Practical HDRI: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 170 pages
• Published by: Rocky Nook September 28, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1933952326
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1933952321
• Book Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Description
In this book, well-known expert Jack Howard leads you on an exploration into the exciting new frontier of High Dynamic Range Imaging. HDRI is a method to digitally capture, store, and edit the full luminosity range of a scene in ways that are just not possible with a single captured image.

Jack's illustrated text is easy to understand as he takes you from the initial image capture and into the digital darkroom. Here is where you will learn to use this cutting edge photographic technique to achieve spectacular results.

Covered are the most popular and effective HDR programs such as Adobe Photoshop CS3, FDRTools, Dynamic Photo HDR, Photomatix Pro, and more.



Topics include:

• Illustrated step-by-step tutorials
• Basic and advanced workflows
• Post-production optimization for both web and print
• File management
• Advice on cameras and software
• A wealth of HDR images, ranging from subtle to surreal
• Real-world shooting tips from Jack's personal experiences as both a creative photographer and photojournalist.

HDR imaging for the photographer can be challenging and frustrating for the uninitiated, as it involves both field and computer expertise. However, Jack Howard explains this complex subject matter in a practical way that will not intimidate the beginner, nor bore the experienced photographer. The emphasis is on the creative process and how to make it work for you-rather than the science behind it.

About The Author
Jack Howard first picked up an SLR camera as a teenager over twenty years ago and has been exploring the photographic process ever since. Starting in the wet darkroom and now exploring cutting-edge digital imaging techniques, he's thoroughly embraced the evolution of the photographic process.

Currently, Jack is Editor at PopPhoto.com/Popular Photography where he tests and reviews cameras, lenses, software, camera bags, photo-related gadgets, and more. He is also a contributing editor to American Photo.

He's an established photojournalist, whose work has appeared in "The New York Times", "The Asbury Park Press", and "The Star-Ledger" newspapers.

Jack holds a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in History, with Minors in English and American Studies from Rutgers University. His photographic skills are self-taught, although having a photographer for a father, and two brothers who are also mad for cameras has helped a lot along the way.

Jack lives in New Jersey with his wife Corey and their German Shepherd dog, Bailey, a betta fish, Flash, and more camera gadgets than you can shake a stick at.

Reader Reviews
It's hard to give this book a good rating although parts are very instructive. The book begins at a very elementary way; what exposure is, what the focal length of lenses mean. There are much better books for such basic stuff; and this one if far from comprehensive. The following information on how to use the HDR software, encompasses little more than 'move the sliders around and watch what they do.' There is a bit of instruction on what various buttons are for, and where to find more sliders on the unintuitive HDR software interfaces. The book then makes a huge jump into advanced techniques that assume a high level working knowledge of Photoshop. For someone who is really starting in HDR photography at the same level that this book starts, the section that describes deghosting one image using 14 sets of 7 bracketed exposures using Smart Object stacks in Photoshop CS3 Extended will be totally, completely beyond their capabilities! The production values of the book are excellent as are all the Rock Nook books; full color throughout, good binding lots of screen shots of good size (Something a lot of Photoshop books don't get right). There does not seem to be any way to get copies of any of the images in the book, so no chance of following along. (Several other of the Rocky Nook books do provide links for test images.) The advanced techniques provide a lot of good tips for experienced Photoshop uses and photographers. The 14x7 deghosting strategy mentioned above is excellent. I hope he does another version at a much higher level.