How to make a HDR Panorama in Lightroom CC

0
1

I’ll start this off by admitting I’m not a fan of HDR photography. I think it belongs in the past, especially considering all the exaggerations 500px and Flicker are full of. It was a trend and like all trends it should have an end that sadly doesn’t look like it’s coming soon.

But, I do have to admit that with proper use a HDR file can compensate for the poor dynamic range of an older camera or an entry level one. There are various ways to create a HDR file, some of which produce disasters without exception, but by far my favorite is the new feature in Lightroom CC. It basically does a lot of the work for you. All you need is three or more shots taken from the same position with different exposure settings. Select all three and merge them by clicking a simple option in Lightroom. What this does is create a single separate RAW file that contains the data from all three photos. Pretty cool. What you do with that file from now on is up to you and will mean the difference between a good photo and a kitschy epic fail.

But what if you want to create a HDR panorama, a photo that clearly exceeds your camera’s capabilities? Again, Lightroom’s new options save the day. A panorama is obviously composed of several shots. Therefore you’re going to need several HDR super files shot from different positions. If you plan on making a HDR panorama, it’s a good idea to take your shots accordingly.

After you merge the files again and create your panorama, it’s time for the final retouching. Don’t go overboard with the editing. Don’t abuse any brushes and don’t go for super high contrast. It won’t make your photo look any better.

Here’s a useful tutorial from photographer Serge Ramelli.

Learn more about using Lightroom from these recommended books: