Before we start, here are some software pre-requisites - you’ll need Adobe Photoshop and Photomatix to create your own HDR. One thing to note though - the free trial version of Photomatix will embed a watermark in your resultant HDR if your image is larger than 640*480. One workaround is to have your images smaller than that, or, purchase a copy!
This tutorial will be separated into four parts - Pre-merging preparation, Photomatix tutorial, Photoshop tutorial and then the comparison of the final HDR between two programmes. Now let’s get it started 
*Note: The Photomatix and the Photoshop tutorial are mutually-exclusive, they’re two separate tutorials and are not part of a single workflow. In addition, this tutorial does not cover the usage of using camera RAW to create HDRs. I’m sorry about the lack of it, because I’m not a dSLR user and have not tried to manipulate camera RAW files before.
Click on the titles to navigate through the pages:
Things you’ll need before you head off to somewhere to get photos for your HDR:
- Tripod - it beats even the steadiest hands on earth. Seriously, you’ll need it.
- Camera - that’s for sure!
- Enough space for new photos - each HDR requires at least 3 (although 7 is recommended) photos, and we can’t be sure that your first set of images will eventually be the HDR you want, so you’ll actually need to take a lot of photos!
What you have to do when you’re ready to shoot:
- Make sure that you’re on steady ground, the tripod is firm and your camera is tightly stuck to the tripod. Although both Photomatix and Photoshop can tolerate small perspective differences between photos, the threshold is really small.
- Try to use countdown timers. Most cameras have 2 or 5 seconds and 10 seconds timers. Without timers, your photos may end up slightly blurrish because of the shaking when you hit the shutter button.
- Capture the whole dynamic range - i.e. shooting 3 photos 2 EV apart, or if possible, shooting 7 photos 2/3 (aka 0.667) EV apart. For your convenience, start from -2.0 EV and move up towards +2.0 EV.
*Note for dSLR users - I think some of the dSLR models have an auto bracketing exposure function, where you can take 3 shots of different exposures, usually 2 f-stops apart. You can use that to create HDRs too.
I highly recommend taking 7 photos though, because it provides the best dynamic range coverage without taking up too much time (unlike taking every 1/3 EV apart, which we’ll need 13 photos to cover from -2.o to +2.0 EV. Here’s roughly what you should get after the shoot:
We’ll be using this example for the rest of this tutorial. If you’re ready to move on, we’ll proceed to the Photomatix tutorial (which is on Page #2).
14 responses to HDR Merging & Tweaking Tutorial
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February 24th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Wow!! Another tutorial!!! I love it!!!
Check out Adam Danial’s last blog post: 2nd post for 2008 ??
February 24th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Hey, teddY. It’s a great tutorial. Where can I get the Photomatrix. I wanna try it too. But it takes many steps. I think the photoshop one is better than the Photomatrix
February 24th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Adam: Thank you. You can go to HDRSoft to get Photomatrix as a free trial version, but be warned that HDRs larger than 640*480 will get a Photomatix watermark embedded in it. Although the Photomatix tutorial is a little bit more complex, it gives you the best results.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
i always wanted to try HDR..
heard so much abt it!!!…
thx ted!!!…
looks awesome!!!
Check out eddy’s last blog post: don.be
February 25th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I have been meaning to try making some HDRs. I think your tutorial came at the right time! Thanks!
Check out Id’s last blog post: You Don’t Open It; You Turn It On.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
eddy: Thank you!
Id: Hey Id thanks for dropping by! Hope this tutorial is of good use to you, heh.
February 26th, 2008 at 3:01 am
hey, thanks for the tutorial and resources. I’ve downloaded photomatix, but like you, i probably will do all the final tweaking in photoshop. Thanks for making it all simple. can’t wait to start generating some!
Check out letti’s last blog post: Chili, Cake & Pink Flamingos
February 26th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
letti: You’re welcome! And oh you’ve downloaded Photomatix! Sounds like you’ll be going to have a lot of fun with HDR
anyway yeap Photoshop is better at photo/image manipulation and touchup than photomatix. Basically Photomatix is a HDR generating machine 
that’s all.
Grace (at Neonscent): Thanks for linking!
February 28th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I guess it’s time to get photomatix. xD xD!!
Check out ingSiang’s last blog post: Chinese New Year 2008 : 初九 - Open House @ CheaXin’s Place
March 1st, 2008 at 9:10 pm
teddy.. u made the most “learning-friendly”
i know i told u that i love your tutorial many times
but i cant stop myself to tell u again n again!
love your tutorial! keep it on!
Check out lunaticgal’s last blog post: Canot find the song you want?
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
ingSiang: If you want to make your own HDRs, Photomatix is one of the best software to use
heheh.
lunaticgal: Thanks for the compliment, haha! Usually when I write tutorials I’ll try my best to make it understandable to those who have little working experience with photoshop
anyway using too complicated terms will also throw people off, haha!
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February 26th, 2008 at 8:25 am
[...] Launches Morph Concept Phone- A sleek, morphing phone from Nokia at Brown Baron’s blog. HDR Merging & Tweaking Tutorial- teddY teaches you how to merge + tweak on Photomatix and Adobe Photoshop. Very detailed; nice [...]
March 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am
[...] have auto exposure bracketing. If you want to know more about creating your own HDR, you can visit my tutorial (or Google it if you prefer [...]
July 1st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
[...] Published a HDR tutorial - the best tutorials I’ve written so far, IMHO. [...]