Some photographers employ the processing powers of packages like Photoshop CS5 or Photomatix to bracketing exposures to combine into a single composite high dyanmic range image that reveals fine detail in the shadows, midtones and highlights. HDR photography editing techniques add rich (and sometimes false) colours that enhance the artistic look of a shot, and many even like the way the HDR process can add artefacts such as halos around object edges. If youre an Elements user then youll lack access to more sophisticated commands like Photoshop CS5s Merge to HDR Pro, but you can still endow your compositions with typical HDR properties from within Elements. The trick to getting the HDR look is to shoot a series of bracketed exposures. Here, well show you how to process multiple raw format files to reveal specific tonal details and then use the standard Elements Photomerge command to combine them into a single image packed with detail. Well then show you how to add typical HDR artefacts using the Unsharp Mask command. This will also claw back missing midtones, so that delicate details such as the engravings on our shot can be read more easily. 01 Reveal the wood texture 02 Enhance tonal detail 03 Use Photomerge 04 Try Unsharp Mask 05 Tweak the Levels 06 Burn the wood READ MORE Catch up on all our latest camera tips
Step by step how to fake HDR effects in Elements
Open your bracketed exposures in the Camera Raw editor. Click on the hdr_before_02 thumbnail and drag Exposure to -0.45. Boost the Blacks to 21. Increase Contrast to +91 and Clarity to +83 to make the wood grain stand out.
Click on your first image and increase Exposure to +2.45 to reveal midtone and highlight detail. Increase Contrast to +37 and push Clarity up to +41. On your third image, set Exposure to -2.55 to reveal more shadow detail. Click Select All, then Open Images.
Go to File>New>Photomerge Exposure to merge the shots. Click Open All, then tick Smart Blending. Drag the Highlight Details slider to 73 to darken the brightest areas. Drag Shadows to 70 to lighten the shadows. Increase Saturation to 17 and click Done.
Photomerge blends the shots together and displays the composite image as a new layer. Go to Enhance>Unsharp Mask. Set Amount to 87% to reveal the engraved text. Set Radius to 40 to spread the contrast change and create a hint of a halo. Click OK.
Choose Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels. Set the grey slider to 1.29 to lighten the midtones. Grab the Brush tool. Set Opacity to 100% and the foreground colour to black. Click on the white mask. Spray over the engraving to stop it being lightened.
Choose Layer>Flatten Image. Grab the Burn tool and set Range to Shadows. Set Exposure to 20%. Spray over the grain and knots in the wood to darken them and reveal their texture. Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and up Cyans Saturation to +14.
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