Nik® Software HDR Efex Pro™ After the Shoot

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When Things Go Wrong

Many HDR images created with HDR Efex Pro contain a wealth of tonal information and image detail that almost demands that the images be viewed as large prints. However, as you examine the final HDR image at 100 percent on your monitor, you may notice that some areas didn't turn out quite as you expected. Something may have gone wrong during the complex HDR processing, or there may be artifacts or defects in the HDR image that you hadn't noticed in the originals.

This chapter offers suggestions for dealing with some common issues that you may not have expected in your HDR image. Problems can be corrected while you're working with the images in HDR Efex Pro, before the images are exported to HDR Efex Pro, or after the final HDR is flattened and saved. And sometimes the image issues simply can't be corrected without additional work in Photoshop.

Dealing with Alignment Issues

For an HDR image to be as sharp as possible, each image in the series must overlay in perfect register with every other image. The first step in guaranteeing this is to use a tripod during image capture. If you shoot with the camera on a tripod, in HDR Efex Pro you can usually leave the Alignment check box deselected and the images align without a problem.

Sometimes it just isn't possible to shoot with a tripod and you capture an image series while handholding the camera. This is when ...