here is a good read for you folks. it will explain it all
http://stuckincustoms.com/2006/06/06/548/

 

Unfortunately some of the work at Stuck In Customs (impressive as it may be) is made from single tonemapped RAW files and as such is not real HDR (which should be made from multiple exposures).

Here's some PS tutorials...

http://www.talkingtree.com/blog/index.cfm/...make-HDR-images

http://backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/10/h...hdr-images.html

Here are a couple of the most commonly used tools...

http://www.hdrsoft.com/
http://www.supportingcomputers.net/

 

Coles notes - HDR is when you take the same picture 3 times at 3 different exposure levels. Each exposure exploiting certain tones and shades of the image. Then using an editing tool, like Photoshop, you super-impose the 3 photos on top of each other, so that the tones that stand out in each picture, are now grouped together in one photo.

The end result is very vivid and dynamic colors, and depending on the level of editing, look almost cartoonish when the work is done.

 

Wow, that link is great. I've been sitting here for the past hour or so just reading this!!

 

Number of exposures need not be limited to three. That is the absolute minimum.
After the individual exposures have been merged you also have to tonemap them.

 

i like the detail of HDR i dont really like the cartoon look. once i merged the pics all i did was just take away some of the saturation and contrast.