Auto exposure bracketing (AEB) is the function by which modern DSLR cameras take multiple photos at different exposures with a single click on the shutter release button. This is a vital tool for HDR photographers. It allows you to shoot HDR photos hand-held and reduces the time it takes to produce an exposure series, thereby minimizing movement in the captured photos.
Most entry-level and mid-range DSLRs available today, however, are limited in the range of their AEB function. They usually do 3 shots with a maximum of 2 EV steps. That is, you can produce a series of exposures with -2EV, 0EV and +2EV for a given scene. This is enough form many situations, but if you want to shoot scenes with a higher dynamic range hand-held, you’re in trouble.
In this article, I will show you a simple way of extending your AEB series from 3 to 6, 9 or even 12 exposures, depending on your camera model and its capabilities. The trick is to switch manually between the modes of your camera and doing an AEB series in each mode in short succession. Virtually all DSLR models on the market allow you to get to 6 exposures using the A (aperture priority) and the M (manual) modes. If your camera has user settings (U1 and U2 on Nikon cameras and C1, C2 on Canon models) you can even extend this to up to 12 exposures.
Assumptions and Requirements
Mode dial with shooting modes (2) and user settings (1) (Nikon D7000)
To apply the technique described below, you need to have a camera that lets you switch between the shooting modes on the camera body without taking the camera off your eye. If you have a DSLR, the mode dial fulfills this requirement. Other camera models may have different means for switching.
You will have the highest flexibility with a camera that lets you predefine user settings that you can switch between using the mode dial. The Canon DSLRs that have user settings (C1, C2, C3) include the 7D, 6D, 5D, 40D, 50D, and 60D. In the Nikon line-up, the P7100, D7000, and D600 have user settings (U1, U2). Please check the manual for your camera model to see if it has a similar feature.
The concept is the same for both manufacturers: You dial in specific settings by hand and you can store those settings to one of the user settings. Afterwards, you can quickly recall those very settings simply by turning the mode dial to the respective position.
Semi-Autobracketing Without User Settings
If your camera has no user settings, but only the usual shooting modes (M, A, S, and P), you can expand your AEB series by using the M mode and the A mode. Forget about S and P. Both alter the aperture to change the exposure, and you need a fixed aperture throughout your AEB series for HDR.
Semi-Autobracketing for HDR: Switch between A and M to get two successive AEB series without taking the camera off your eye on a camera that has no user settings.
The basic idea of using the M and the A modes in combination is the following: You will set up your camera such that you can take the first three exposures in A mode, then you quickly switch to M mode without changing the composition, and you take the next three exposures in M mode. Overall, this will give you a series of 6 exposures (e.g. -3EV, -2EV, -1EV, 0EV, +1EV, +2EV) with the exact same composition. Note that you may also start in M mode and then switch the A mode. The order is not important.
Extending your AEB series with semi-autobracketing: The letters l and h mark the middle exposures of the two series we will be taking. The AEB series can be shifted to longer or shorter exposures by shifting l and h and setting up your camera accordingly.
Setting Up Your Camera
Of course, you can vary the procedure to use different exposures and step widths, and I will discuss the different variants below. But for now, let’s look at the step-by-step process for the exemplary series of -3EV, -2EV, -1EV, 0EV, +1EV, +2EV (as dipicted in the diagram above).
- Switch the metering mode to Matrix Metering (Nikon) or Evaluative Metering (Canon). These modes will let your camera evaluate the entire scene to calculate the best overall exposure.
- Switch your camera to A mode.
- Dial in the aperture you would like to use for the scene and choose the appropriate ISO setting. You must not touch these settings again. So choose carefully.
- Activate the AEB mode and set it up to take 3 exposures with 1EV steps (+1EV, 0EV, -1EV).
Activate AEB mode – in this case with 3 shots 1EV apart.
- Compose your shot and measure the exposure. This will be the 0EV exposure of your entire semi-autobracketing series. Memorize (or write down) the shutter speed for this exposure. Let’s say, that shutter speed is 1/200s.
- Set the exposure compensation to +1EV to shift that entire series up 1EV. So your camera will produce +2EV, +1EV, 0EV exposures.
HDR Semi-Autobracketing: Use exposure compensation to shift your first AEB series up 1EV.
- Switch to M mode and dial in the same ISO and aperture settings used in A mode. We will now set up the camera to produce the remaining -1EV, -2EV and -3EV exposures in M mode.
- Remember the 0EV shutter speed? In our example, it was 1/200s (see above). The middle exposure of the second AEB series that we are about to set up now is -2EV (2 stops below 1/200s). So you need to double the 0EV shutter speed twice ending up at 1/800s.
- Dial in 1/800s as your shutter speed in M mode. Your AEB function should still be active with 3 shots at 1EV step width.
HDR Semi-Autobracketing: Set the exposure in M mode to 2EV below the overall middle exposure by increasing the shutter speed.
Taking the Shots
Once you’ve set up the camera, you’re ready to take the source photos for your HDR: You will take two AEB series and switch from A to M mode between the two:
- Switch to A mode.
- Put your fingers on the mode dial such that you can switch from A to M mode without having to take the camera off your eye.
- Compose your shot again (same composition used above to set up the A mode). Make sure that the shutter speed is the same as the one you initially measured while setting up the camera. For the example above, it should read 1/100s (1/200s +1 stop).
- Take the first AEB series in A mode (+2EV, +1EV, 0EV).
- Switch to M mode.
- Take the second AEB series (-1EV, -2EV and -3EV)
- Take the camera off your eye now to check the photos on the display.
- Switch back to A mode and repeat the process if necessary to take another series.
You should do the switching as fast as possible, but you also need to make sure that turning the mode dial does not change the composition too much. While you shoot, concentrate on the scene and try to keep the camera steady. This takes a bit of practice, but it is possible to minimize the movement between the two AEB series to a degree where they actually look like they’ve been taken in one go.
To see how this looks (and sounds) in action (well, at least on my desk), play the short video below.
Semi-Autobracketing With User Settings
Semi-Autobracketing for HDR: Switch between U1 and U2 (e.g. on a Nikon D7000 or D600) to get two successive AEB series without taking the camera off your eye.
If your camera does have user settings, things get a lot simpler. Below, we will just refer to the user settings as U1 and U2. Note that the names may be different for different camera models and vendors. The first four steps are identical to the procedure above: Switch to Matrix Metering, switch to A mode, select your aperture and ISO, and activate AEB mode. Then, you need to proceed as follows:
- Set your exposure compensation to +1EV and store the settings in U1.
- Set your exposure compensation to -2EV without changing anything else and store the settings in U2.
HDR Semi-Autobracketing: Store the same settings with a different exposure compensation in your user settings (Nikon D7000).
You now have the exact same setting stored in U1 and U2 except for the different exposure compensation that put the middle exposure at +1EV and -2EV respectively.
To commence with the shooting, you do the same as above but now, you start with U1 and switch to U2 after the first AEB series has been fired off. You can also do this vice versa if that suits you better.
Expanding to 9, 12 Or More Exposures
You can also combine the two procedures above and use A, M, U1 and U2 for your series. This will give you 12 or, if you happen to have 3 user settings, even 15 exposures in a single hand-held series. The setup and the math that you have to do gets a bit more challenging, of course.
Note that 6 exposures should suffice in most cases. You will most likely run into problems with low shutter speeds and blurry images if you are doing 12 or 15 exposures hand-held. You will also hit the limit of your camera’s buffer which will slow it down considerably.
Using Different Semi-Autobracketing Setups
In the above descriptions, we used +-1EV steps and set the middle exposures to +1EV and -2EV respectively. But you can also use other settings. The figure below shows a selection of the most useful settings and which dynamic range they cover.
Semi-Autobracketing series chart: Different possible series with corresponding settings (examples).
As you see, you can use different middle exposure values as well as different step widths. Use 1EV steps (upper part of the chart) for moderate dynamic range scenes to achieve smooth gradients in the HDR processing. Switch to 2EV steps (lower half of the chart) for scenes with a large or extreme dynamic range. Note how settings with 2EV step widths can be arranged in a comb-like setup (e.g. series no. 6 and 7).
Also note that with middle exposures that are 3ev apart (e.g. -2EV/+1EV and -1EV/+2EV), you can switch between step widths of 1EV and 2EV and gain one additional step on either end of the scale (e.g. series 3 and 6 in the chart) without changing anything else.
Examples
Here are a few examples of HDR images taken with this technique. You see the before and after with the source images at the top, the merged and tone-mapped HDR at the lower left and the finished image at the lower right. See if you can find any considerable offset in the source photos. 
Summary and Conclusions
In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to overcome the limitations of many entry-level and mid-range DSLRs for hand-held HDR shooting.
Instead of being stuck with 3 shots in auto exposure bracketing mode, you can now virtually take as many as you like with just a little bit of additional setup time and manual switching. With a bit of practice, you won’t notice a difference to series shot with more expensive cameras.
But now back to you: Go out and try it. And don’t forget to come back here and share your experiences and additional tips for semi-autobracketing with your specific camera.
36 Responses to Semi-Autobracketing for HDR – How to Extend Your Exposure Bracketing Series
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That is exactly what I did a couple of years ago with my Canon 5D MK II which has 3 custom user positions. I was using a Promote device but just couldn’t get around all the wires dangling everywhere. The device worked great for a multiple of reasons but I knew there had to be a better way. Thats when I did my custom function presets for C1 and C2. Now all I have to do is fire off three shots, turn the dial and fire off three more.
Great tutorial as usual…
Hi Harry,
you’re welcome. Good to hear that this already works for you.
Regards
Klaus
It’s only my opinion but it doesn’t need to be that complicated.
- Set the camera to manual and dial in the aperture you want.
- Measure your exposure however you’re comfortable (spot, matrix, etc.) and set your shutter accordingly.
- Lower your shutter by 2 stops (or 1).
- Take your AEB series of 3 shots.
- Raise your shutter by 3 stops.
- Take your AEB series of 3 shots.
Done.
Hi Leroy,
of course, you can do this in manual mode by turning the wheel for the shutter speed 9 clicks for a 3 stop shift. But that is really prone to error, it takes much longer, and you will move the camera more.
Those are the reasons why I perfer this method over manuel adjustment of the shutter speed.
Thank you Klaus. I guess I see it differently, though.
- With your method (YM), you’re touching the camera in between the two AEB series the same as the short method I described (SM). So both methods have committed the cardinal sin. Granted, SM moves the dial nine notches instead of the one or two notches with YM but that’s picking nits.
- I think setting up the camera for YM is prone to the same error you speak of for SM. It’s a similar exposure adjustment. So with either method you must pay attention.
- SM takes longer? Yes and no. There is no setup for SM like there is for YM, so you’ve saved that time. But I think you meant to take the pictures. And SM would take longer to take the pictures. But we’re talking 1 second to move the mode dial for YM versus 3 or 4 seconds to dial exposure for SM. Not a big deal, to me.
- What is a big deal is the simplicity and straightforwardness of the SM method.
To each his own, of course.
Frankly, I do it altogether differently. My camera can do a 9 shot bracket, so that’s different. But I spot meter the brightest part of the image and the darkest. Then set my exposure in between and take the series (3, 5, 7, or 9 shots).
The YM is definitely a valid way to go. And once you got used to it, it would be second nature and kinda slick. I just wanted to offer what I thought was a more straightforward way to accomplish the same goal.
Thanks for your input, Leroy! It’s always interesting to see how other people work.
Thank you
You’re welcome, Adrian!
I’ve wanted to do more than the standard 3 shot HDR. Your method sounds very interesting. Thanks. I just returned from a trip where I didn’t want to lug a tripod so I hand held my sequences of 3 shots. However, I think for a 6 shot, instead of changing my mode dial, I would be more inclined to leave my mode in “A” and dial up my exposure (1st set) then dial down my exposure (2nd set) because that would mean only my right hand (actually only my thumb) needs to move. With AEB on (full stops), I would set shutter speed to +1EV (thus getting 0EV, +1EV and +2EV), then change shutter speed to underexpose by -2EV (thus getting -3EV, -2EV and -1EV). In total 6 shots covering -3EV to +2EV. I could easily adjust to my composition’s needs +/- to balance out the exposures around 0EV. Thank you for getting me to think like this. Now if I want to go to more exposures I bet I’d want to change that mode dial (and lug around a tripod).
Hi Chris,
you’re right: you can always change the shutter speed fully manual. But as I explained to Leroy in a comment above, fiddling with the dial to increase the shutter speed 3 or even more stops really has its disadvantages.
Regards
Klaus
have you tried magic lantern software?
I use Magic Lantern on my Canon T2i. It makes quick work of bracketing above three photos. Of course the downside is the potential to brick your camera.
http://www.magiclantern.fm/
I am a Nikon guy and Magic Lantern is only for Canons AFAIK.
As Bob says, when you load that onto your camera, you may damage it such that it won’t start anymore. I guess Canon would not be too happy when you send it in.
Your right it is only for Canon but it doesn’t actually load onto your camera. It is saved on your cf card and only loads when you use that card. If your camera should freeze up for any reason then you just restart it with a blank cf card and everything is just as it was to start. Just like rebooting a computer. I had mine lock up once because I didn’t remove the cf card like magiclantern instructed me to. I simply restarte4d the camera and good as new. This really is some fantastic software (think of it as an app for your camera) that does many more things than just extend your autobracket capabilities!
Great stuff thanks Klaus.
You’re welcome, Paul!
That’s great, Klaus.
Appreciated!
Hallo Klaus,
wieder einmal einer von beinahe unzähligen wertvollen Tipps von Dir.
Auf diesem Wege (mein erster Post) auch unbedingt noch meinen größten Respekt für Deine HDR-Page, die Du offensichtlich mit viel Herz und Engagement führst. Kompliment und Hochachtung! Eine für HDR-Fans sehr wertvolle Page.
Im Gegensatz zu meinem Namensvetter Harry Pherson komme ich mit meinem Remote Control jedoch sehr gut zurecht.
Meine Belichtungsreihen erstelle ich immer auf einem stabilen Stativ, so dass das Remote Control eine praktische Erweiterung technischer Hilfsmittel darstellt.
Meistens mache ich 7 bis 11 Aufnahmne pro Reihe (außen), auch wenn ich bei der Verarbeitung vielleicht weniger Bilder brauche.
Trotzdem wie erwähnt ein sehr hilfreiches Tutorial.
Es kann ja sein, dass man nicht immer ein Stativ dabei hat oder man dieses nicht benutzen darf (Museen, Kathedralen etc.).
Du kannst mich zu den Stamm Usern Deiner Website zählen. Selten sieht man eine Webpage, die neben solch unglaublich tollen HDR-Bildern auch so viele extrem nützliche Tutorials zur Verfügung stellt, von denen auch ich schon viel lernen konnte.
Weiter so. Echt klasse und vorbildlich.
freundliche Grüße: Harry
Hallo Harry,
vielen Dank für das ausführliche und nette Feedback.
Viele Wege führen nach Rom. Man muss sich halt immer den aussuchen, der am besten passt.
Die oben beschriebenes Technik kann für dich, wie du selbst sagst, dann hilfreich sein, wenn du mal aus der Hand fotografieren musst. Vom Stativ würde ich an deiner Stelle auch die Promote Control benutzen. Keine Frage!
Wir sehen uns bei deinem nächsten Besuch hier auf der Seite.
Ciao
Thanks, Klaus
You put in a lot of thought and work to help all of us out here. As a Canon user, this is especially helpful to expand my bracketing.
You’re welcome, Linda! I hope it works for you. It may take a bit of practice, but it’ll be worth it.
If you’ve done a few shots with the technique, feel free to come back here and tell us how it went. I’d be curious to hear from you.
Cheers
Klaus
This is fantastic, thank you!! I brought a D600 Sept last year and have been wanting to do more than 3 AEB shots, I’ve setup the user setting options for U1 and U2.
It’s actually a shame that the D600 has only 3 shots in AEB. With this technique, you can really make that fine camera work for its money.
Have fun and come back and tell us how the first shoots went.
Cheers
Klaus
Many thanks for this very useful tips.
I do thank you for it.
It can be used hand held or with tripod shooting !
Hi Bruno!
You’re welcome! Yes, it does actually work from a tripod as well, and it cuts down on the time the whole series takes. This can be important, for example if you have moving clouds. So it’s not for hand-held only.
Cheers
Klaus
Nice Tutorial Thanks. Now I’m glad that I bought D7000.
Hi Ebrahim!
You’re welcome. You have any right to be glad you bought the D7000. It’s a great camera, and now you even know how to make the AEB really work for you. Cool, eh?
Have fun, my friend!
Thank you for the great writing. The manual setting that you have said is for the Nikon Cameras, right? Will have to see a similar work around for my Canon 550D. I don’t shoot HDR much but I would love to try.
Hi Siva,
you can use the first method with any DSLR. The Canon 550D does not have user settings. So the first method is for you.
You may want to try some HDR simply using your AEB function first to learn the basics. You do not need the method above to get started.
Regards
Klaus
Can you please now tell us how to undo this. It seesm to have changed settings now when I just take one shot and I don’t want that…it is just confusing me
Hi Pat,
I am not exactly sure what you mean by “undo”. If you switch back to A mode (for example) and turn off the AEB function, everything should be back to normal. If you still have problems, just tell me what is happening and I will try to help.
Regards
Klaus
Hi there, I am a complete novice looking to get my first DSLR and an important factor for me is it’s ability to take multiple exposures for HDR, I’m torn between the d5200 the 650d and d7000, I see both the d5200 and 650d have the mode dial on the same side which I assume would make changing between A and M more difficult than if it were in the oposite side to the shop button, what camera would you suggest out of the three above for my needs?
Thanks in advance
Hi Jordan,
out of these three, without looking at the prizes, I would go for the D7000. The D71000 will also be out soon, and it has a better autobracketing function. So, that may be an alternative too.
Cheers
Klaus
Hi there,
Wonderful article. I wrote a little online tool to help you work out the different bracket centres, etc.
Check it out at http://b-calc.com and let me know what you think!
Great Article.. What did you post process your RAW images in?
Hi How would this work with a d5100?