Saturday 1 November 2008

HDR Images Using the Nokia N95

Alrighty There People!

For some time now, I've been wanting to take some HDR images with the N95. For those of you that are not sure of what an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image looks like, check out these Google Image results:

HDR Crane

HDR Car

HDR Sunset Over Fields

Now, I've worked out the process, and I can manage the beginning of the process, and the end of the process, but I can't do the middle...

Here's what I've got.

HDR images are obtained by taking the same shot but at different exposure levels, then flattening them into one image, so that your final image of the shot contains the brightest brights and the darkest darks. Okay.

Now, the N95 has the capability to change the exposure levels, from 2+.0 right down to -2.0, at 1/2 intervals.

It would therefore simply be a case of find your shot, take the picture at +2.0 exposure, then change the exposure to +1.5, then +1.0, etc until you are down to -2.0.

Then upload the photos to the PC, and using any of the various software packages available (ie, Adobe Bridge can convert multiple images to HDR), convert the five or six images into 1 HDR image. Sorted.

Problem: The camera has to stay absolutely still during this process.

There are two ways around this.

Method One: Obtain a bluetooth keyboard, and wirelessly change the settings between shots. Slow, arduous, and requiring a bluetooth keyboard.

Method Two: Obtain a script, which, upon exection, takes the shot, changes the exposure, and repeats until all the exposure levels have been captured. Now this is the method for me.

Problem: I have no experience of writing scripts.

Now, apparently, the firmware on the N95 allows for a script to change these exposure levels... so now we need to wait for someone clever to come along and actually write the script... any takers?

Comments, as always, below...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You could make yourself a Tripod for your N95, there are a few different types you could try, including my example..

http://mickyfin.vox.com/library/post/how-to-make-your-own-n95-tripod-mount.html

samwa said...

I think someone has written some code to create hdr images from an N95. I've not tested it yet though. http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79513

Zeca said...

With a lot of post-processing work and some steady hands it's possible to make HDR exposures for 5MP ... i've done it with not too shabby results and GIMP for editing images: http://picasaweb.google.com/zebarnabe/Experimental#

If you need help over GIMP tricks to obtain HDR imagery i have some nice ones... i also have a nice plugin for it (but for that a tripod is quite recomended)

I also tryed a HDR camera script in python ... but pycamera module didn't work :( ... i tried to make a script without using it, but without the EV control that pycamera provides is kinda impossible

krobinson said...

Nice informative post!! I have not tried HDR images but I would love to try.
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