Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 22, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Corel brings light into the darkness and, just in time before the annual Christmas stress, comes up with instructions for a special gift idea: In a free workshop, the company shows how High Dynamic Range (HDR) images can be created effortlessly with the help of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. To produce these luminous and particularly high-contrast images, users combine series of photos with different exposure times. In this way, the full wealth of detail in a shot becomes visible and the memories of the last summer holiday return in no time thanks to the incomparable colour intensity. Many digital cameras already have automatic exposure bracketing, which takes several shots of a single scene with different exposures in order to capture first the shadows and, with a second shot, the bright areas. With HDR Photo Merge in Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, these – but also manually created digital shots – can be combined and photos with particularly natural and organic colours created.
A free trial version of the powerful image-editing application is available at http://www.corel.de/paintshoppro.
The complete workshop, the most important tips and sample images can be found at http://files.lewispr.com/clients/corel/germany in the “Document” and “Gallery” sections.
Corel has also compiled the top tips for optimal use of HDR Photo Merge below:
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A tripod ensures shake-free shots.
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Variations are useful only in the exposure times, not in the aperture.
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The image framing should remain the same.
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High-contrast scenes require several individual shots.
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Do not choose moving objects as the subject.
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Cameras with automatic exposure bracketing make the work easier.
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Remote releases prevent possible camera shake.
Further Links:
- Download
Workshop
