WhteUmbrella

Today I'm calling it quits for DeviantArt. Its been quite fun over the years, but DeviantArt seems quite dull for the last year or so. I am continuing my posting at Flickr, which I love, along with my blog and website. Feel free to shoot on over to any of them. Love to have you. Thank you all who added me as their contact!

Cheers!

Anyone who's familiar with HDR and/or loves to create high dynamic range photos, HDRsoft just updated their Photomatix to 4.0. I recently just upgraded mine and the improvements are well worth it. Here a few of the major updates:

- Selective deghosting tool: enables users to select ghosted regions with a lasso tool, and change the preferred image taken for each selected region.
- Preset thumbnails panel: built-in and user presets for tone mapping and fusion show as thumbnails in a panel alongside the preview. Panel can be set in horizontal or vertical orientation.
- High quality noise reduction with new algorithm applied on source images (users can still use the old algorithm when the noise reduction is applied to the merged 32-bit HDR image).
- Ability to tone map a single image in 8 bits/channel mode.
- Unified dialog for HDR Tone Mapping and Exposure Fusion methods.
- Viewing of tone mapping or fusion settings embedded in processed image.
- Improved rendering of Tone Compressor tone mapping method with default settings and extension of the range of the Tonal Range Compression setting.

Photomatix is the leading HDR software among photographers used to merge images together to produce high dynamic range photos. If you purchased the software within the year or so, you should be able get the free upgrade ($20 for older users). Other than that, you'll pay $99 for new customers. You can also get 15% off the price if you use coupon code "STUCKINCUSTOMS" at checkout (Thanks to Trey Ratcliff @ www.STUCKINCUSTOMS.com).

**NOTE: This will only work if you want to bracket at +2 0 -2.

Since the Nikon D90 will only auto bracket up to 3 frames at a time, I figured out how to speed the process so where you can get 5 frames for better dynamic range in your raw files. Here's the trick:

-Switch to Aperture Priority Mode
-Select the "BKT" button on the side of your flash and have it bracket 3 frames at 1.0.
- Switch to Continuous Low Timer so your camera will take the exposures for you.
- switch back to the "BKT" button and now scroll the dial until it reads 2.0
-Take your exposures again, but this time at the end you will have 6 raw images saved. You will only need one correct exposure so you can go ahead and delete the duplicate one.

I hope this helps some of you D90 users. If there's a easier way, feel free to let me know. HAPPY SHOOTING!

If anyone of you are familiar with HDR and love the artwork as much as I do, I've decided to tackle down and get with the freaking program and produced some spectacular HDR (now that I have a program for it). I need your help HDR Spotting members. A invite code will be 'greatly' appreciated to get my word out. I will be in your debt.

** I know I haven't posted any HDR, but that will change now that photomatix entered my realm.

UPDATE: No need for an invite code...GOT ONE!!!

Anyone that has any great photography tips they want to share, let me know. I'm really getting in the swings of photography and would like to see if anyone has great stories to share.