Just a few shots over the last few months.

Just a new guy here, thought I would post up some pictures I've taken over the past few months. Let me know what you think. Still a little new with the tonemapping and HDR pics. Any tips would be great!!

 

sweet pics man

 

WOW!!!:applause2:

 

ooooh nice :druling: hey that GT dosent' have a number... why not? I thought they were all supposed to have a number?

Any who the pictues look great...it's funny becuase I was reading up on this HDR and realised that it's software base...so that kinda put me off...dont get me wrong pictures look incredable but I don't know photo editing is just not my thing...mind you I'm not expert when it comes to taking picture either lol.

Pictures look great, thank you for sharing with us...oh so did you detail that GT?

 

those are beautiful, Ive played a bunch with HDR and tonemapping, its not easy to get the results you got.

Any tips? I'm using photomatix for my tone mapping.

I have a feeling it has most to do with taking the quality photos to begin with, which you seem to also have done well.

 

You mean stripes Nica? Ive never seen one without stripes, I dont know what "number" you mean?

 

is it the stripes or the number? Don't know much about these vehicles so I could be out to lunch on this one...

 

There are some with stripes, and then there is the Gulf paint job which does have numbers. That one didn't have either stripe package, one of two i've seen that way. Looks great!!

Back on topic: Great pictures you've taken, I especially love the Vegas picures and the one of the bridge.

PS Nice termy, what do you have done to it?

 

I love how the GT looks "cartoonish"

 

Thanks guys for all the compliments!!

Scott: Thanks man. I was looking through some of your shots, I see I can probably learn a few things from you.

Nica: As others have said I don't think they are numbered. His does have the stripe delete though. As far as the HDR, I've only been working with it for a week or so now. That's the 3rd picture I've done. It's actually fairly easy, the program does all of the work for you. I'll post the steps here in a few, to show you the stages of the picture. Haha, I haven't detailed it yet. It's my bosses car, I did a shotoshoot of all of his car's in his shop.

Dontsleeponit: Don't really have any tips as far as tonemapping or HDR. Except for the fact that in the week I've had the program, the original pictures are a great start to a good tonemap image. The better the picture, the better the tonemapping turns out.

Divine Detail: Haha, the bridge one is right before I got yelled at by security for taking pictures. I guess when tourists have a point and shoot camera, and you have a big lens and a tripod they single you out. As far as the Cobra, I have since sold it. But I had the usual upper and lower pulleys, catless exhaust, intake and tune. Put down 506whp and 521wtq.

Duratys: That's what I love about tonemapping and HDR. I just love the look!!

 

Here is how it works guys!!

Start with these 4 shots. Usually atleast 3, but you can use more.









It will come up with this image. This is the start of the HDR image as seen in Photomatix.



After that you click on tonemapping and get an image similiar to this.



Then after some adjusting in Photomatix, and then very little work in Photoshop CS2 you get this.

 

wholly molly!!!!!!!! WHOA!!!! Those cars look like they're from a video game.

 

That's wicked post there 04COBRA :wicked:

So basicaly it's an under exposed picture, over exposed picture and then a regular image..umm..what's the fourth image for? Just wondering.

I've never used the Photomatix program what exactly do you do to blend them in all together? If the answer is to enloved no worries but I've been curious about this for quite some time now.

Another question what exactly did you do to the image in CS2? Just the border? Or did you actually play around with the colours and lighting?

Also and this is a question in general, all this editing it looks great don't get me wrong but would this be considered cheating? I don't know this is where me personaly I get torn, on one side the images look incredable, colours look sharp, images look super solid but then on the other side it's being manipulated..kinda..to be the best quality as it can be.

Now it's not really consider cheating as you still need to have good skills to take the pictures but it's the putting them together that kinda gets me...but like I said that's just my personal take on it and where I get torn with it...I still like seeing images like that, I mean lots of work put on to them.

Well I'd love to hear some feed back but I don't want my comments to be mis-interpreted. I'm only sharing my personal opinion and not a direct chalange nor trying to be disrespectfull to anyone.

 

The more exposures you use in the HDR/Tonemapped image, the more chance you have to get more detail and a better overall picture. I went with these 4 because they pretty much covered all aspects I felt. And I thought it would make for a better picture.

In CS2 I turn down the saturation a little, I sharpened the picture a little, and adjusted the shadow/highlights some. Nothing to major, it's just moving some bars back and fourth to get the desired look. I'm still new, and I really don't know the "proper" way to do these kinds of pictures. So I just have fun with it.

As far as it being "cheating". Well if you try to pass a picture like these as "right out of the camera", that would be cheating. These kind of pictures are a style. You don't try to pass it off as anything it's not. But you're right, if someone goes this is just how it came out of the camera blah blah blah, that would be cheating IMO.

As far as skill taking pictures, that helps. But in all honesty I don't think I'm a very good photographer. To be honest with you, I shoot in Aperture mode, and all I do is push a button that adjusts the exposure level. I don't do anything fancy at all. Any rookie can do it right out of the box the way I do. But for me it gets the job done.

All comments are taking out of curiosity. I understand where you're coming from. In photography it's all about your style and what pictures you like to take. As long as you don't try to pass them for something they aren't, it's all good. A lot of experts hate my pictures. They tell me that I don't do it right. But I don't care, regular people like myself and others on forums like these like them. So I post them!

 

Of course its not cheating Nica...its ART lol...its just a diffent style like 04cobra said...i have been working on some HDR images lately, just havnt got the results i like yet...

04cobra- are you using the $69 version of photomatix?

 

Pics look great

As far as cheating I dont like when someone posts manipulated pictures in a show and shine / click and brag etc type post... I have seen some well respected detailers uderexpose the shiots to just the right level and the paint looks amazing.. I do not think that is a true representation of the detail

Just like scott said this is more of an art of photography and should not bleed over into the art of detailing...

 

this is very true motorcity.....but alot of people dont understand the art of photoshop...its not just clicking a few buttons and making the picture look 100x better...its tedius work..and can really make a shot..but there still has to be good composition and a good starting point to even start doing anything in photoshop...but like you said no photoshoping should be done when showing a car for detailing purposes

 

I know I dont understand it that's for sure.. I know it looks awesome and I have respect for the process and what it produces... And like you said the process DOES make the pics look a lot better which is why I dont think ANY processing should be done for showcasing details.. *04 Cobra this is not directed at you nut just my feelings in general*

Glad you agree

 

I really want to start working on this HDR stuff, very cool!

 

very cool pics, I really like the composition of the last one (vegas shot), Eerything seems to mesh well within the frame....welld one