How to Tone a Map in JPEG Photoshop

If you want to create a more highly detailed image than you could get in a single shot with your camera, you must take three separate exposures and combine them using a tone map. Tone maps allow you to bring together the best qualities of each exposure to produce a single image that has more visible details than any of the individual photos. You can then export this image in any format, including JPEG, using Photoshop.

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop. Then open three exposures of the same photo. You should have one that is overexposed, one underexposed, and one neutral.

2. Open Photoshop. Select "File", then "Scripts", and click "Load Files into Stack." Browse to the three images and load them. Make sure that "Attempt to Align Source Images" is clicked on. Then click "OK."

3. Go to the "Layers" panel and move the neutrally exposed image to the bottom, and the overexposed to the top.

4. Select the overexposed top layer. Go to "Layer," select "Add Layer Mask" and click "Reveal All." Select "Image" in the menu and click "Apply Image." In the dialog that opens, select "Invert" and click "OK." Repeat this step with the underexposed middle layer, except you should turn off the "Invert."

5. Select "File" and click "Save." Save the image as a high resolution JPEG.

References

• Tone Mapping