Welcome DJI Spark Pilot!
Jump in and join our free Spark community today!
Sign up

Improve your pictures with an HDR program!

NOLADG

Well-Known Member
Join
Nov 28, 2019
Messages
128
Age
54
I am sure this is old news for many of you, but I am just experiencing. I just downloaded a free program which combines three like pictures with different exposures and automatically chooses the best exposure in different regions and combines them into one image. There were several choices however I downloaded HDRtist which is free with some paid features on the App Store. I set my drone on AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) and I dropped three photos into the program and BAM! It automatically picked the darkest exposure for the sunset and the lightest exposure for the landscape.

HDRtist Test.jpg
 
@SoccerRef12 I am sure there are similar programs for Windows - just do a search. I am not necessarily promoting the program I chose. (I thought I would try it since it was free) But the concept is amazing.
 
@SoccerRef12 Hmmm. I have the latest version of the DJI Go 4 app for iOS and just looked and I don't see where this capability is available. Maybe on Android. But merging three differently exposed pictures is quite different than just adjusting the contrast, darkness, saturation, etc that many programs can accomplish.

Another pilot wrote me privately that he was using Photomatix Essentials from Hdrsoft.com which is available for Windows and Mac. It can be had free due to Covid. See their website for details.
 
I am sure this is old news for many of you, but I am just experiencing. I just downloaded a free program which combines three like pictures with different exposures and automatically chooses the best exposure in different regions and combines them into one image. There were several choices however I downloaded HDRtist which is free with some paid features on the App Store. I set my drone on AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) and I dropped three photos into the program and BAM! It automatically picked the darkest exposure for the sunset and the lightest exposure for the landscape.

View attachment 13043
Thanks for the software info. Does the spark have a AEB option?
 
I am sure this is old news for many of you, but I am just experiencing. I just downloaded a free program which combines three like pictures with different exposures and automatically chooses the best exposure in different regions and combines them into one image. There were several choices however I downloaded HDRtist which is free with some paid features on the App Store. I set my drone on AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) and I dropped three photos into the program and BAM! It automatically picked the darkest exposure for the sunset and the lightest exposure for the landscape.

View attachment 13043

Nice work, great looking sky!

HDR photography is especially popular for landscape scenes and drone cameras in general have a more limited dynamic range then say with a DSLR so shooting AEB can help a lot with getting the exposure you want. I shoot AEB near 100% of the time as it only takes a fraction of a second longer to do than with a regular exposure and your first of three shots is what you would have taken for a standard shot anyway. This allows me to go with just the one shot if it's all I need or combine up to the three if more dynamic range is required. The only thing I lose by shooting AEB most of the time is a little space on my memory card and a few minutes merging them in software.

I also generally shoot with a ND/polarizer as well and when you combine that with AEB the result is usually a good exposure with less glare and more color saturation. There are many apps that will do HDR but I like using Photomatix most of the time. Another app that I've recently tried and liked is Affinity Photo, it’s a general photo app that has a lot features, works with Mac (incl iPad) or PC and will do HDR as well as panos, good price as well ($50usd). Haven't had much time to get into it but the few panos I tried stitched together very well, seems better than with the freeware ICE.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dragonfly Joe

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
14,593
Messages
118,799
Members
17,988
Latest member
Detlef