Sunset in The Badlands
Sunset in the Badlands of South Dakota…
The Badlands at sunset - done in full color HDR!
I was happy to finally see The Badlands earlier this summer. While South Dakota may not be on the top of your list for vacation destinations, I wanted to go and see this place. It just looks interesting, and now that I have seen it in person, I can say that it really is interesting. And beautiful, in a deserted, empty sort of way.
My daughter and I took a 10 day roadtrip from Texas up to South Dakota and back, with some stops in Colorado and New Mexico along the way. It was a lot of fun and I came home with some photos that I like, such as this one. While I didn’t get any dramatic light on the trip, it was quite fun to bond with my daughter and see new stuff (and take photos of it, of course).
Beautiful Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake in western Canada, at sunset…..
Ah, the Canadian Rockies - so gorgeous there!
I love Canada, having been lucky enough to visit many times. My favorite part of course is western Canada, and the town of Banff (and the National Park it sits in). It’s just a landscape paradise that is incredibly beautiful and inspiring. When we visited, I took as many photos as possible, just because I wanted to soak up as much as I could and be able to revisit it in my library again and again. This is one of many from Moraine Lake, which may just be the prettiest part of the whole area. I spent two sunsets here in a row, and both were just off the charts amazing.
Sunset Over Lake Louise
Sunset at Lake Louise, in Banff National Park - a stunning part of the Canadian Rockies.
Ah, the beauty of Lake Louise! I have a serious thing for landscapes, but sadly I rarely get to photograph them since I am most often in cities. So when given the chance, I jump at it. This was taken during our trip to Banff National Park in Canada about a year ago. I still have a lot of photos to edit from the trip. I'm excited just thinking about them all!
A Stunning Sunrise in Rothenburg
A stunning sunrise in Rothenburg, Germany - a beautiful little medieval village.
I do love to get up and shoot sunrises!
When I visited Rothenburg, I knew I had to get up for sunrise one morning, simply because the town is small and popular. That's essentially a recipe for really crowded, and I don't like to do crowded. So I got up super early, and since I was staying right in the middle of town, it was a quick walk to get into position for sunrise. It's great to have quaint little spots like this all to yourself. It's as if you are the only person in the world, and you get to experience them in what I consider a magical way.
How to Shoot and Edit Handheld HDR in Low Light
Follow along in this video as I show how I shoot and edit an HDR photo taken handheld in low light!
One of my recent videos - this one about capturing HDR images in low light without a tripod. Can you do that? Sure you can! It's easy, as long as you keep a few things in mind. Follow along as I share some tips for taking the photo and walk through an edit of an example photo in Aurora HDR.
Bring a Scene to Life in Aurora HDR
Follow along as I bring a boring photo to life in Aurora HDR!
Here's my latest video, showcasing how I take an otherwise dull and lifeless photo and turn it into something that really gets your attention. It's a combination of several layers, a preset and lots of custom masking to get the photo just right. Follow along!
The stunning beauty of Vernazza
The stunning beauty of Vernazza, Italy…
Ah, the Cinque Terre! Italy is just so gorgeous!
I almost think I could live in Italy...almost. Maybe I could. It's definitely awesome in so many ways. Take the Cinque Terre area for instance. All these little villages are right on the coast, nestled up next to all these rocks with the ocean slapping against them all day. It's just a tremendous area for photography. This one is from Vernazza, which has sort of a protected harbor area which you see here. I stood in this spot for over an hour, taking all sorts of images and just enjoying life. You have to do that at times, right?
Staring at the sun
Shooting straight into the sun in England - and it came out looking pretty good!
Sometimes it pays to shoot straight into the sun! I don't do it often but I couldn't resist with this view from Scotney Castle in England. I loved that old tree and the ruins, so I went ahead and took the shot. Luckily since I bracketed the exposures I was able to merge them to HDR and get a useable final photo out of it. That's the power of Aurora HDR!
How to Create Stunning Sunset Landscapes in Aurora HDR
In this tutorial video I show you how I take a somewhat blah sunset and turn it into something spectacular, using Aurora HDR. Follow along!
My latest video showcasing the power of Aurora HDR
In this tutorial video I take a landscape shot from Canada, taken just after sunset, and give it a bit of the old Aurora HDR magic. It starts out as a beautiful but somewhat dull photo, but with quite a few filters and adjustments across a couple of layers, I end up with something quite beautiful. Follow along and let me know if you have any questions!
Blue hour at the Tower of London
Blue hour at the Tower of London, and I was working the scene trying to capture all that I could. It’s a gorgeous part of that amazing city!
London is just so photogenic! I love it there.
When I visited London earlier this year, I spent a good amount of time over by the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, taking all sorts of photos. I was especially interested in capturing the area around blue hour, when the lights come on and everything takes on a romantic glow. So one evening I was there firing away and trying to get fun and interesting shots out of it. These two are a couple of my faves from that evening.
Aurora HDR vs Photomatix: What's the Difference?
In this video I compare Aurora HDR to Photomatix for HDR processing. There are some major differences so follow along and let me know if you have any questions!
Here's a recent video in which I compare Photomatix to Aurora HDR. I used Photomatix for 5-6 years to build my HDR photos, but once I started using Aurora HDR, I never went back to Photomatix. I find I can edit my picture completely in Aurora HDR whereas with Photomatix I can build the base HDR and then I pretty much have to go elsewhere for stylizing touches and more. So I find it less efficient and a bit cumbersome, really. Follow along in this video and watch me compare the two. Let me know if you have any questions!
Luminar or Aurora HDR: Which App, When and Why?
Which app is better for editing: Luminar or Aurora HDR? Well I dig into that topic in this video and attempt to answer that question, which is one I get all the time. Enjoy!
I am often asked which app is better: Luminar or Aurora HDR. While both apps have strengths and I use them both frequently, I think the answer depends on what you are looking to do with your photo. So in this video I attempt to answer that question. Follow along!
Sunset at the Loop 360 Bridge
A lovely sunset at my favorite sunset spot in Austin…
My favorite sunset spot in Austin!
I love shooting sunset here, I really dig the view and sometimes you get some amazing light, too. I was there recently and it was one of those great nights. The light was gorgeous and my photos came out really nice. I have quite a few I will be sharing but this first one is a 3 exposure HDR taken right after sunset. Enjoy!
Night at Covent Garden
Covent Garden in London under the cover of darkness…
Here's a pair of pics from lovely London, one of my favorite cities anywhere. Covent Garden is a great place to hang out and shoot, although at times the security guards get all fired up about tripods. So you have to be stealthy and quick to get it done! ;-)
Aurora HDR Performance Update and Special Bonus Offer!
All new updates and a great bonus offer on Aurora HDR 2018 - check it out!
There's a new performance update out for Aurora HDR 2018 and a great bonus offer too!
Quite a few performance updates have been added to Aurora HDR - both for Windows (especially for Windows, actually!) and also for Mac. Plus there is a great bonus offer that is good until July 4. Check out the details below and get it while it's hot!
If you are ready to buy, just go ahead and click here or click the banner below.
Here's my video summary of the bonus offer, the performance update, and a workflow example, too!
Here are the essential updates to Aurora HDR 2018:
- Speed boost for editing and adjusting. They’ve dramatically increased performance across all areas of Aurora HDR 2018 1.2.0 on Windows and Mac.
- Fast single-file opening. With an improved image processing engine, Aurora HDR is now much faster when opening single files.
- Loupedeck integration (Mac version only). Now, users can quickly process photos in Aurora HDR using physical dials, knobs, and keys.
- Batch processing (for Windows). Aurora HDR 2018 1.2.0 will allow Windows users to edit a large number of photos simultaneously.
- Better memory management. Aurora HDR 2018 1.2.0 is also optimized to make better use of memory, with more intelligent memory management and improved stability.
- Windows version catches up to Mac version. Windows users will receive a flip/rotate tool, bringing Aurora HDR for Windows more in line with its macOS counterpart.
- Aurora HDR now supports more cameras than before.
Get your copy, or read more here: https://skylum.com/newsletter/1443
Special Bonus Offer on Aurora HDR 2018 - good until July 4! Bonuses are worth $148 including Trey's full HDR tutorial!
- 119 Dramatic & Romantic Sky overlays ($29 value) – The ultimate collection of 119 dramatic high-res sky overlays to turn photos with boring skies into eye-catching works of art.
- Complete HDR Tutorial by Trey Ratcliff ($99 value) – This entirely new HDR tutorial is perfect for beginners to mega-advanced professionals who want to see all of the latest post-processing techniques. Lisa and Trey discuss their artistic inspirations and challenges, how they compose a shot, their camera settings, and much more. You’re then transported back to Trey’s studio where he slowly takes you step-by-step through his latest techniques.
- Deep Dive into Aurora HDR 2018 video by Trey Ratcliff ($20 value) – Trey Ratcliff, the most famous HDR photographer, shares his editing process in the new Aurora HDR 2018.
Here are details on the improvements in the Windows version:
- Performance boost when editing and adjusting
- Faster export
- Better stability and memory management
- Batch processing added
- Added layers menu and layer options menu
- Ability to rename layers
- UX improvements
- Quick loading of single RAW files
- Hover on blends
- Added white balance color picker
- Localisation fixes
- Changed order of preset categories
- UI fixes and improvements
- Added histogram to tone curve filter
- Improved stability of Dodge & Burn filter
- Added context menu in the filters menu
- New camera support
- Better Windows document support
- Added flip/rotate
- Exif saving to document fixed
- Loupedeck integration
- Improved opening of .DNG image
Here are details on the improvements in the Mac version:
- Performance boost when editing and opening single files
- Faster export
- Loupedeck integration
- Better brackets sorting during Batch processing
- Better memory management
- Plugin stability improved
- New camera support
- Better export performance
- Fixed brush drawing
- Improved opening of .DNG image
Hey Jim, what the heck is Loupedeck integration??
Great question and I am glad that you asked. :-) Loupedeck is a photo-editing console that allows you to use dials and knobs to move some of the sliders in Aurora HDR. In other words, you can fine-tune your image via Loupedeck instead of trying to move sliders to the exact spot. Just spin the proper dial and "dial it in". There are all sorts of controls on this thing, and it's pretty awesome. It was designed to work with Lightroom (and it does), but now it works for Aurora HDR too!
You can read more on the Loupedeck website here: https://loupedeck.com/
When I was working the Skylum booth at Photo Plus Expo in NYC back in October of last year, the gents from Loupedeck came by and I spoke with them for a bit. So I saw a demo on the product in Lightroom and it was really cool. I am eager to try this out in Aurora HDR and hopefully someday in Luminar, too. I will be sure and let you know how it goes!
Ok friends, that covers it for this Aurora HDR update. Any questions?
As usual, thank you for stopping by, please let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to assist!
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Skylum Software (makers of Aurora HDR and Luminar) and the links to the Aurora HDR Update and Special Offer used in this post are affiliate links. The Loupedeck link is not an affiliate link. If you click through to the Aurora HDR website and make a purchase, I receive a small commission which I reinvest in the growth of this site and my YouTube channel, so I can continue to bring you more training, education and information that is useful. Your cost is the same whether you use my links or not. Essentially, it's a free way to support me as an artist. I appreciate your support very much. Please let me know if you have any questions about this. Thank you!