Merge to HDR

CATEGORIES: Photoshop, Tutorials | Matt Kloskowski | October 07, 2005

Since digital cameras can only capture a fraction of the brightness range that your eyes can see, Adobe has added a new Merge to HDR function in Photoshop CS2 that lets you merge several exposures into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image. This new feature allows you to capture the full range of color values that your eyes can see and produces some amazing images. Let’s take a look.

STEP 1

First, you’ll need to shoot several versions (actually two or more) of your photograph at different exposures. Make sure to use a tripod, because the different exposures need to line up.

STEP 2

Next, open all the images in Photoshop CS2. Then choose File>Automate>Merge to HDR. This will open the above dialog.

STEP 3

Select the photos that you’d like to merge. You can browse for them, or if they’re open, just choose Open Files from the Use menu. When you’ve selected your images, press OK to start the process.

STEP 4

Photoshop will think for a moment (or a few moments depending on the size of the photos and your computer’s speed) and then display the Merge to HDR dialog. You can adjust the slider to determine which brightness levels you’ll see when this image loads into Photoshop.

STEP 5

Click OK when you’re done and the image will open in Photoshop. From here you can print or save the image. However, you’ll have to convert the file to an 8-bit or 16-bit image first using the Image>Mode menu.

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