HDR experiment with the buying public.

humberklog

I've no opinion on HDR but I am curious as to what it can do to enhance a photo and what results this has on a general buying public. We can all guffaw or applaud on here because we know when an image is over eggged but what about people that don't know anything about photography but want to buy a picture?
I've tried downloading a trial of HDR but it got too confusing, also it would take me a lot of time to figure out how to use something that I know I'd never use. Not because I don't like the effect but what I know now with regards to compiling a pic does me just fine. I've no real interest in photography and absolutely none in the science of PP. HDR may not be that in reality but it is in my mind and that's grand, I've other things to think about.

Anyhoooows I'd like to see if there's a difference between the buying public's reaction to a HDR treated image and a none treated version. So I've got this photo that I've had hanging in my gallery for nearly two weeks and no one's bought it. Well I've shifted over 50 small pics of it but none in framed A4 version. The pic is sitting too flat in my opinion but before I take it down I'd like to have a HDR version to pop up in its place and hang it for the same period of time...just to see.

Now I'm aware it is in fact a HDR effect I'm looking for because HDR is 3 yaddah yadda yaddah blah blah blah. But my basic thinking is that if it looks HDR then it is HDR in the same way that if a pic looks like a tea bag then it's sepia.

So I was wondering if anyone wanted to try doing a HDR effect on the pic below? If so I'd greatly appreciate as it would assuage my curiosity about how people that are not into photography see a HDR image.

This is the pic: (the highest res of it (1840x1232) should be retrievable from my pix.ie site I think).
Any takers?

.Longshanks.

Got a direct link?

Edit
http://pix.ie/craanc/1569323/size/0

humberklog

Longshanks100 wrote: »

Got a direct link?

Edit
http://pix.ie/craanc/1569323/size/0

Eh...so does that edit mean you've found a direct link?

.Longshanks.

Very quick go



Full size here
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5060/dublinz.jpg

Chorcai

humberklog wrote: »

Eh...so does that edit mean you've found a direct link?

yes he has posted al link to largest format of that image.

"I've no real interest in photography and absolutely none in the science of PP."

Surely that can't be right ?? No real interest in photography :p:eek:

humberklog

Jayzuz that's deadly LS, thanks a lot. I'll run up a print of it in a day or two and see how it goes. I think your version's better.

honerbright

quick experiment;

Not overcooked HDR, but semi-HDR look all the same.


http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7560/twojk.jpg

humberklog

Chorcai wrote: »

Surely that can't be right ?? No real interest in photography :p:eek:

No, really I don't. Funny as it sounds but it just is.

.Longshanks.

Surr just stick the cheque in the post :D

Chorcai

humberklog wrote: »

No, really I don't. Funny as it sounds but it just is.

Lucky you ! I mean that in a good way, photography comes easy to you. BTW where is your stuff on display ?

Slidinginfinity

Here's another option for ya'

humberklog

@ Honer: thanks a lot. I'd veer away from the b=w version as I want to keep that panel colour and for the colour version I can only see an 800xsomething version and can't pull it off your flickr site either.

@ Longshanks...pints all 'round...but it's gotta sell!!:pac:

@Chocai: permanent gallery in George's Arcade (still a lot of work and stock to be sorted and done but slowly catchy monkey etc.) and fly sell in Temple Bar and pop up in a few cafes too.

humberklog

Nice one JD, I'll print up both and see how they hold up on paper.




I like giving you little jobs and keeping you busy :pac:

honerbright

humberklog wrote: »

@ Honer: thanks a lot. I'd veer away from the b=w version as I want to keep that panel colour and for the colour version I can only see an 800xsomething version and can't pull it off your flickr site either.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7560/twojk.jpg
full size there

humberklog

Bingobongo Honer.

humberklog

So we got original;


Longshanks




Sliding's



Honer's



And Honer's that I played around with a little

Fenster

Yes!! A HDR thread! I get to use my new catch-all reply:

humberklog

Personally I think all are better than original. Sky's a bit glum in LS and SI's. Not your fault now just is. Interesting too to see peoples take on it. Defo better than original.

Arciphel

Here's my effort for what it's worth. I didn't really HDR it though.

I think the original is kind of lacking in contrast, and as a result, depth, but I think also from a composition point of view there's a lot of stuff going on at the edges of the frame that are distracting, so I tried to tidy some of those up for you. Also I did some distortion correction so the buildings verticals are straight from front to back of the frame.

humberklog

@Arciphel, thanks.

Oh I wouldn't be too keen on the image really but it's a handy one to have in the arsenal if you know what I mean. Do have to say though that the ambulance and bits and odds and ends were about the only thing I liked in it:pac:. Oh and when I'm framing up I always have the choice to drop that stuff below the mount, tried it a few ways and always go back to having the ambulances in.


"The ambulance stays in the picture".

Arciphel

I think it works well as a tilt shift fake too. No ambulance there though :pac::pac:

humberklog

Arciphel wrote: »

I think it works well as a tilt shift fake too. No ambulance there though :pac::pac:

Tilt shift

Where's my bloody ambulance!!!

That's like having catamarans of the eyes.

Arciphel

Best reply ever Humberklog!!! - "That's like having catamaran's of the eyes."

humberklog

Arciphel wrote: »

Best reply ever Humberklog!!! - "That's like having catamaran's of the eyes."

Yeah but gotta give the credit to Steve Coogan.

SC: She had catamarans of the eyes.
Other: You mean Cataracts?
SC: No a boat hit her when she was out swimming.

Arciphel

Quality! I'd say he loves a bit of HDR

sprinkles

Some great results, esp the coogan one! Perhaps you should hang that one up Humberklog

artyeva

humberklog wrote: »

...if it looks HDR then it is HDR in the same way that if a pic looks like a tea bag then it's sepia

this is the sentiment i find myself screaming at whenever those ''it IS HDR/no it's not HDR ya big eejit'' and ''HDR is lovely/no it's not it's shoite'' debates come up every so often here :rolleyes:

i'd be interested in the outcome of the experiment though, i see what ya mean about the image being flat. i would reckon the average customer won't give two highland craps HOW it's done, just that maybe the image has more PUNCH. or something.

humberklog

artyeva wrote: »

this is the sentiment i find myself screaming at whenever those ''it IS HDR/no it's not HDR ya big eejit'' and ''HDR is lovely/no it's not it's shoite'' debates come up every so often here :rolleyes:

i'd be interested in the outcome of the experiment though, i see what ya mean about the image being flat. i would reckon the average customer won't give two highland craps HOW it's done, just that maybe the image has more PUNCH. or something.

Yeah it'll be interesting too to see how HDR prints out. I'm going to print up Longshanks and Honer's re-touched one first and see how they look, decide on best one and pop it up on the wall.

Should be hanging by Wednesday.

It's good fun being able to do it. Best job ever.

artyeva

humberklog wrote: »

...if it looks HDR then it is HDR in the same way that if a pic looks like a tea bag then it's sepia

this is the sentiment i find myself screaming at whenever those ''it IS HDR/no it's not HDR ya big eejit'' and ''HDR is lovely/no it's not it's shoite'' debates come up every so often here :rolleyes:

i'd be interested in the outcome of the experiment though, i see what ya mean about the image being flat. i would reckon the average customer won't give two highland craps HOW it's done, just that maybe the image has more PUNCH. or something.

artyeva

humberklog wrote: »

...if it looks HDR then it is HDR in the same way that if a pic looks like a tea bag then it's sepia

this is the sentiment i find myself screaming at whenever those ''it IS HDR/no it's not HDR ya big eejit'' and ''HDR is lovely/no it's not it's shoite'' debates come up every so often here :rolleyes:

i'd be interested in the outcome of the experiment though, i see what ya mean about the image being flat. i would reckon the average customer won't give two highland craps HOW it's done, just that maybe the image has more PUNCH. or something.

Chorcai

Arciphel wrote: »

Quality! I'd say he loves a bit of HDR

Why did I look at this before I went to bed... wont be able to sleep right now !! THANKS !

DaireQuinlan

I reckon you'll have to go completely OTT to provide any interesting data. Totally overcooked. A complete broiler. However I think that your eventual results will be depressing for all right-minded (ie those that hate HDR) people. It'll probably sell like hotcakes. To paraphrase H.L. Mencken, nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the public.

Nforce

An edit done through Topaz Adjust...

DaireQuinlan

Nforce wrote: »

An edit done through Topaz Adjust...

Moar ! MOAR !!!

Nforce

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Moar ! MOAR !!!

Morrisseeee

The Sky, it does not like HDR !! :eek:
It thinks it's 'Highly Dangerous Radioactivity'

sNarah

Very interesting.

Keep up posted what the general puclic has to say Humber.

DK32

Hi, you dont happen to have the raw file for this image do you?
It's far easier to work with than a jpeg.

Here are a couple.

First one was made up of the 3 images, +1 0 -1 exposures.
Second one has a tilt-shift style applied.

.Longshanks.

DK32 wrote: »

Hi, you dont happen to have the raw file for this image do you?
It's far easier to work with than a jpeg.

I think it's scanned film

DK32

hence the uber grain

Ghost Train

Out of interest what camera/lens was used for the shot, it looks nice and sharp

humberklog

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

To paraphrase H.L. Mencken, nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the public.

Now that is no joke. The last few months have been a real eye opener.


@DK, as said there's no raw file as it is scanned film.

@Ghost train...eh...jayzuz it's a bit hard to explain the camera and when I googled it the whole internet just denied its very existence. It's a Fujinon zoom 38-115mm, fz-3000. All the setting are auto. Grand. It's a little cracker of a camera and I've pulled out some smashing snaps with it. Best present ever;).

@sNarah: well I'll be in printers first thing and pics will be hanging by 11. That said the very first sale this morning was that poxy pic!!! And not just one! Same guy paid up front for a 2nd (which he'll get tomorrow too). There's no accounting for and you'll never 2nd guess peoples taste.:pac:

DaireQuinlan

humberklog wrote: »

@sNarah: well I'll be in printers first thing and pics will be hanging by 11. That said the very first sale this morning was that poxy pic!!! And not just one! Same guy paid up front for a 2nd (which he'll get tomorrow too). There's no accounting for and you'll never 2nd guess peoples taste.:pac:

You see ? Now look what you've gone and done. (Respect for rest of humanity) < (Respect for rest of humanity before I read that post above). :mad:

humberklog

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

You see ? Now look what you've gone and done. (Respect for rest of humanity) < (Respect for rest of humanity before I read that post above). :mad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVQPY4LlbJ4

humberklog

How would it look done on a film strip?





I can hear DQ's toeneils cutting into the soles of his Birkenstocks:pac::pac:.

I would be interested in seeing how this stuff react to the treatment if anyone was really, really, bored and wanted to hear the screams DQ above the rooftops of Rathmines.:D

DaireQuinlan

humberklog wrote: »

I can hear DQ's toeneils cutting into the soles of his Birkenstocks:pac::pac:.

Sheesh, obviously my toenails wouldn't cut into the soles of my Birkenstocks because they'd be protected by the pair of white socks I'd be wearing with them

Nforce

humberklog wrote: »

How would it look done on a film strip?


I would be interested in seeing how this stuff react to the treatment if anyone was really, really, bored and wanted to hear the screams DQ above the rooftops of Rathmines.:D

Let the screams begin!!! :eek::D

humberklog

Nforce wrote: »

Let the screams begin!!! :eek::D

Huh? Oh no I see now...Nforce while your pic was a stroke of genius I was thinking more about the image (Trinity) being done over in HDR.

:pac:

Nforce

Not even I could be THAT cruel,HK!!:p

Although.....

humberklog

Oh that's good nforce.

Morrisseeee

There's a FREE HDR program called QTPFSGUI (download here) if you want to try it humberklog. Of course if it works for you and you become very rich then naturally we would have a 'gentlemans agreement' where I would get 20% of the profits
Doing a search there, I remember discussing it previously