Nik® Software HDR Efex Pro™ After the Shoot

10

Finalizing the Image

HDR Efex Pro doesn't abandon you once you create an HDR image and adjust it globally and locally to your liking. The program includes additional tools to aid in further refining the image. Using these tools is by no means necessary because you can use similar Photoshop tools, but having them available in HDR Efex Pro is more convenient and with some tools produces a higher-quality result by using the greater bit depth of the HDR image.

This chapter discusses the tools in the Finishing Adjustments section of HDR Efex Pro, which includes one of the most versatile tools for creating vignettes available in any photographic software. The chapter closes with a discussion of the options available when you are ready to save the final HDR image.

Adding a Vignette

In photography, a vignette is the loss of clarity or resolution at the edges of an image compared to that in the center. Vignettes are most often thought of as a darkening of the edges relative to the center. However, the edges could just as well be lighter than the center and the effect would still be called a vignette. In fact, the edges could be the same tonal values as the image but simply be more out of focus, although not simply from depth of field effects, and these softer edges would also be considered a vignette.

The presence of a vignette in a photograph is as old as photography itself. Historical ...