Any advanced photography library needs PRACTICAL HDRI, discussing high dynamic range imaging for photographers: it comes from a well-known expert who explores the new frontier of such digital capture, offering an illustrated text covering all the basics of HDRI filming. From step-by-step tutorials to advanced workflows and file management, cameras and software, it's an item of choice any serious photographer will welcome.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Both film and digital chips lack the dynamic range of the human eye. High dynamic range photography attempts to recreate the dynamic range we appreciate with the naked eye using multiple images shot over a range of exposures and then combining them in a way that shows more detail in the dark and the light end of the combined image than a single recorded image would be able to show.

This technique involves taking bracketed exposures of scenes that of themselves have significant dynamic range. If you've shot an image of a scene that is consistently bright, or consistently dark, there is unlikely to be very much dynamic range to expand using the techniques of HDRI. The images are combined using software tools. The images shown in books explaining HDRI are not actually HDRI images; ink printing techniques, and the paper used to present the image both also have limited dynamic range. So we aren't actually increasing the total dynamic range of the images, we're making the very bright and very dark areas more detailed and comprehensible. This results in more information appearing in the image, and may contribute to a more interesting image.

HDRI imaging is used primarily in landscape/still life photography, it is more difficult and less effective when the subjects are in motion, although certain tricks may allow acceptable shots when there is some motion in the subject.

This book by Jack Howard is an excellent introduction to the field. While not as complete as some other books may be (there are only 170 pages, and many of the pages are taken up with images), it gives an introduction to the field that allows one to understand what is going on, and decide if it's an area they'd like to pursue. While there is brief coverage of basic photographic principles, equipment selection, scene composition etc,, roughly 3/4s of the book is taken up introducing the software that allows the creation of these images. If you don't enjoy image tweaking on your computer, you probably won't enjoy HDRI.

With those caveats in mind, highly recommended.

I find that photography books that are the first to introduce concepts are more likely to garner good reviews than books that just repeat what I already know. This is by way of explaining why "Practical HDRI", a perfectly respectable introduction to high dynamic range (HDR) photography, has not impressed me as much as earlier HDR books. (HDR is a method of combining several pictures in a computer to extend the range of light of a photographed scene.)

Howard starts by describing the equipment necessary for HDR photography, proceeds to describe basic composition rules and the nature of lenses, and then how to best capture a scene for HDR processing. Next, he turns to generating the HDR image from the captured photos and then tone mapping the images. He completes his discussions by reviewing post processing of the images, with an emphasis on using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

There are several different software tools for HDR processing and the author describes the use of Adobe Photoshop CS3, Photomatrix Pro 3, FDR Tools Advanced 2.2, and Dynamic Photo 3. In each case he explains what the various sliders do in creating an HDR image.

Howard writes simply and clearly. However to make sense of his software descriptions, one will have to download the particular software (they are all available in demo versions) and create one's own range of images to process. I found that only by following along at the computer can one make sense of the directions. Howard's instruction is not a tutorial since there is no common image to process or understand. I found that his explanation of what actually happens when tone mapping an image to be the clearest in any of the HDR books that I've read.

I wish that Howard had been more organized in indicating when one or another piece of software would be have been appropriate for a particular image, and had provided more detailed explanations of why he made choices amongst the various sliders and buttons each piece of software offers. Michael Freeman provided this type of information in "Mastering HDR Photography: Combining Technology and Artistry to Create High Dynamic Range Images", although Freeman certainly did not explore all the controls to the extent of Howard.

I was quite surprised to see the author's recommendations for post processing in ACR, a plug-in I'd only considered appropriate for RAW images. Yet, because some of ACR's tools seem more robust (or at least more convenient) then the basic Photoshop tools, I ultimately found this idea acceptable.

One of the characteristics of HDR imagery is the ability to manipulate an image to the point where it appears almost surrealistic, creating something beyond a simple reproduction of what the photographer saw at the scene. Many of Howard's illustrations demonstrate this surrealism and, while the author suggests he will explain how to achieve this effect, his explanations are minimal.

HDR processing is likely to be the domain of the serious photographer rather than the snapshooter. Many of these photographers will have already experimented with the software covered by this book and will find nothing new. On the other hand, for the photographer still trying to get a handle on HDR, this book may help improve skills.

In this book Jack Howard gives you all the tips and tricks you will need
to make stunning, true to life, HDRi images. Whether you just picked up a
digital SLR for the first time, or you are an advanced shooter, you will
learn some great techniques, and discover some fantastic tools that you
can use to make amazing HDR images.

Have a new DSLR? Wondering what all those settings do and how they relate
to HDRi? Jack guides the newcomer through the basics such as the gear you
will need, to ideas on composition and exposure. Advanced photographers,
fear not, while you may be able to breeze through the first few chapters,
Jack takes us all the way to the edge of HDRi giving us how to's on
deghosting those pesky moving objects, working successfully in the 32bit
space with global and local adjusting, how to work with and manage, halos,
hypersaturation, and other artifacts that HDRi can produce.

Jack will walk you through processing your HDR's in many different
applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS3, Photomatix pro 3, FDR tools and dynamic photo HDR 3.x so you can see the workflow of HDRi and pick the application thats right for you!

Think after you merge all those images to an amazing looking HDR you are
done? Jack brings us full circle by instructing us on post tone mapping
optimization, dealing with color profiles, adjusting the image in Adobe
Camera Raw, and reducing HDRi generated noise.

So, whether you are new to HDRi and don't know where to start, or you are
a pro looking for some unique techniques, Jack Howard covers it all in
this book!

After reading (and using) Ferrell McCollough's excellent "Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography" I was more than ready to dive deeper into HDR photography. I recently returned from Japan with about 500 HRD images to process, so I purchased the book at hand looking for guidance. This book is useful mind you, but it does not generate the excitement I found the the McCollough's work. The many controls of several popular HDR programs are described, and that will help, but I felt the information was a little mundane and somewhat patronizing. The price is expensive compared to the McCollough work ($16 vs $22). Another text (by Christian Bloch) has received high ratings on Amazon. Guess I'll try that one next . . .

Having the term "practical" in the title, I had hoped that this book would focus on a more practical application of HDR and steer away from all the prosumer-y stuff that flickr seems stuffed with. I know the author tried to do this, but I'll say this is certainly not a book for any professional or advanced amateur... If I'd seen the chapter entitled "popular breeds of lenses for HDRI" it would have been a good tip off for who this books is aimed at... My fault, but just a heads up that this is pretty entry level and basically a survey without any great detail... If you've just decided you want to start HDR and want to get the basic lay of the land, this is your book...

Whether you're an experienced photographer (I'm a professional commercial photographer) or a beginner, this is a great introduction to HDRI. While the book does, of necessity, have some basics for beginning photographers, there's more than enough "meat" for those already well-versed in photo technology but new to high-dynamic range imaging. I found the tutorials clear and helpful, and the examples inspiring. Howard obviously knows his subject, having been one of the few that was pushing HDRI before it was "mainstream," and being someone who experimented with all kinds of uses for HDRI.
If you've never done HDRI, and you want a good guide to getting started and pushing the technology, this is the book for you.

It's hard to give this book a good rating although parts are very instructive. The book begins at a very elementary way; what exposure is, what the focal length of lenses mean. There are much better books for such basic stuff; and this one if far from comprehensive.

The following information on how to use the HDR software, encompasses little more than 'move the sliders around and watch what they do.' There is a bit of instruction on what various buttons are for, and where to find more sliders on the unintuitive HDR software interfaces.

The book then makes a huge jump into advanced techniques that assume a high level working knowledge of Photoshop. For someone who is really starting in HDR photography at the same level that this book starts, the section that describes deghosting one image using 14 sets of 7 bracketed exposures using Smart Object stacks in Photoshop CS3 Extended will be totally, completely beyond their capabilities!

The production values of the book are excellent as are all the Rock Nook books; full color throughout, good binding lots of screen shots of good size (Something a lot of Photoshop books don't get right). There does not seem to be any way to get copies of any of the images in the book, so no chance of following along. (Several other of the Rocky Nook books do provide links for test images.)

The advanced techniques provide a lot of good tips for experienced Photoshop uses and photographers. The 14x7 deghosting strategy mentioned above is excellent. I hope he does another version at a much higher level.