In a previous post I showed how you can make an HDR image from 3 exposures - which is considered the "proper" way to do it. However, I also mentioned that this is possible using only one exposure. This is done using the RAW file created by the camera (you usually need to enable a setting to make it do that). The reason for this is that a RAW file stores much much more colour information (hence the larger size, usually 3x that of the JPG for the same photo). A JPG can only store a limited amount of colour information (24 bits is around 16 million colours). Now, if you don't intend on doing anything with the image, then keeping only the JPG file is just fine - since computer monitors can't display more colours than that anyways. However, with good cameras, the light sensor is actually a lot more sensitive and captures more detailed colour information than that which can be described by a JPG file (ie. 16 bits per channel rather than 8). Using the additional colour information available in a RAW file, it is possible to recreate conditions necessary to make an HDR image.

To my knowledge, Photoshop cannot do this, but Photomatix can. You just 'drag-and-drop' the RAW file (extensions vary, btw. My dad's Nikon makes them .NEF, Canon I think does .CRW) into Photomatix, and it informs you that it has converted your RAW file into a pseudo-HDR image, and that using more exposures is recommended. Following that you take the same steps as you would have if you had been making a multiple-exposure HDR. Click "Tone Mapping", and adjust stuff until you like it. Here is the result from one of mine:

Original Image (ISO: 250, Shutter speed: 1/250s, Aperture: f/8)

View of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau from Mannlichen / HDR with Photomatix

You can see that the original image is slightly overexposed. The sky and mountains are too light and appear sort of hazy and faded. In the HDR one however you can see that the colours are more saturated and the mountains and sky are more detailed and visible.

Here's how it turned out with 2 exposures:

Original Exposure #1 (ISO: 250, Shutter speed: 1/250s, Aperture: f/8, 0.00 EV)

Original Exposure #2 (ISO: 250, Shutter speed: 1/500, Aperture: f/11, -2.00 EV)

HDR from 2 Exposures

Maybe it's just my opinion, but I like the first result much more (using one exposure only). The multiple-exposure one seems kind of.. flat, and too yellow.

Anyway, since I'm posting this, I might as well talk about the .. place this was taken, in general, cause it was really awesome there and it was probably my favourite day in Switzerland. Here's a map:

Jungfrau Region Map

The yellow circle is Mannlichen, where the above photos were taken from. The blue circle is Kleine Scheidegg, the town (if you can call it that) to which we walked from Mannlichen. This whole region has a privately-operated railway network (Jungfraubahnen), which one can use to get around between the places worth seeing. Of course, the major tourist attraction here is Jungfraujoch (the blue circle on the above map), which is the highest train station in Europe at 3471m. A round-trip ticket from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch and back costs about $160 per person (discounts if you have a Eurail Pass or a Swiss Pass). It's expensive, but worth it.

Something else I noticed when I was looking through the photos is you can see Mannlichen (where these were taken from) on another photo taken from Jungfraujoch.

View from Jungfraujoch, Switzerland (click and then mouse-over the image on the Flickr page to see where Mannlichen is labeled)

Anyway, that's everything for now.

[Edit]: I also changed the background on this site to that image cause I was getting bored of the old one.

I obviously didn't upload all of them cause that'd take forever but here are some of the ones I thought were best that I picked out - http://www.flickr.com/photos/weasel707/collections/72157607066362777/

Here are some of my favourites:

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower at Night

Louvre, inside

View from Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, highest train station in Europe at 3471m

Lauterbrunnen Waterfall

View of Lauterbrunnen Valley from Mannlichen / HDR

View of Wetterhorn near Mannlichen / HDR

View of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau from Mannlichen / HDR

View near Kleine Scheidegg

Sign Post near Kleine Scheidegg, Wetterhorn in background

Sunset in Bern, Switzerland / HDR

Zurich, Switzerland / HDR

And finally, my personal favourite:

Cow in Swiss Alps, near Mannlichen / HDR

Anyway there's a lot more, those are just some of my faves. The best pics are probably in the Alps set, cause the Alps are really pretty. I've been asked for the high res (original) version of the pic with the cow in the mountains, here it is - Cow in Swiss Alps - Original Size (3900x2613).

You can see all of the ones I uploaded on my flickr page (they're the last few in that set, scroll down a bit).

Here's a few that I think are pretty cool (click for larger sizes):

(Most people don't see it, but there IS an octopus in this picture! Click on it for a larger size. You can see it's eyes sticking out and the rest body kind there. I guess they kinda suck their legs in and spread out or something when they're hiding in a hole :/.)

(Some funky flat fish with eyes on the top of its head. Kinda cool cause it's dark around the edges while it's swimming, but changes colour to blend in with the ocean floor when it stops).

As you can see the quality is terrible. These were taken with cheap plastic underwater cameras. We got 3 of them for free from Nolitours when we went to Mexico. They're "focus-free", which quite literally means what it says. You just have to guess the distance you're taking a picture at, and anything closer than or beyond the predetermined focus distance will turn out blurry. Hell, they don't even use batteries! You rewind the film by turning a plastic wheel thingy. Meh, better than nothing I guess.

Here's another picture of it (that I took at the airport in Holguin).

Yeah well anyways, other than that, everything was really awesome. The weather could have been a bit better, it rained a couple of times during the day, but only for like 10 minutes so it wasn't too bad. I ate lots of funky foods, like ox tail soup and raw veal. Funny thing is, the menu didn't say the veal was raw :/, but the waiter person warned me when I ordered it, so I got something else instead. My dad took the veal though, and I tried some. It was, uh, disturbing, lol.

Unfortunately there weren't any Tic Tacs in Cuba, cause I wanted to add Cuban Tic Tacs to my collection. I guess it makes sense though, because it's an American company and Cubans hate Americans. Also, I realized just how much communism sucks balls. Everybody is like, poor, and lives in little huts that are falling apart. And a tour guide makes 4x as much as a doctor or a lawyer or some other skilled professional. Oh and also, there's signs along every road that say "Viva Fidel" and stuff like that. There was also a sign at the airport reading "Socialismo O Muerte", which apparently means "Socialism or Death". Speaking of signs, there was one near one of the pools that said something like "Please refrain from using the pool in case of diarrhea". I thought that was kind of an awkward thing to put on a sign. :/

Anyways, not having to go to shitty school for a week was awesome. I spent most of each day swimming/snorkeling and eating.Free food and drinks, as much as you want! I gained like, 5kg. I'm fat now :/. All-Inclusive thing ftw! Oh and I tried windsurfing once, it was fun. I didn't fail as much as I expected

One of the coolest things I saw (in my opinion) was a Tupolev Tu-204 airplane at the Holguin airport when we were leaving. This is a new-ish Russian airplane, introduced in 1994 and still being produced, comparable to the Airbus A320. And this one was like all new-looking and pretty. Lol, I like airplanes. Pics here:

• full side view
• nose
• turbine (Perm Motors)
• tail

Also I have a bunch of pics that I uploaded on my flickr here. Here are some of my favourites:

• beach
• beach 2
• tree
• pool
• pool 2
• ocean
• sunrise

Also, I have around 100 underwater pics, but those were taken on a film camera, so I can't upload those until they're printed and scanned.

So yeah, that's about it. If I think of anything else I'll add that.