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iOS 4.1 HDR Photo overview and comparison photos.
- Thread starter Nikos
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Based on this video it doesn't really look like it's taking 3 photos. I know Apple said it did, but it looks like its only using software. Anyone else agree?
That is an awful example of HDR. He's using it on stuff that's already exposed correctly, causing washouts like crazy. He has no idea what's going on.
Explain to me how to do it correctly then. Using my DSLR I can take HDR photos of any of the subjects in the video. Should also be able to on the iPhone.
An HDR photo would look almost identical to the non-HDR photo. The software thinks that you would only turn it on when there are actually parts of the photo that are over/underexposed, and thus doesn't know how to deal with that. Try it on a picture outdoors with the sky or something
Take a photo with a higher range of exposures. Meaning a portion of the photo should be too bright or too dark to see any detail.
Give the OP a break: the video is an OK demo of the feature and how it works. It does answer one question I had: It looks like it's only taking one photo then bracketing the exposure by manipulating the raw image before processing it. This has an advantage over the existing HDR apps for the iPhone in that it doesn't need to worry about alignment. You can do this with a DSLR and software like HDR Darkroom too. It doesn't make for as dramatic a pic doing it that way, but for a phone camera it's still cool.
That said, anyone else kinda go WTF when they announced this new feature? I like it, and it can be very useful, but it's a bit out of left field isn't it?
That said, anyone else kinda go WTF when they announced this new feature? I like it, and it can be very useful, but it's a bit out of left field isn't it?
I took a few outdoor shots towards the end of the video and explained (in text) somewhere in the middle that it helps with over/underxposed subjects.
Not the greatest video, but it was done quickly and shows how it works, which was its main premise.
HDR is almost always useless or not needed indoors, the point of HDR is for shots outside. Some of the best HDR examples are on a sunny day, or a sunset, things like that. The sky during the day is always brighter than everything, even on an overcast day, so in most images, it is washed out. Pulling details out of shadows and highlights, that is HDR.
The new HDR feature is going to get a lot of criticism from people that don't know how and when to use HDR. Just look at Gizmodo's article on the new feature. Almost all of the pics they used were horrible examples of HDR use. As you would expect, the people that don't know what they are talking about all jumped on Apple saying how the HDR feature sucked and ruined the pictures.
Unfortunately most people are going to overuse/misuse HDR.
Unfortunately most people are going to overuse/misuse HDR.
I wouldn't be surprised either. However, in this case, along with many others, they just appear to be terrible at their jobs.
What Apple is going to do is succeed in ruining HDR, as great as Apples implementation is, its really just a Dynamic Range Booster, true HDR is done with multiple pictures blended together carefully in Photoshop, all this "Auto-Processsing" looks good, but it doesn't look amazing. Now suddenly everybody can take HDR pictures and is an expert on them.
You're not very good at HDR.
You're supposed to use HDR in areas where there's high contrast. Pointing at fruit indoors or pointing it at the ground isn't going to do anything. If the photo is already properly exposed, HDR looks like crap.
Take a photo of some landscapes where the sky is bright and the ground is dark. It will even out both the sky and ground to make a more balanced exposure.
Using all 3 exposures, the iPhone combines them so the black areas become lighter and the washed out areas become darker, thus giving you the maximum detail in your photos.
Go out and learn how to use HDR, then do another demo. Please.
Here's a real HDR photo I took with my DSLR.
You're supposed to use HDR in areas where there's high contrast. Pointing at fruit indoors or pointing it at the ground isn't going to do anything. If the photo is already properly exposed, HDR looks like crap.
Take a photo of some landscapes where the sky is bright and the ground is dark. It will even out both the sky and ground to make a more balanced exposure.
Using all 3 exposures, the iPhone combines them so the black areas become lighter and the washed out areas become darker, thus giving you the maximum detail in your photos.
Go out and learn how to use HDR, then do another demo. Please.
Here's a real HDR photo I took with my DSLR.
Attachments
It does appear to be taking more than one photo, because I took one of a ceiling fan with lights and it didn't align the photos properly.
I was able to test this feature out and was very impressed with it. I took a photo of my backyard and the sky was completely white in the original photo. Some of the trees also blended in with the whiteness and it was a bad shot. In the HDR photo, the sky is blue and you can see clouds as well as seeing the trees in detail. It's definitely a HUGE improvement and anyone who complains about it is a Toby Flenderson. Now go download 4.1 (link in another thread, search for it) and you won't be disappointed.