A Local Event

Whilst I agree that some areas are now too bright, you can now see the detail in the helicopter and that is the point of the photograph

Helicopters are difficult subjects, since you mainly end up photographing the dark underbelly against a bright sky.

I agree with Hyram, should have mentioned that in my first post. The image is rather dark, and that has nothing to do with the monitor.

So, Argee, your linked photo does seem much better, with the details on the chopper.

And you are right, just resize image to 800 pixels on the longest side before posting on the forum, and you're OK. 800 pixels seems to be the accepted standard size.

OK, let me be more specific for the pedants.
The linked image is now predominently washed out and too bright.
Highlights have been clipped.

A more selective levels job would have been more apropriate using a levels adjustment layer. (or two developments of the raw file merged together)

You can't win. On a sunny day, bright white paint in the sun will ALWAYS be washed out - if the rest of the picture is not to be too dark.

Which you choose is up to you, but many people would prefer to lose the white paint so as to see the more interesting bits.

G

You can win !!
Just do as I suggest and you'll have the best of both worlds.

Don't over do it tho' unless you want a sureal image.

edit: or buy a Metz 58 AF-1 - cracking flash
edit again ! actually that would be rubbish here on the shiny metal ... I'll shut up now

Would it be possible for you to have a 'tinker' with the image to demonstrate your point :

Agree with you about the Metz

I don't need to tinker with it. look for yourself - the information is present in both 'offending' parts of the image.
Merge them (pseudo HDR) and you will have the best of both worlds.
If your particular photo looks a little weird after this treatment, then just tone down your processing until it is more natural.

If I have to tweak this to prove what you can see with your own eyes then I will need the raw file.

I have never yet seen an HDR image that looked natural. There's been a spate of them recently, and whilst some look interesting, none look right.

G

Someone posted one not long back - a woodland scene. Can't remember who, now. But I thought it looked right - I certainly wouldn't have noticed the HDR treatment had it not been posted as an example of the technique.

It was subtle, natural - I really liked it.

Perhaps someone would remind us of the thread.

Was it Ammonyte's one?

Have to say I never feel they look right, unless they're very subtle ones. The colours look to vivid usually, or they have an almost painted look. That's fine if that's the effect you're going for, but I get the impression a lot of the time it's not.

I also remember someone saying once "The scene was lacking contrast so I HDR'd it". I think it's the lack of contrast that I don't like about them generally. Lilly's one in the other current thread looks nice, but to me it doesn't look quite right.

Dan

I suppose that a really good HDR image won't look like one, so it won't be remembered as such.

G

So I use the phrase 'Pseudo HDR' and this thread turns into an HDR discussion.

I was just talking about recovering the original detail from ONE file. we all do it.
Why has this thread become so polarised....and I'm not talking about bloody polarising filters

You don't have to have washed out sky, bleached roof tops and blown highlights, just to recover a bit of paintwork on the underside of a helicopter. And it doesn't have to look unatural.

Yes. Thanks for that - it enabled me to find the thread.

But sadly the picture link is broken. I had a poke about in his Picasa gallery and I think it must have been one of the Burnham Beeches collection, but there are a lot in there and I don't remember it well enough to know which one.

I commented on its naturalness at the time.

Unfortunately, you didn't.

Well, what started off as a friendly discussion between three people has been lowered to a level of so-called "advice" that is not only dismissive, but patronising and downright rude - examples above.

I'm not at all bothered by the comments per se, just the tone, which I do not appreciate. The thread has become "polarised" because of one attitude.

As the OP, my preference would be that it is removed, in case visitors get the wrong idea of the usual friendliness here.

Ray.

Sorry, if I have offended anyone. I can be a bit brusque sometimes.
I really was just trying to help, but I was getting a bit fed up with being misquoted, or with people clearly not reading the thread properly.

Now I'll shut up