A few years back HDR became for many people one of the most hated terms in photography. I believe this was in part due to the overuse of techniques that produced extreme examples of HDR. It was probably also due to HDR being used to resurrect images that should have been allowed to die a natural death. In short, if you don’t like the HDR treatment and style of image you have typically seen, you may not be interested in HDR.
But by disregarding HDR techniques you are also disregarding a very useful tool that help you produce images of excellent quality. The key to this is being able to master and control the traits of HDR that we often pick up on. The image at the top of this post for example is an HDR image yet appears to be a natural photograph; the HDR treatment has been chosen to suit the image. The same can be said of the following black and white image.
My latest book which has just launched on Amazon, provides you with the tools necessary to control the HDR process and look using Nik HDR Efex. It follows the proven and popular format of marrying information with hands on practical exercises.
- The first art of the book discusses how to shoot and prepare HDR image sequences prior to merging.
- The book then covers the process of generating the HDR image as well as applying Tone Mapping techniques.
- The book then concludes with three full length worked examples for which you can download the accompanying image files from my Lenscraft website. This allows you to follow the process on your own computer from merging the initial images through to post production enhancement with other Nik filters.
The book is priced at just £3.99 (or similar in other currencies) and can be purchased from Amazon in the Kindle format.
Links to the book on Amazon UK and Amazon US are given below. Alternatively, you can search for the book title “Mastering Nik HDR Efex Pro 2”.
The Lightweight Photographer 
Great news.! I’ll be having some of that.
Thank you. I hope I live up to expectations.
I have just purchased this book. I have not previously been a fan of HDR for the reasons you stated but I am prepared to spend a bit of time perfecting this process using your guide. I have not been disappointed with your previous books. This one actually makes 12 that I now have, the Essential Colour Management being especially valuable for me and guiding me through a process that I was really struggling with at the time.Thanks.
Wow. Thank you very much for buying so many of my books. I hope this one lives up to your expectations. HDR is well worth experimenting with.
That 4 image blend at the top is a stunning example of how I feel HDR should really look. Absolutely gorgeous. I’m off to get the book….
Thank you very much for the great feedback and for buying the book. I think some may be a little surprised at what can be done with HDR these days.
Wonderful news, thank you!
Thank you