Things You'll Need:
- Computer
- Digital camera
- Qtpfsgui freeware
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Step 1
Download and install “Qtpfsgui,” a poorly-named, but easy to use HDR image processing program. It is available for Windows, OS X and Linux.
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Step 2
Take three photos of the same subject, one underexposed by two stops, one properly exposed and one overexposed by two stops. Use a tripod if possible because the three images must properly align. To adjust your exposure, look for the button labeled “EV” (Exposure Value) on your camera. Higher end point and shoot cameras and SLRs also have a feature called “auto-bracketing” which will adjust the three exposures automatically.
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Step 3
Import the three photos into your computer, then open Qtpfsgui and select the “New Hdr” icon. Click on “Select Images” to select the three images you want to combine. Tick the “Auto Align Images” box and choose “Median Threshold Bitmap” from the drop-down menu. This will automatically align the images before they are merged.
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Step 4
The next two steps give you options to manually align your photos and to apply custom profiles to your HDR image. The default settings usually work best, so just click through these steps for now.
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Step 5
This where tone mapping comes in. You won’t see anything yet normal monitors cannot display the full tonal range of HDR images. Tone mapping essentially colorizes your HDR image to make it viewable. It does this by rendering the HDR back into a normal range so you can see it. At the same time, it preserves all the detail in the over and underexposed regions of the photo. To tone map your photo, click the “Tone Map the HDR” icon. Choose one of the many tone mapping algorithms built into Qtpfsgui and click “Apply.” Some algorithms, like “Reinhard ‘02” produce very subtle changes to the final image, others, like “Drago” creaete very surreal effects. Play around with them to find one that suits your tastes.
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Step 6
You still won’t see an image. To finalize and view your work, export the photo as a "jpg" file by selecting “Save As.” Choose where you want to save your image and name it something ending in “.jpg.”
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Step 7
Navigate to your exported image, open it and review your results. The difference from the original should be noticeable, even dramatic.
