sinwp rss feed for PI Articles

articles/Nature/nikhdrpro

Nik HDR Pro

by Tom Lee

The concept of high dynamic range photography has been around for some time now and there are many programs on the market that help you do this with varying degrees of success. Many images that come across my path are generally overdone because most photographers do not understand the principle behind their creation, or indeed why they are doing it. For the novice worker it can be a daunting task. In this review we are going to look at Nik Filters HDR Pro, which allows users the simplicity of single click presets as well as the versatility of their patented U Point technology, allowing total control over tonality, colour and contrast within a single program, to selected areas of the image without having to change programs mid workflow.

What is HDR?

Simply put, an image captured on the camera has a limited tonal range that can be manipulated to a degree using proprietary programs such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture, to increase the visual effect of what otherwise might be considered a flat image.

A High Dynamic Range Image, as the name suggests, increases the ranges of tones within a scene beyond the capabilities of the camera chip, giving more control over the captured image. The human eye has the ability to see in a similar fashion, increasing the tonal range of the shadows and highlights above and beyond that of current camera technology. The eye's iris is constantly opening and closing to compensate for the varying changes in tonality, allowing us to see more. The problem with some images that are produced using HDR technologies is that they go too far beyond what we might consider normal and become almost comic book or false in appearance. This may be the photographer's original intention, but much like the Cokin filter craze, it has a limited potential for holding a viewer's attention. Used wisely, they are great tools for enhancing an image, but over used they become boring and uninteresting.

Creating an HDR image

So how do we create an image that goes beyond the limitations of our cameras? The general concept is to make multiple captures of the same scene at varying degrees of exposure. Set your camera to capture a minimum of three images at least one stop apart. (-1stop, correct exposure, +1stop). You could capture, say, 5, or 7 exposures at 1 stop apart but this increases computing power and takes longer to process. Three exposures should be plenty for most applications but more images allows for finer tuning.

Once HDR pro has been installed on your computer it can be accessed through Bridge or the Filters command from your drop down menu and has the ability to process 32-bit RAW files as well as JPEGs. Simply highlight the three images you want to use in Bridge, and select Tools>Nik Software>Merge to HDR Efex Pro.

TOP: The original three images for multiple composition

ABOVE: The final, worked image from: Using 'Realistic (subtle)' preset, Tone Compression and Exposure sliders. The result is an image with increased depth, colour, contrast and detail throughout the highlight and shadow regions.

A pop-up window will appear in Photoshop (Aperture, etc) asking if you want the three images selected to be processed. Before clicking OK, check the small box at the bottom of the window in Merging Options - 'Ghost Reduction Method'. This filters out any small shift in movement caused by trees blowing in the wind or camera shake if the images were taken hand held in quick succession such as our example image.

After a short period of processing, the fine-tune panel allows you to adjust your image. For those of you who already own Nik software the interface will look familiar and intuitive. On the left-hand side, the single click presets are arranged and for many will be the only place you need to visit. The presets are arranged in categories that are pretty much self explanatory. The Realistic group is probably the best starting point; beyond that you may start experimenting with the fine tuning controls on the right-hand side of the interface.

The three images that we have selected in Bridge are now combined into a single representation in the central part of the interface, but all the information from the under- and over-exposed elements of the camera capture are still present. Select a preset from the left-hand side of the panel from the Realistic settings as our starting point. On the top right-hand side of the fine-tuning panel is a slider called 'Tone Compression', and is probably one of the most used controls in my HDR workflow. Moving the slider left will open up the tonal range of the image to include more highlights from the under-exposed image and shadows from the over-exposed image, leaving a weak composition, with little mid-tone range. This is better used on some of the more extreme presets in the HDR collection. Moving the slider right opens up shadow areas and darkens highlights to produce ultimate detail throughout the image. The more images used in the composition allows for finer control over the amount of dynamic range available.

Below the Tone Compression slider is the Global Adjustment area. As the name suggests, we can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, etc; throughout the entire image, however, we generally only need to fine tune small areas of the image that cannot be corrected by a carte blanche global adjustment.

For some the clouds may be a little heavy - this can be compensated for by using the U Point selection tool and reducing the effect in just the cloud regions.

The section labelled Selective Adjustments is Nik's patented U Point application. Click on the target and place a control point in the image that you need to fine tune. The size of the area selected can be controlled by adjusting the mask slider on the control point. By default, only three sliders for exposure, contrast and saturation are available, but click the small arrow at the base of the slider tree and more options are presented. The beauty of this control is that the area outside the control circle is masked and unaffected by the local changes made using this U Point selection.

When happy with your adjustments, click OK for the changes to be made permanent and it will return you to your master program. All your necessary changes can be made within the HDR interface without needing further adjustment within Photoshop (but this is still possible if needed). Within the HDR interface you can find vignette and curves adjustment dialogues which we have not discussed here, but need little explanation.

Single Image Tone Mapping

Although multiple images are the accepted method for creating great HDR imagery, HDR Pro has the ability to create images from a single capture using advanced tone mapping algorithms.

Sometimes we just don't have enough time to set up that tripod or fiddle with camera settings before that vital moment in time is lost. There will be occasions when we only have time for that split second shutter press to get the image we need.

The Nik Interface

The method for producing a single image HDR is exactly the same as described above. The only difference is instead of three, five or seven captures we will only use one. Choose your image in Bridge and select Tools>Nik Software>HDR Efex Tone Mapping. The process of producing your image is the same as before but the algorithms only have the one image source to draw the information from and the effect is not as controlled or precise as using multiple captures. Nevertheless, the effects are amazing.

A Single Image Tonemap from the upper image: A single click preset using 'Vibrant Details and Colours

In Conclusion

Nik HDR Efex Pro is reasonably priced at around £130 and a good investment for increasing depth and creativity to any landscape or architectural image.

The only niggle I had was that tone mapping is done on a 'live' layer, so when choosing the single image tone mapping option, it does not create the resulting image on a new layer as with other Nik filters. I suggest that you copy the working layer first and then apply single image tone mapping from the Nik Control Panel.

The developers say that all their programs are a work in progress and this information has been passed back to them. When choosing a multiple capture HDR composite, the software is designed to work on a standalone image anyway and there is no need to create a separate working layer.

In creating images of this genre, it was easier and quicker to create HDR with Nik software than any others that I have tried. The interface is simplicity itself for novices with intuitive controls for the advanced worker. Great works of art can be created (used with care) in seconds and subtle but expansive tonal ranges are available in minutes.

Additional information, tutorials and trial downloads are available direct from the Nik Software site.

A Single Image Tonemap from the upper original: Using preset 'Postcard Paradise' from the Landscape group and adjustment of the Structure and Saturation sliders.



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026