"HDR is disgusting and it needs to die, it's worse than lens flares."

Personally, I have not used it once.

I don't even know what HDR means lol.

You must have caught the wrong bunch. I know photographers who are crazy about it.

Purists are never fun.

Blackberryroid said:

High Dynamic Range. It's a feature on the 4S's camera that allows you to take small details that makes pictures shockingly amazing, despite the fact that it's taken with a phone camera.

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That's cool, does that work daytime or nighttime?

most good photographers really like the idea of doing HDR pictures. but all HDR stuff on the iphone isn't the real deal. a real HDR pic will consist of atleast 5 images put together which makes it impossible to take pictures of people because you can't hold still for that long. most of the time the background is gonna be an HDR pic and persons will be photographed separately

Joel Grimes is a pretty famous photographer. he does lots of stuff for nike. you can check him out here: http://joelgrimes.com

he does 99% HDR

Polarized poll or what! I refuse to vote.

HDR has its uses: It's not evil, nor is it the best thing since sliced bread.

Perhaps people misusing it is the issue?

HDR is fantastic in low light conditions. Although I get much better outout from an app called "Pro HDR" than I do from the native HDR function on the phone. It's also less prone to camera shake.

chambone said:

You must have caught the wrong bunch. I know photographers who are crazy about it.

Purists are never fun.

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Amen. These are the folks that say you don't edit photos, you have to make them perfect right out of the camera. Spend hours getting just the right shot. HDR is probably the most overdone editing technique out there (well, maybe over sharpening), but a little HDR can save some photos. Besides, it's fun to play with all of the techniques available to the "rest of us."

Blackberryroid said:

Personally, I think HDR is great for colors and details. I like lens flares too because it looks artistic.

I can't believe they rejected the idea of HDR. But since they're experts, I'm am sure I'm missing something.

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Taste?

Lens flares are right up there as design "don'ts" along with using comic sans. HDR is massively over used, I suspect just because it's there as a built-in feature on an iPhone.

I guess I will start using it then.

I hardly notice a difference in quality when I use HDR vs not using it. The only difference I can see is the HDR appears brighter.

Everything in moderation.

They probably hate it because they use other camera equipment that are better than the iphone's HDR feature.

I think one problem is that most people clearly have no clue what HDR is and when / why to use it. It's intended to be used when you're trying to capture high dynamic range (thus the HDR).

Think of it like this. You take a picture of someone standing under a tree on a nice sunny day. You typically see one of two problems. Either the sky is virtually white or the sky is a nice pretty blue, but everything in the shadows is too dark to see.

That's where HDR comes in. It takes multiple photos, adjusting the exposure on each for either the bright areas or the dark areas. Then it combines all the photos together taking the best exposed areas from the various photos. So when you're done, you should have your properly exposed subject posing under the tree with a beautiful blue sky.

Anyway, that's the simple version. If you're trying to use it for purposes other than what it was intended for, you're likely going to be fairly displeased.

I see it (HDR), but I don't know how to use it. What exactly does it do? I thought, it was Hi-Def Recording of Photos, but when I tested it, it looked the same as any photo I'd take without the HDR settings.

photography is art.. to each is their own..

what is art to you may not be art to someone else.. lol

I like HDR, Lens flare, double exposure shots.. love it all. It's about capturing how you see the image in your eyes...

Everyone has their own opinion. I think HDR looks pretty good IF it is edited correctly. Shame that most just completely dismiss it as a spawn from Satan or something.

ET iPhone Home said:

I see it (HDR), but I don't know how to use it. What exactly does it do? I thought, it was Hi-Def Recording of Photos, but when I tested it, it looked the same as any photo I'd take without the HDR settings.

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traditional its a complimation of multiple shots of the same image blended together to make one image.

One or a few under exposed, over exposed and one shot correctly. Blending the picture will or can create a dramatic affect... or one with more detail

here is an HDR shot I put together using 3 photos.. Actually my very 1st.


HDR - Imperial Beach, CA by Travis Brown Photography, on Flickr

Blackberryroid said:

High Dynamic Range. It's a feature on the 4S's camera that allows you to take small details that makes pictures shockingly amazing, despite the fact that it's taken with a phone camera.

Click to expand...

This is the silliest explanation of it ever.

High dynamic range... means the camera takes a picture with focus on the bright parts (sky, lights, sun) and takes a picture with focus on the dark parts (shadows, non-bright areas) and combines it into two. Basically the bright parts are exposed right and the dark parts are exposed right and when combined into two, it looks pretty legit.

zachnelson said:

This is the silliest explanation of it ever.

High dynamic range... means the camera takes a picture with focus on the bright parts (sky, lights, sun) and takes a picture with focus on the dark parts (shadows, non-bright areas) and combines it into two. Basically the bright parts are exposed right and the dark parts are exposed right and when combined into two, it looks pretty legit.

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I thought the iphone took 3 images and merged them

cableguy619 said:

traditional its a complimation of multiple shots of the same image blended together to make one image.

One or a few under exposed, over exposed and one shot correctly. Blending the picture will or can create a dramatic affect... or one with more detail

here is an HDR shot I put together using 3 photos.. Actually my very 1st.

[url=http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6008/5949607726_4de6ae2a33_z.jpg]Image[/url]
HDR - Imperial Beach, CA by Travis Brown Photography, on Flickr

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Thanks for this depiction of HDR. If I take a photo, am I responsible for blending the photos together, or will the 4S automatically offer me an HDR version? Sorry for being such a novice on this feature. I do like the example photo you presented - very cool. Does HDR utilize more memory than a traditional 8MP photo?

ET iPhone Home said:

Thanks for this depiction of HDR. If I take a photo, am I responsible for blending the photos together, or will the 4S automatically offer me an HDR version? Sorry for being such a novice on this feature. I do like the example photo you presented - very cool.

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the iphone will save both a hdr and non hdr version of the photo. You don't have to do any merging yourself if hdr is on