HDR Photography
Creating the perfect virtual tour
The human eye is an amazing optical instrument with the ability to see detail in light and shade that a digital camera will see only as black or as white. You've probably taken a holiday snap of someone standing with the sun behind them?
What you thought would be a great photo turns out as a black silhouette against the white brightness of the sun in the background.
How do we get around this problem? Using a technique called high dynamic range (HDR) photography.
HDR - How does it work?
When the camera takes a photograph it generates three copies of the same image. There is the image as the camera sees it (normal exposure), there is a light version (over exposed) and there is a dark version (under exposed).
So we have normal, light and dark versions of the same picture. Now what?
The three images are combined to form one image, extracting a balance of detail in the light and dark areas to create a more natural photograph as the human eye would see it.
Example of over exposed, normal exposure and under exposed image.
Why is this important for virtual tours?
A virtual tour scene will more often than not be shot from the interior of a building where there will be a mix of bright sunlight from windows, both overhead and low level artificial lighting and areas of shade and dark. A complicated lighting mix for any modern digital camera.
This means that the digital camera is going to have problems picking up detail in the darker areas as well as brightly lit areas. This is why HDR is important in creating a realistic and natural looking panoramic image.
For example you are a property developer and you've just finished your stunning new showhome. You want show off your high specification interior and the panoramic view the property has over the countryside through the french doors - this is only going to happen using HDR techniques. If you don't use HDR - to get the view outside correct, the room will be too dark - to get the view inside the room correct, the view out the windows or doors will be a bright white glare (usually referred to as being "blown out").
The Perfect Virtual Tour?
Well nothing is ever truly 100% perfect but where appropriate we always use HDR photography to make sure our tours are the best they can be for you, your customers and our own exacting high standards.
It is this attention to detail on every tour we produce that makes our tours stand out from the competition.
See our virtual tour news updates or browse our showcase of virtual tours to see for yourself.
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