High Dynamic Range image with Adobe PSE-8

DieClash

I realize that the photo gurus out there won't recommend HDR techniques for imaging coins, but I just purchased Photoshop Elements 8 and it has a new photomerge feature that makes HDR imaging very simple to achieve.

The third picture in this thread is a combination of the first two. From my perspective the merged image is an improvement over the first two.

F9 - 1/60




F7 - 1/100




Merged image

Stuart

DieClash: I think that you can get the desired improved images by working with your lighting source and lighting angle. There are numerous forum references to coin photography, and even a forum member (Mark Goodman) who wrote a great book on the subject.

DieClash

<< <i>DieClash: I think that you can get the desired improved images by working with your lighting source and lighting angle. There are numerous forum references to coin photography, and even a forum member (Mark Goodman) who wrote a great book on the subject. >>



Hi Stuart...I have Mark's book (an excellent reference btw), a decent copy stand and I've experimented with all variety of light sources. I have an older Fuji FinePix S5000 digital camera with lots of bells and whistles. It has "Super CCD" sensor, but I don't believe it is a true SLR. Although I paid roughly $500 for it 6 years ago.

My next investment will be to upgrades to a true SLR.

airplanenut

I agree with Stuart on this one. A lustrous Morgan should shoot easily 99% of the time with lights at about 10 and 2 o'clock, and the resulting image can be much better than the three here. The problem with the method used is that it combines images at different extremes--one is dark, and the other overly lit. The merged image looks like a polished coin, though the first one says that's not the case.

Jeremy

LanLord

While I agree that working with lighting can make a great deal of difference, HDR adds the best of both (or more) images and can effectively increase the "forgiveness" of digital imaging. One drawback to digital versus (negative) film is that digital has the exposure latitude equal to or less than slide film, which is about one f/stop. Negative film has at least a 2 stop and more like 3 stops of latitude on exposure. This makes HDR technique very effective, when and only when the original images are perfectly aligned, have perfect focus and have desirable image quality.

That all said, you can just as easily develop an image with worse results if any of the original images are not all there.

myth

I agree with proper ;lighting you will get the best shot. But, if you want to play with HDR images I would recommend using at least 3 images exposing one for each: highlights mid-tones and shadows.

cheezhed

<< <i>I realize that the photo gurus out there won't recommend HDR techniques for imaging coins >>



Then all the photo gurus chime in...

My question is that it appears to me that the exposure was the only change between the 2 pics.

For this to be more effective shouldn't the lighting position be changed?