Have any coin photographers ever tried HDR techniques on coins?

WorldWideGold

Any experienced coin photographers ever tried HDR techniques on coins? If so, could you share your work?

I had some free time and was going to give it a try.

Edit to add: link for those not familiar with HDR post processing.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging HDR WIKI Link

mgoodm3

I have played a little with it. Not particularly useful for most. Adjusting the lighting is generally an easier way to avoid harsh highlights.

WorldWideGold

<< <i>I have played a little with it. Not particularly useful for most. Adjusting the lighting is generally an easier way to avoid harsh highlights. >>



Thanks Mark, this is true. I was kind of gearing the use of these techniques more towards an "artistic" application. For uses primarily in banners, screen savers, wallpapers, siglines, ad pages, etc...I agree it probably would not be conducive to use the images to base buy/sell decisions on.

mgoodm3

Probably work fine in that apllication since some of the coolest looking images have a very high contrast. HDR also gives the images a little different look.

TomB

There was a thread on the boards about one or more members attempting this perhaps two years ago.

lsica

Sorry to bring an old thread back to life - but has anyone tried HDR with toned cameo proofs (especially copper ones)? It's those types of images (since the toning, the cameo effect, and the mirror surfaces never seem to all show in the same exposure level) that would seem to me to benefit from HDR.

rodzm

Ive tried it and there is no significant improvement. It only works with a picture that has a wide range of subjects

coinkid855

Yeah, I don't think it would help that much...


-Paul

messydesk

HDR's primary application is for situations in which you can't control the lighting, but can control the exposure. With coins, you typically have total control over the lighting, so HDR becomes not so useful. You probably could use it to make some interesting, more surreal pictures if you wanted. As the components for HDR composition can be thought of in the same manner as Photoshop layers, you could do stuff like removing the red channel from one layer, posterize another layer, blur another, an so on, and then see what happens. You might get something pretty cool as a result, and you might not. It could be fun trying, and if anyone asks you what you're doing, you could simply say you're researching computational photography techniques as applied to numismatics. They'll either become really interested or leave you alone post haste.

lsica

Hmmm... I may watch eBay for some cheap late-date proof lincolns with some nice color and pick them up just to try the technique to see if its worth it. I had a '58 at one point that had KILLAH color, but no matter how I tried to position lights and adjust exposure SOMETHING would suffer in the image; color, cameo effect, or reflectivity.

lsica

OK.... have I been out of this so long that the price of "rainbow toned" late date proof Lincolns have shot through the roof? Just checked eBay and the kind of stuff I couldn't sell for $30 just a few years ago are going into the hundreds. Or are the prices just the high hopes of a particular seller?

leothelyon

<< <i>OK.... have I been out of this so long that the price of "rainbow toned" late date proof Lincolns have shot through the roof? Just checked eBay and the kind of stuff I couldn't sell for $30 just a few years ago are going into the hundreds. Or are the prices just the high hopes of a particular seller? >>



It's called, blind love!


Leo

RWB

Coins are not “high dynamic range” subjects unless you’ve really screwed up the lighting. In which case, your photos will not benefit from adjustment of the dynamic range.