FHDR? Faux High Dynamic Range Photos Using Photomerge

Later versions of Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements offer a wonderful set of options (tools) called “Photomerge “ which includes Photomerge Exposure … a feature that allows you to merge different exposures of the same shot for a broader range of what’s properly exposed in the final product. This is also the principle behind High Dynamic Range photography, and in both cases, it makes best sense to plan ahead and shoot brackets (exposures over and under what you’re considering the best exposure) with a tripod so they line up flawlessly, and then merge the photos accordingly.

But … what if all you have is one shot of something special, and you wish you had some brackets to try a Photomerge to increase the dynamic range of the image?

That’s exactly what I was wishing when I discovered I had an interesting shot of my dogs that I had to snap quickly because the moment was so fleeting. I only had a moment to capture the shot and I took it. Like many Photomerge candidates, this was a contrasty image; it was taken outdoors in the early spring on a bright mid-morning. The shot looked flat and a bit blown out in the highlights because the light meter had been focused on the black dogs. Neat composition potential, but not much for wow factor in the exposure department.

So, I wondered how I might make the best of the image. Basic Levels adjustments just didn’t cut it, and then I thought, “What if I make underexposed and overexposed copies and then try a Photomerge?”

I’m going to offer a tutorial on how I did it… a little technique I call FHDR … or, Faux HDR. There is a lot of latitude here, no set-in-stone numbers, because a good deal of it personal taste However, the objective is to make an improved “original” shot (using a COPY of the original source image, of course) that you can then post process as you normally do with adjustments, sharpening, watermarks or whatever.

So, here we go!

Step One: Create a new folder to work in and call it (file number) - FHDR.

Step Two: Choose an image with a complex, contrasty exposure, but avoid portraits. If you have the RAW image, go ahead and open it in Camera Raw first, make sure it is set to 8 bit, and tweak it for noise reduction, white balance and whatever else seems appropriate. Then, open it in PS / PSE. If your source image is JPG, then open it in PS / PSE and immediately save it as a PSD or TIF copy (because, of course, JPG is a lossy compression and each time you save an image you degrade it). Label your new source file copy “Original Conversion”. Geeky, aren’t we?

Step Three: Crop the image to compositional taste, because it makes no sense to use up memory resources on processing pixels you don’t need, and these files will get quite large. Next, resize the image to a working resolution of 300 dpi … (Image> Resize> Image Size> UNCHECK the Resample Image box> change the resolution to 300> click OK)

Then, reduce its size even more if it seems too large for your resources. For instance, my cropped image was over 24 MB and for my project, I resized it to around 14MB. (Image> Resize> Image Size> CHECK the Resample Image box and choose Bicubic Sharper from the dropdown box >change from pixels to percent in the pixels dimensions box and change 100% to 75% in the width box> click OK). SAVE AS “Original Conversion Reduced” and check your file size, if it’s unacceptable to you (too small or still too large), delete it and try again by tweaking the percentage of reduction. Once you’re satisfied, you have your new “master” source file for the Photomerge. Rename this file: (file number) - 0. Time to make some other exposures!

809 - 0

Step Four: Make a lightened shadows exposure and save it to your folder. While your “master” source file is open, go to … Enhance> Adjust Lighting> Shadows/Highlights … then lighten the shadows to between 65% and 85%. SAVE AS and rename this file: (file number) – LS.

809 - LS

Step Five: Make a darkened highlights exposure and save it to your folder. Go backward to your “master” source file (Ctrl Z / Command Z) and then, go to … Enhance> Adjust Lighting> Shadows/Highlights … and darken the highlights to between 75% and 100%. SAVE AS and rename this file (file number) – DH.

809 - DH

Step Six: Make an underexposed shot in LEVELS and save it to your folder. Go backward to your “master” source file (Ctrl Z / Command Z) and then, go to … Enhance> Adjust Lighting> LEVELS … and pull the black slider to the right until the blacks are nearly jet black, then back off a hair (maybe to 70?). SAVE AS and rename this file (file number) -1.

809 -1

Step Seven: Make an overexposed shot in LEVELS and save it to your folder. Go backward to your “master” source file (Ctrl Z / Command Z) and then, go to … Enhance> Adjust Lighting> LEVELS … and pull the white slider to the left until the shadow details are visible (maybe to 200?). SAVE AS and rename this file (file number) +1.

809 +1

Step Eight: Pull all five files (0, -1, +1, LS and DH) into the Project Bin and select them all by Atl+clicking each one. Then, go to … New> Photomerge Exposure. Merge the photos and save the resulting file as (file number) – FDHR. Finally! THIS IS YOUR IMPROVED ORIGINAL SHOT … your new “source file”.

Step Nine: Close all other shots and open your new FDHR the editor. It’s now your Background Copy, so hit Ctrl J / Command J to make a new layer and start processing it like any other shot.

For my shot of the dogs in this tutorial … I processed the image in layers as follows: a.) tweaked the overall Levels to taste, b.) delicately changed two hue channels to add a hint of reds and back off the greens slightly, c.) used a layer for cloning out some little imperfections, d.) added a cooling photo filter and dialed back the opacity to taste, e.) sharpened slightly, and finally, f.) added a faint vignette and my watermark.

809 - FDHR

Compare it to the original and you can see that the image is greatly improved. Note that the shadows contain adequate detail and the highlights are not harsh and blown out. It’s a lot more work than some fast adjusting, but when you have a special shot that’s worth the effort, and it qualifies as a proper candidate such processing … it can turn a mediocre image into a keeper.

809 (original)

That’s how I did it. Welcome to FHDR! Remember to experiment with the numbers, because it’s mostly about personal taste, and always work on copies of your originals. Good luck and have fun!