I’m a big fan of details… I often like my images to feel a bit “gritty” and “deep.” Sure, it doesn’t work for every subject, but there are plenty where a little “pop” goes a long way.
One of my favorite ways to do this is HDR toning. This isn’t the traditional HDR you’ve heard of. You don’t need multiple exposures or anything else… just a piece of software. I prefer Photomatix Pro ($99 US), but you can get the same results with Photomatix Essentials ($39 US). The Pro version has other benefits we’ll explore later. Both versions work well. You’ll also find an HDR toning option available in some of the other HDR plugins on the market.
Consider this image.
On the left is the original photo, shot handheld. On the right is the same image with a HDR tone map applied.
- Launch Photomatix (you can get a free trial here).
- Choose File > Open and navigate and select image you want to use.
- Choose Edit > Tone Map.
- Photomatix gives you the option to reduce noise… click Yes.
- Click the Method pop-up menu and choose a method. I prefer the new Contrast Optimizer method which is subtle, but effective. You can also try the Details Enhancer mode.
- Adjust the sliders to taste (I prefer the Strength, Lighting Effect, Black Clip, and Color Saturation sliders).
- Click Apply when done.
- Use the Finishing Touch sliders to enhance contrast and color balance.
Besides the ability to add pop to a regular photo… I also love the technique to make great black and white images. In the image below, I love how some of the details in the background and along the left edge are restored. This subject just called for the rust and texture to show through.
Using the Details Enhancer and pulling out the saturation, I made a high impact black and white photo. In both cases, these images were processed from single exposures. In fact I used 8-bit RGB TIFF files for each. While a raw image or better yet a series of bracketed raw photos would be ideal, I still achieved dramatic improvement with no change to my shooting style.
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I sometimes use a bit extra contrast, it is hard to get it “natural” sometimes, but works well other times. Your photo looks great!
I find creating the Black and White in Photomatix one step easier than opening Silver Efex afterwards!
I wish I had found your blog when I was starting out! It’s very helpful.
Well… we hope we can still inspire you.
I love your blog :)
Great tip …
Hello Richard:
I enjoyed reading your post. Made my mind to purchase Photomatix Pro to enhance my pictures. Thank you so much for sharing. Been using Pixrl as an image editor, but Photomatix is far superior. The price is a little steep for me, but I think it’s worth the investment.
Warm Regards,
Omar.-
There is a non pro version of Photomatix too. Be sure to compare features/
Thank you Richard. For an amateur photographer, what do you suggest? The difference in price is substantial.
I like the advanced features of the pro one… but download demos of each and try.
Also consider if you need it to integrate with Photoshop or Lightroom?
Thanks a bunch. I’ll take your excellent suggestion. I’m leaning on the Pro one, but will try both versions before coughing out the dough.
Sorry, but don’t have Photoshop or Lightroom. I’m still wet behind my ears in photography.