HDR Pics to play with: Big City Lights
Big City Lights – Pics to play with – Download the source files of this HDR image, test your post-processing skills and share your results in the comments below.
This HDR Pics to play with archive is containing the source exposures of the HDR image ‘Big City Lights (HDR)‘. The ZIP archive for this ppw feature is 239 MB large. Make sure you read the information in Read This First.txt (included in the archive).
Image Information
- Taken with a tripod
- Three original exposures (0, -2, +2 EV) autobracketed
- Camera: Nikon D7000
- Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
- Aperture: f/8
- ISO 100
Below, you find the details for the photos in the archive. Each photo is provided as a 16-bit TIFF file.
| Image file | Exposure value | Shutter speed | Type |
| Big City Lights – ppw – 01.tif | -2 EV | 2s | original |
| Big City Lights – ppw – 02.tif | 0 EV | 8s | original |
| Big City Lights – ppw – 03.tif | +2 EV | 30s | original |
| Big City Lights – ppw – 04.tif | +4 EV | 120s | artificial (created form +2 EV exposure) |
Processing Information
The images have been pre-processed in the following way:
- The original three RAW files where converted to TIFFs in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) with the default settings.
- The CA (Chromatic Aberration) was removed in ACR (see details).
- One additional exposure with +4EV was created in Abode Camera RAW to cover the widest possible dynamic range (see details).
- The images where saved from ACR as 16-bit TIFFs, and they were watermarked in Photoshop.
- No additional processing was applied.
Processing Tips
Use the source images as you feel appropriate. It is not strictly necessary to use all of them. Visit the photo page at to get information on my personal workflow for this image. It may serve as a starting point. Here are some tips:
- You don’t need to align the images in your HDR software. They are already aligned.
- Also tell your HDR software not to reduce the chromatic aberration.
- If you see noise in the tonemapped image, try to apply a dedicated noise reduction software early in the process.
Additional Resources
Check out the Dynamic Before-and-After comparison for this mage to see the effects of my post-processing work.
Sharing Your Results
Share the result of you post-processing work (your final image) online wherever you like. Make it publicly accessible. No login or membership of any sort should be required to view it. Then, post a comment below and include a link to your version. Feel free to explain what you did to the image.
Thanks again Klaus. Here’s my version of your image. I processed it with SNS HDR then took it into CS6 for noise reduction, contrast and a bit of masked saturation adjustment.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mustangjoe/8536688401/in/photostream/
Here’s my rendition: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arphot/8537297701/
Hi Klaus,
I had fund working on this set of shots. Thanks for making them available.
I used Photomatix and decided to go with Fused instead of the Detail Enhancer.
After bringing the shot into CS-5 I used an array of curves and levels along with Nik Color Efex Pro to bring out detail in the areas I wanted. At the end it was just a matter of Noise Ninja for the sky and some sharpening and here I am posting.
Thanks again!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_d/8537340099/
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/premierehdr/8539552815/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8539552815_02775904c2.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/premierehdr/8539552815/]Big City Lights (Not My Image)[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/premierehdr/]Eric B. Walker[/url], on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/premierehdr/8539552815/lightbox/
Here’s my version of “Big City Lights”. I used only the three original shots (-2EV, 0EV, and +2EV) for this version. Lots of fun. Thanks Klaus.
I usually use various software in my workflow so … this is an album with 5 different process/software:
1 – with Machinery Effect
2 – with Photomatix (Fused)
3 – with Photomatix plug-in for Lightroom
4 – with SNS-HDR
5 – with Enfuse
https://plus.google.com/photos/114452957806994491215/albums/5853028327259675041
Here is mine :
1. Reduced noise on the underexposed image using Lightroom Luminance only on sky and water
2. Used Photomatix to create 32bit file using all 4 files
3. Noise reduction in Photoshop using Topaz Denoise
4. Topaz Adjust to bring some colors back on sky and buildings
5. High Pass filter in Photoshop selectively on buildings and boats
6. Adjust levels
7. Hue/Saturation (Blue) for getting some extra saturation on sky
8. Hue/Saturation (Yellow) for getting some extra saturation on boats and (red/magenta) for the tower, water and buildings
9. Some spot removal and cloning to remove dsitarcting spots on water and remove the edge of the dock from the righ hand bottom corner
10. Changed image size to 1024 pixels
11. Save image for web devices.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ratulm/8538824696/
First of all: Thanks for this nice brackets Klaus! Was a lot of fun to play around with them.
My goal was to try a new way of processing this very nice capture from you. I tried to mask them together to get a very natural and realistic result. Normally I use, as most of you, Photomatix to get my HDR. With this shot I thought I give it a try to do the blending manually. And here’s how I did it:
1. Loaded all Images as Layers in Photoshop and used Luminance Masks (Channels) to mask them together
2. Cleaned up the image
3. Used Luminance Masks again. This time as Curves and get some Contrast and colors back into the image
4. Get some details back with Surface Blur Filter and masked out the sky and water to avoid getting noise in it
5. Used nik Softwares Polarization Filter from Color Effects 4 to get even mor color and details in the sky. Again masked out the area in the lower right front where it gets to dark.
6. Get the reds out oft the buildings and boats with a Selective Color Layer
7. Again used nik Softwares Color Efex 4 with the Brillance/Warmth Filter to get some more color especially in the sky/water and a little bit a cooler tint. On this layer I masked out the center of the image where it gets again a little bit to yellow/orange.
Finished
https://plus.google.com/110159306642698690348/posts/coEDhhT3pBJ
http://pinterest.com/pin/490399846894313871/
Sorry for the bad link on the original post.
I didn’t use the +4EV shot, tonemapped the original three in Photomatix. In Photoshop, I applied some gaussian blur and noise reduction to the sky and water, a slight curves adjustment and high pass sharpening.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8540328803_c1fd8ea04e_c.jpg
You’ll find my version here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103977794756782817281/posts/amiLkxf6nTa
Hi Klaus,
Here are two versions with one you may find more entertaining than the other!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_kav/8556112430/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_kav/8556122754/in/photostream/
…work done in Photomatix and Photoshop’s LAB Color Space. Did some crazy sharpening to bring out fine details. Thanks Klaus! – Pat.
LOL!
I did not know that I had my Speedo on that day!
Did you know that I actually did Triathlon for quite some time. I guess that’s exactly what I looked like. 🙂
Your versions are always the most creative ones, Pat! Thanks!
As many times as Ive shot Toronto, there is always a new view. Thanks for this one.
Here is my take on it.
http://tinypic.com/r/2eaidty/6
Hi Klaus,
One of my versions of your image was flagged by Flickr Explore and am getting some crazy hit numbers on it. They are all pointed back to you and your web site! Thanks again Klaus!
…this one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_kav/8556112430/
Pat.
Here is my version in black and white with a split toning.
https://plus.google.com/#103589891874297491840/posts
Here is the Link to my black and white version with split toning.
https://plus.google.com/103589891874297491840/posts/RdafD5BoNSg
Thanks for this nice game, my version is just slightly processed with HDR Efex Pro 2 and post processed with SilverEfex Pro 2.
It can be seen here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/114585758998648924810/posts/X84tzS2hGUC
Here’s my first attempt at trying one of these. Thanks for making these great photos available to “play with”.
I used the 4 images and processed tonemapped them using Photomatix, then enhanced a bit detail with Topaz Detail and used Topaz Adjust for colour and tone processing and to add more vibrancy to the sky.
It can be seen on Flickr here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24506073@N06/8570002555/
Klaus, I created a Big City Lights at https://plus.google.com/u/0/103395306698731049003/posts/hNj3LuqasHJ
Details on my blog at: http://timforsythe.com/blog/big-city-lights/
Thanks for making your source images available. It is so much easier to practice on good photos than bad ones.
Here’s my 2nd run at this: http://timforsythe.com/blog/big-city-lights-2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/navarromichael/8592039527/in/photostream
Here’s my take on the scene. Has mentioned on the G+ post that the link points to, I wanted to give it a blue hour, pre-dawn mood and feel.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/116696632093381591037/posts/YJR7f8irkTc
Comments about what you think of it are welcome, as well as shares.
Thanks Klaus for the source files and the opportunity to play with them and display the result here.
Thanks so much for sharing!