Top 5 Real Estate HDR Photo Editing Tutorial Must-Knows
It pays to have all the techniques in your pocket when it comes to real estate photo editing. Even if you rely on the best real estate photo editing services, it is no stranger to any professional that these should also be firsthand knowledge on your end, making outsourced services simply a leverage for capacity. HDR or high dynamic range images are one of the most common techniques that require to be learned since they produce one of the clearest images ready for retouching. Hence, these top 5 real estate HDR photo editing tutorial must-knows should not be missed.
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But what exactly is HDR and when do we use it? Real estate HDR photo editing is one way to make images look natural and bright. As its name suggests, the dynamic range of shots it can capture are from both ends of the meter ranging from the depths of the dark all the way to the brightest of light and everything in between. The post-processing techniques then combine these range of shots to balance the exposure in the resulting image.
How Do I Edit HDR Photos?
Real estate HDR photo editing is a technique that does not take a lot of effort. Cameras have built in HDR features to take bracketed shots or captures that are snapped at different exposures with individual raw files. Other cameras and even your Smartphone will have the feature of combining these already after they have been taken. Your settings could allow you to enable this feature or let them flow into your repository individually. In any case, there are two major phases of real estate HDR photo editing.
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The stacking of images to create one photo to work on
The first step if you haven’t set your camera to automatically stack together bracketed shots is to put them together. It will also be better if you can use your trust real estate photo editing software to get this leg of the job done due to its processing capabilities.
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Retouching to ensure the best of the best come out
Once you are able to create one single photo to work on your canvas, real estate HDR photo editing requires you to execute the full extent of enhancement which includes color correction, light adjustment, object removal, straightening of distortions, and the works. This process helps you come up with a photo that is already visible through the HDR feature and beautified through the touch ups.
Top 5 Things You Should Know
In this top 5 Real estate HDR photo editing tutorial must-knows, it is important to follow them to bring out the best in each photo. HDR is very sensitive to movement and lighting conditions and thus require the proper steps and analysis to determine what should be done and when. As convenient as this feature might sound in bringing the needed output, it is also as delicate in getting right. Check out these top 5 Real estate HDR photo editing tutorial for optimal HDR image output.
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Separate objects using layers
In order to prepare your canvas for the work ahead, it is imperative that layers be established. This lets you separate objects into their own layers and work on them independently without fear of overstepping on another when you start changing pixel properties such as color.
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Shadows done right will make bolder outputs
You shadow slider should be able to assist you in real estate HDR photo editing by helping make the adjustments as you see fit. Shadows in this case, can bring out certain emphasis on objects, separating them for a creation of depth perception. You may also want to consider doing drop shadows to complement the balanced exposure brought by HDR photos.
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Use Pre-sets for a balanced look
It might surprise you that in this top 5 Real estate HDR photo editing tutorial list is the recommendation of pre-sets. To be quite frank, since your photos have already had a balanced exposure due to the HDR feature, it will only be wise to complement it with a balanced mix of colors, hues, and brightness. Do not confuse exposure for brightness in this case. Try it out for yourself and you could fall in love with what your real estate photo editing software can offer.
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Fine tune the image using tools available
Even when pre-sets are here to save the day, there will still be areas within the image that require a human touch. These should be adjusted using micro-adjustment tools such as the dodge and burn tool. With your ability to control the lightness or darkness of a specific area by hovering your mouse, clicking on it, and watching it take the desired level you need.
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Manually blend if needed
With the presence of your layers, manual blending can be achieved. See, this top 5 Real estate HDR photo editing tutorial must-haves won’t be complete without giving an overall control on the image. This is because manual blending does not rely on the system’s automated logic to do the adjustments for you. If after HDR blending, you are not satisfied with how the software’s algorithm has stacked your photo, you can do some of the adjustments to bring it to your desired state or evens start from scratch, giving it a more natural look done by the human hand.
Bonus Tip: Should I Use HDR for Real Estate Photography?
It is not every day or every instance that requires the use of HDR shots. In some cases, you may find it more useful to use a flash or looking for the brightest time of the day to make your images look perfect. HDR shots will not flow well into post-processing if you aren’t in a situation with high contrast of dark and light. Imagine the frontage of a property with no visibility on the exterior but the sun shines brightly behind it. This is a perfect set-up for HDR shot which will be a good file to enhance.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, the top 5 Real estate HDR photo editing tutorial must-knows. HDR is indeed powerful and has its own neat set of tips to work with, but just be cautious that not every situation will merit this technique. Being able to find the right scenario, execute, and edit it afterwards will prove to be one of the best things you’ve done to produce a quality image worthy of the listings.
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