[John Lane]

http://www.mediachance.com/hdri/index.html

"Our eyes are very adaptive and they are also more sensitive to intensity than color. It is estimated that our eye can see over a dynamic range of nearly 24 f-stops while a digital camera can capture a dynamic range around 6 to 9 f-stops. The High Dynamic Range Imaging is a set of techniques that has been developed nearly 20 years ago to overcome the limitations of electronic devices by combining multiple exposures into one great looking image. Using HDR technique we can combine the different exposures to create a single image that shows details in both sky and the land. A HDR photography can be created by taking few photos with different exposure, then combining them in the software into a high dynamic file."

High Dynamic Range Photos can be really great in that they bring out the best of both bright areas and dark, shadowy areas and can really make images pop.  The only drawback is overdoing it - if you do, your photos would like plastic and Disney-esque.  I have used a competitor's HDR demo (Photomatix) to enhance a landscape photo I took near downtown Dallas and I can tell you HDR does make a difference. This software has many controls to get the best out of your photos.  And, it has won several awards, including of Pop Photo's 2008 Outstanding Product Awards.  Check it out!

[John Lane]

http://www.mediachance.com/hdri/index.html

"Our eyes are very adaptive and they are also more sensitive to intensity than color. It is estimated that our eye can see over a dynamic range of nearly 24 f-stops while a digital camera can capture a dynamic range around 6 to 9 f-stops. The High Dynamic Range Imaging is a set of techniques that has been developed nearly 20 years ago to overcome the limitations of electronic devices by combining multiple exposures into one great looking image. Using HDR technique we can combine the different exposures to create a single image that shows details in both sky and the land. A HDR photography can be created by taking few photos with different exposure, then combining them in the software into a high dynamic file."

High Dynamic Range Photos can be really great in that they bring out the best of both bright areas and dark, shadowy areas and can really make images pop.  The only drawback is overdoing it - if you do, your photos would like plastic and Disney-esque.  I have used a competitor's HDR demo (Photomatix) to enhance a landscape photo I took near downtown Dallas and I can tell you HDR does make a difference. This software has many controls to get the best out of your photos.  And, it has won several awards, including of Pop Photo's 2008 Outstanding Product Awards.  Check it out!

[Jason Dunn]

This software company makes some pretty cool products...I've been on the hunt for a really great HDR tool; I think I should check this one out!

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Ooo, this looks like a step up from Photomatix.

On a more art-related note, many "photographers" do not like the look from HDR-balanced (Photomatix calls it tone mapping) photos. I personally never understood the resistance. So it looks more like a painting, not a photo. But if the photo was good to begin with, and it sufficently conveys the mood the photographer intended, why not?

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng

On a more art-related note, many "photographers" do not like the look from HDR-balanced (Photomatix calls it tone mapping) photos.

I understand why they dislike it, but photography is art, and art is very subjective, so they should all just quiet down.