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This is a three frame bracket set HDR image processed in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 with 60% anti-ghosting applied. It was very breezy when I shot the bracket set but the anti-ghosting did a respectable job of merging the three exposures. As is my usual work flow I finished the image in Aperture 3.
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This image is from the Parklands shoot I did earlier this week. It is a HDR image from three exposures -2, 0, and +2 EV that were merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 using the balanced preset with some adjustments applied. I then returned it to Aperture 3 where it was given the final adjustments to color, vibrancy and sharpening.
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While installing the handrails on the Big Four Bridge, Perry and Thomas had to cut some of the large rivets away to make room for the handrail base. The pneumatic chisel they are using is a handful and the job goes better when they work as a team.
I wanted to capture the movement as they cut the rivets so I used a slow shutter to allow their figures and the tool to blur while retaining the texture on the steel. I wasn’t sure how the images would turn out but once I loaded them into Aperture 3 I saw that I had captured the essence of the workers and the impact that the chisel makes as it hammers away at the stell.
I started by processing the image with Aperture 3 where I did some initial RAW adjusting and sharpening. I then took it into NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I applied a realistic preset and some tone mapping. After that it was back into Aperture 3 for final sharpening and some saturation and vibrancy adjustments.
As many of you know I have been using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 since it was first released. I think it is the best HDR plugin on the market today and I wanted to see how another photographer found using it. I found Jason Odell’s eBook on NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did.
I had the opportunity this past week to read Jason Odell’s eBook “The Photographer’s Guide to HDR Efex Pro 2” I found it to be well written and very instructive. Jason does an excellent job of guiding anyone new to NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 in setting up and using the software. His instructions are complete and concise and make getting started with NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 a simple task. He goes into detail about the use of each slider and feature so that the reader can understand and predict what each one will do once they start using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2.
Jason covers the anti-ghosting feature very well and offers tips that help the reader make good decisions about when and how much anti-ghosting to apply. His observations parallel my own experience with the anti-ghosting feature which is that it isn’t always desirable to apply the anti-ghosting at 100%; doing so can produce unwanted results with some images. I, like Jason, often find that using it at 20% is effective and eliminates unwanted results in some images such as those with a lot of sky.
Jason includes several examples of images that he used NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 on and explains which settings he used and why he used them. He shows his readers how to create everything from realistic HDR images through surrealistic HDR images and offers excellent commentary on the subjects.
As an added perk he includes 40 presets that he has developed and he also goes into great detail about how the reader can expand on or develop their own presets too.
All in all I think “The Photographer’s Guide to HDR Efex Pro 2” is an excellent manual for anyone interested in learning how to use NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and well worth the price. I’m glad I read it and have it as a reference book when I need to figure out how to use NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 more effectively.
If you are looking for a great book on NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 then by all means get this one you won’t be sorry.
You can find the book at http://www.luminescentphoto.com/hdrguide.html and download it to your computer in minutes. There is also a link to Jason’s order page in the sidebar under the Blogroll and Training tabs.
I shot this image last night just as a storm front was passing through Louisville. I shot seven brackets E.V. +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, -3, -4 in order to capture the full range of tonality in the scene. As I have said before I watch my histogram closely to be sure that I have no blown out highlights which for this scene required four stops underexposure.
I processed these frames in both NIK HDR Efex Pro and NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and discovered that the later version, NIK HDR Efex Pro 2, is superior in it’s anti-ghosting capabilities as well as it’s tone mapping. I used the Realistic (Deep) preset and adjusted the tonality slider slightly while in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. I then returned the image to Aperture 3 where I tweaked the vibrancy slider and then sharpened the image. After this morning’s experiment I am sold on the upgrade to NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and recommend it for anyone wanting to process bracketed HDR images.
