Introduction

I recently tried to handle a rather extreme lighting situation using HDR. The results I got from Adobe Lightroom CC and Silver Efex Pro 2 would look and work good for posting online, but there is no way the image could be printed. Some of the details totally fell apart. Based on what I’ve been doing with Capture One Pro 8.3.3, I decided to give it a try, and found an exposure with some of the highlights intact, but no real shadow detail.

HDR image created using Lightroom CC and converted to B&W in Silver Efex Pro 2

While the above image, which is an HDR created with Adobe Lightroom CC looks really good on the web, there is no way I can print it.  The next image is the wooden board on the bottom of the window slit on the left.  Pay close attention to the corner of the board closest to the camera.

Lightroom CC HDR showing digital degradation – Click on to view at 100%

Same section of the image, when processed in Capture One Pro 8.3.3 – Click on to view at 100%

The weird digital degradation that is so prevalent in the Lightroom CC HDR image, is nowhere to be seen in the second image.  Yet if anything there is better detail.

Photograph before editing in Capture One Pro 8.3.3

Finished photograph, done using Capture One Pro 8.3.3 and Silver Efex Pro 2

Yes, the same effect can be achieved using Lightroom or ACR, but as mentioned in my previous post on Capture One, neither Lightroom or ACR are as good at handling shadow detail.  Though in the case of the following two shots, the LR version seems noticeably sharper, which might help to account for some of the noise.

Lower Right-Hand Corner, Capture One – Click to view at 100%

Lower Right-Hand Corner, Lightroom CC – Click to view at 100%