So here is the original, the correctly exposed of the HDR set:

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2540/img3412comparisonia7.jpg

...and heres my HDR version, with more effects applied in photoshop afterward to bring out the colours of the butons, to act as a point of focus.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/a-m-photo/2405809065/" title="360 Controller | HDR by Manik., on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/2405809065_e286ee4d49.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="360 Controller | HDR" /></a>

Your thoughts...?

[Manik]

No takers?

[Elmo]

Why HDR?

Elmo

[Nathan deGargoyle]

Like it!

This is what HDR should be used for. Great work!

[Alex168]

Awsome! I m going to line up a shot of th e controllers i got laying around at the moment! I m freaking addict to that box, and i sure do like the HDR!! nice work man

[krypticide]

Interesting, but in the process it looks like the controller has been re-shaped. The implied curvature has changed.

[jeremy.white88]

good job bringing out the grain of the wood on the 2nd one

[Alex168]

I m a xbox geek as well and took a photo of my controller a while back! only i did int go HDR on its ass, i just merged the photos togher and played a bit with the opacity and this is the effect i got

My Xbox Controller (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24107330@N02/2411160724/)

but i think that now that i look back on it that the HDR brings out too much detail in the background thus causing me to focous on the crazy wood!

[Murtasma]

What settings did you shoot this with? I think you need a little more depth in the image prob should have stopped the apature down a stop or two. You should also focus on the area right in front of the thumbsticks next time to ensure the controller lays within the depth of field.

[Alex168]

I cant bump down the appreture anymore, my lens wont le me and its the only lens i got! I shot in manual at f5.6 and 55mm 1/60. Why would i focus the area in front of the thumbsticks when I wanted the A,B,X,Y keys to be the main focus point? There are servral ways to taking this photo, and the way i did it works out great.

[Murtasma]

You probably should have shot this at F8. The larger the Fstop # the greater depth of field you have. The depth of field extends about 3/4's past your focus point and 1/4 in front of where you are focusing. If you focused on the thumbsticks the grips would fall into the 1/4 in front of the focus point and 3/4 behind it for the buttons.

Try using your DOF preview buton if you have one on your camera to find the correct FStop to use to make sure everyting is in focus.

:)

[britblogger]

superb HDR work - I love what it did to the table too! good work.

[sweetpea1981]

Much prefer the HDR version... much more detail :)

[i_luv_ph0tos]

nice job... is that called "select... color.." oh i forgot it already...

but great job on this one! but the buttons seems a little unemphasized to me...

[Sunday0303]

Interesting, but in the process it looks like the controller has been re-shaped. The implied curvature has changed.

I agree. The controller looks like it's a valley instead of a mountain.

[Sistog]

good photo.. but i think it can be improved! why don't try to sharp the controller?

[Fernando]

Wow.. I like it.. looks realistic, not super edited to death. The wood really comes out nice!

[PhoenixTX]

This is what HDR should be used for.
It should? HDR is used for displaying an image with a higher luminance range than a camera can usually capture in a single exposure. I didn't really see anything wrong with the original image... there were no blown highlights and no detail lost in shadows. I'm not knocking the post processing that was done, it actually made a very interesting image, but a good candidate for HDR? I don't think so.

[frad-ster]

I actually prefer certain aspects of both the before and after. I prefer the colors and sharpness of the controller in the first image, but I prefer the nice woody texture in the second image. Since you used PS to do the work on the table, why use HDR on this? I guess I just don't see a very wide range that needs to be captured. Maybe I am missing something, but I think you might have come out with a better result just doing the processing thru layer masks in PS :confused: But! Please let me know if I am going crazy here... :eek:

[GEli]

It should? HDR is used for displaying an image with a higher luminance range than a camera can usually capture in a single exposure. I didn't really see anything wrong with the original image... there were no blown highlights and no detail lost in shadows. I'm not knocking the post processing that was done, it actually made a very interesting image, but a good candidate for HDR? I don't think so.

Exactly. I disagree on the interesting image point, though. In this case the PP actually detracted from the image, as the shape of the controller is pretty heavily distorted by the blotchy removal of some shadows and any semblance of dramatic lighting has been removed. The detail in the wood would've been brought out with the other processing regardless - the HDR just makes a great deal more work for a weaker image.

Stick with the original. It's leaps and bounds better.