Folow-up Q&A with John Warner - Pro HDR Photography

Ashville, NC pro photographer John Warner gave a super informative webinar detailing how he incorporates HDR photography into his pro workflow. The audience was huge and the questions for John demonstrated the growing interest in HDR in the advanced digital photography community.

You can watch the entire webinar at these locations on the web:

Part 1 http://youtu.be/VrjmhLhfIJI
Part 2 http://youtu.be/g93v8oWvKD0

There was so much demand for more info from John that we conducted this follow-up interview.

Q: Can you do final image adjustments in lightroom on hdr processed bef files?

A: No. Lightroom does not support 32-bit Bef files. If you have HDR Expose 2 installed on your system, you can use Ligtroom to export your original images to the HDR Expose 2 plug-in where they will be processed in UCT’s 32-bit Beyond RGB color space, and returned as a 16-bit TIFF file back to Lightroom where they can be further processed using LR’s tools.

Q: Do you put your "raw" images in Lightroom, then open HDR Expose through that, or use Expose as a stand alone? (I don't know how to organize a batch of photos)

A: For a large shoot I batch process the images using the stand alone version of HDR Expose 2. This is much more time efficient than processing individual scenes one at a time using the Lightroom plug-in

Q: I shoot mostly local wildlife at ponds, dams, etc. What subject is best to try bracketing shots with, if any? (Also, can only do 3 shots at once on my Nikon D90)

A: HDR Is only necessary for scenes with wide enough contrast ranges that can not easily be captured in a single exposure. Since it requires exposure bracketing, you will also want to use it on scenes that don’t have movement e.g. wildlife.
Regarding the auto exposure bracket settings on the camera, you can over come the 3 bracket limitation by shooting in manual (fix the aperture and just adjust the shutter speed between frames) or you can use 3rd party tool like the Promote Control by Promote Systems http://www.promotesystems.com

Q: With Batch if you have multiple takes and brackets of same shot how capable is Expose in determining which take is with which brackets?

A: HDR Expose 2 groups the original images based on the time gap between frames. The assumption is the time between frames is usually shorter than the time it takes to set up a camera to take a next shot. You can control that through the auto stacking slider in the batch merge dialog. You can also manually delete or add an individual image to a batch if, for some reason it isn’t automatically included in the batch.

Q: After thumbnails and before merging, do you parce images versus using all 8 exposures

A: No

Q: 24mm Tilt shift lens?

A: I use a Canon 24mm tilt shift lens for most architectural work.

Q: An issue with hdr softwares was raw conversion quality or interpretation, in the past a lot of softwares used a processor called dcraw that wasn't very good, I've gotten used to process the raws in canons dpp or acr into tiff and the blend the images into a hdr 32 bit file

A: Not sure I read a question here. HDR Expose supports importing 16 bit TIF’s from RAW regardless of the conversion method.

Q: Do you use the raw files directly on the tone mapping software, or do you convert to tiff using some raw processor software such as ACR and then use those tiffs to make the 32 bit hdr image?

A: I target the raw files directly from HDR Expose.

Q: How does the software deal with ghosting?

A: HDR Expose 2 has three different options for dealing with ghosts, one to blurr the movement like flowing water or moving clouds, another to give a sharp outline around the moving object like a person or car moving through the scene which makes it easer to clone out in photoshop afterwards, and a third option that is a combination of both methods. If you are working in Photoshop with 32 Float v2, you can use Photoshop’s Merge to HDR Pro… tool and save the merged image as a 32-bit image to process in Float. In this workflow, you are using Adobe’s deghosting tools

Q: What ISO do you use? The lowest possible or do you raise it a bit, since depending on the camera a higher ISO gives you a bit wider dynamic range

A: 160 generally unless it is a very low light scene.

Q: Can we rely in the quality of the conversion of recent hdr apps?

A: If you mean desktop app, then HDR Expose 2 quality can be relied upon. If you are talking about a smartphone app, I am not familiar with those since I don’t use my iPhone for image making.

Q: What is difference between .BEF and .HDR file types

A: Bef is a very efficient 32-bit HDR file format developed by Unified Color based on their Beyond RGB color space that the products use. Radiance HDR is another 32-bit File format that HDR Expose 2 and other applications support. There is also a 3rd format called OpenEXR in addition to 32-bit TIFF that HDR Expose also supports. At the end of the day, bef offers the most amount of compression with the least amount of visually detectable artifacts and thus smallest file sizes. See the comparison below and note that the 32-bit Bef file is even smaller than one of the five Nikon raw files used to create it.

Q: Do you have a preference to the number of exposures work best (3, 5, etc...) and AEB stops?

A: I generally shoot 9 exposures which allows 4 over and 4 under the metered exposure. I bracket in 1 stop increments.

Q: How much do you charge for a typical shoot?

A: There is no typical shoot.

Q: Is it possible to duplicate a single RAW image, adjusting each exposure and merge them to achieve HDR? Idea is to HDR old RAW images that weren't shot in HDR.

A: This won’t buy you much and only cost you a lot more time to process it. If you didn’t shoot a bracket series to ensure that you capture the highlights and have clean noise free shadow exposures, there is no way to get that back after the fact.
If you have RAW files, HDR Expose 2 can open them and you can use the same tools and 32-bit processing to correct them, but it won’t be the same as having a full bracketed range.

Creating multiple processed versions from the same single image can also have the
effect of introducing other unwanted artifacts since contrast and sharpening adjustments can have different effects on different brightness levels that can show up as halos and other posterization artifacts after the merge.
Best to just use the HDR Expose 2 tools to process the single image.

Q: What kind of strobe package to you use on residential shoots?

A: Elinchrome Quadra Ranger

Q: I am tortured by this problem: tungsten interiors with daylight windows. How do you combine images where the highlight is in a different color temperature than your interior?

A: Set a white balance of 4000 Kelvin which is a good starting point for mixed lighting challenges like this. You will get warm interiors and cool exteriors but it is a compromise value which keeps either one from looking too far away from normal. An alternative is to use 32 float and color balance for daylight on one layer and tungsten on the other. Use a layer mask to blend.

Q: What's your average retouching time for an image? Maybe a range, since I know it can vary widely.

A: 15 minutes average.

Q: How did you get started, and do you use the HDR as a selling feature, or do you use it as just another trick in the bag?

A: A full time hobby in college which led to a pro choice. It is another trick in the bag. Since some HDR shots are in my portfolio, they are also part of my selling feature.

Q: Thanks you answered my initial question, so when batch processing the combined 32bit files you would need to create the preset manually before you batch correct?

A: Yes, or select one of the defaults or a custom preset you created previously

Q: Will HDR Expose 2 save in 32-bit TIFF?

A: Yes that is an option, but why would you lug around a 120 MB image for example when you could do it with a 14 MB Bef file (see comparison chart above). When you install HDR Expose 2 or 32 Float v2 you also have the option of installing a Bef file format plug-in that will allow you to open and save .Bef files in Photoshop

Q: Is it better to feed RAW files or 16bit tif files corrected for CA let's say? Does it benefit from that or better work directly with RAWs? Thank you

A: I currently shoot so many HDR’s on a shoot that I have been standardizing on batch mode of an entire folder. The CA issue is an important one and third party solutions might help. In particular the DXO Optics Pro which applies lens profiles and saves to a DNG which HDR can read.

Q: Will the Promote work on the 5D mark 2?

A Yes

Q: How do you set up your white balance for interior shots that may have 3 or 4 types of lighting. D you use a grey card to calibrate the WB, if you don’t have an EXPO DISC. What do you start shooting in WB and then what WB do use for processing ?

A: I try to determine the dominate lighting source and color balance for that. A grey card would work in place of the EXPO-disc I shoot the WB as determined by Expodisc at the location. I tweak WB at the final HDR Expose stage by insuring that neutrals are not having a color shift.

Q: Does he always use all 8 or all 10 images when compiling for the HDR merge?

A: Yes in that I let Batch mode use all of those images even though they may not actually be used in the final 32 bit creation. I have tested deleting unnecessary raw files before the batch process (ones which don’t recover any additional highlight or shadow detail), then I ran the batch on all of the images. The results were identical. I run the batch mode in the background while doing other tasks so I don’t mind if the process takes a few minutes longer. I like the idea of starting the batch and leaving it unattended.

Q: We can export multiple images to Expose from LR4

A: Yes you can export multiple exposures of one scene to the Lightroom HDR Expose 2 plug-in. The plug-in only processes one scene at a time. If you need to process in batches then I suggest using the batch feature in the stand alone version of HDR Expose 2

Q: What are your typical camera settings for outdoor image? ie camera mode, f-stop etc..?

A: Manual mode, f/16.

Q: I am tuning in a little late but what software/hdw do you use to get 8 or more bracketed shots?

A: The Promote Control (see link above)

Q: how do you get more than 5 bracketed images from a 5d mkiii

A: The Promote Control (see link above)

Q: Does John see a commercial future for HDR video (as opposed to HDR static images)?

A: I am investigating. I certainly hope so.

Q: Apart from timelapse - what would you use to shoot HDR video and how many f-stops would that give you?

A: --unanswered--

Q: Why is it necessary to go to 16 bit on the second pass?

A: Ultimately you want to get back to a 16-bit image. If you return the 2nd image as a 16-bit layer to Photoshop it will do the correct mode change in Photoshop ensuring that the results you see were what you created in 32-Float and not with additional processing steps that Adobe may apply if you perform the mode change step in Photoshop.

Q: What is the advantage/disadvantages of using 32 Float in Photoshop as opposed to exporting into Expose 2

A: 32 Float is a great solution for those folks that primarily use Photoshop to process their images. It automatically returns the processed images as layers with masks into Photoshop. If you prefer to use a Lightroom or Batch mode workflow then you will want to check out HDR Expose 2. Either way, the tools and color technology are the same, it really depends on your workflow preferences.

Q: BEF file? what is that?

A: Unified Color’s HDR Format (see answer above)

Q: How do you handle the glare spill from the outside windows?

A: Photoshop retouching on the topmost layer. Cloning and healing brush.

Q: Is Unified Color planning to release a BEF plug-in for Lightroom 4?

A: Not currently planned at this point. The Lightroom architecture allows for import and export plug-ins, but does not have the facility for file format plug-ins at this time that would work with the non-destructive workflow inside of Lightroom.
The best way to go at this time is to use the HDR Expose 2 Export plug-in process the HDR image in 32-bits inside the plug-in and return the final product as a 16-bit TIFF file back to Lightroom

Q: How do you bring back in the exteriors so the colours are not faded compared to the interior.

A: Try 32 float and use layer masks. Process for the outside in one pass the the interior in another. Then blend with layer masks.

Q: Can you give us an idea of your workflow for interior shots with windows? I haven't had much luck with those types in HDR Exp2. outdoors looks too grunge

A: Try 32 float and use layer masks. Process for the outside in one pass the the interior in another. Then blend with layer masks.

Q: On average,how long will you spend on each image before you think it's ready to be sent to client?

A: 15 – 20 minutes

Q: What is the mount he uses? looking for different manufacturer than gigapan to buy one from

A: Roundshot VR Drive 2.