The Ruins #4, Infrared Single Image HDR Test

To round out the my first set of tests using Nik HDR Efex on infrared capture, I picked a fairly flat single image taken from approximately the same angle and time of day as Ruins #3, but I did not bracket for reasons that escape me.  Here is the workflow...

This is the image, straight out of the camera, nearly one stop under exposed and the light is very flat, direct sunlight.

Step #1 in Lightroom 3, I boosted exposure, contrast and brightness, then set a custom color balance using the eyedropper tool on the lightest piece of stone I could find. 

Step #2 in Nik HDR Efex, I used my "Realistic Light" custom preset to pull the detail out of the stone and the Lens 1 finish setting added some depth.

Step #3 in Photoshop CS5, I swapped the red and blue channels, made a small levels adjustment, then cropped for 11x14 back in Lightroom.  

Step #4 in Nik Silver Efex Pro, I used my "Structure w/Split Tone" custom preset with a red filter to make the final picture.

Using Nik HDR Efex for tone mapping on the single image really helped delineate detail in the stonework.  However, comparing this picture with HDR images made with bracketed shots clearly shows to me that multiple exposures are a must if at all possible.  

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D100

Exposure: ISO 200, 30mm @ f/16 @ 0.8s, Cokin P007 filter, Auto WB, tripod, RAW

Lighting: Daylight

Location: Tower Grove Park, St. Louis GPS

Dates: Capture - October 5, 2008, Processing - October 23, 2010

Processing: Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5

Infrared Willow #7, Lafayette Park

Revisiting one of my favorite locations, the pond garden at Lafayette Park and the willow tree that shades it.  This image started out as an infrared capture.  I like the technique best when it is not self-consciously infrared, yet still conveys a ghostly feel.  With film, the image making is was relatively straight forward.  With digital infrared, one would seldom want to use the dull red image without manipulation.  Here I'm going for the Ambrotype look from the 1850's.

Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, Cokin Infrared filter P007 (similar to the popular Hoya R72, which I think is close to a Wratten 88a), tripod, 50mm @ f/16 @ 0.7s. RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, filtered through Nik Dfine to smooth some noice, then edited in Nik Silver Efex Pro to apply the Ambrotype custom style.  

Meramec River - Castlewood Park

Infrared view of the Meramec River from the big hill at Castlewood Park.  Nikon D700, Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF, ISO 200, Cokin P007 infrared filter, 28mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/400s, monochrome capture.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2 to make minor exposure and contrast adjustments.