Configure Nikon Z6 and Z6 II for HDR Bracketing Shots

I’ll show you how to set up the Nikon Z6 and Z6 II so that you can create an exposure series for HDR photography. We store all HDR-specific settings for each method in a separate usersetting bank „U1“ or „U2“ to recall all the settings easily and fast. So we will be able to switch between normal workflow and HDR workflow very quickly.
Written tutorial: pixelfriedhof.com/en/hdr-sett...
Camera-Carrying-System Peak Design Capture Clip v3: geni.us/KFxtYmM (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Sigma 24-70mm 2.8: geni.us/pKt2sbG (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro: geni.us/ADMHVq6 (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Sigma 150-600mm: geni.us/xJ3A3 (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Sigma 18-35mm 1.8: geni.us/rnztt4N (Amazon Affiliate Link)
#hdr #nikonz6II #nikonz6 #nikon

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Written tutorial: pixelfriedhof.com/en/hdr-settings-for-nikon-z6-and-z6-ii-on-usersettings-u1-and-u2/ Camera-Carrying-System Peak Design Capture Clip v3: geni.us/KFxtYmM (Amazon Affiliate Link) Sigma 24-70mm 2.8: geni.us/pKt2sbG (Amazon Affiliate Link) Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro: geni.us/ADMHVq6 (Amazon Affiliate Link) Sigma 150-600mm: geni.us/xJ3A3 (Amazon Affiliate Link) Sigma 18-35mm 1.8: geni.us/rnztt4N (Amazon Affiliate Link)

[@JohnTronca]

Is there any way to set the camera to stay in the self-timer mode for 2s for the 5 bracketed shots? I just bought this camera and coming from the D7500, in that camera, I was able to leave the top dial-in self-timer but this one seems to default to a single shot as opposed to the 2s delay with 5 shots when i press the i button? I hope the question makes sense. Thanks

[@douglasroberts3]

Possibly one of the best videos I have ever watched in KZbin. Very clear and informative. Thanks for also showing how to save to U1 or U2.

[@photoplanbookings]

Nice tutorial, I am upgrading from a D7200 to a Z5 so this was very useful. Thanks

[@user-cl6dv4vs8h]

Thank you, one of the best videos I have ever watched in KZbin

[@dronetechie969]

Hello from San Diego California. People say you never stop learning. I started alas a Sony a7iii shooter l then a Nikon D850 now the Nikon Z6 Using my Nikon 16-35mm for real estate photography. Was using standard M mode sunny white balance or whatever the day was like. Today I watched your video and set my U3 to your HDR settings. It’s a sunny day here and changed to cloudy white balance, got out of my comfort zone and switched to Aperture Priority mode, (always shoot in RAW) and went step by step with your settings. Every last one. Best HDR I ever shot with the settings you have. My God what a huge difference. Thank you for such a great video. Will never forget

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Thank you so much for your comment! I‘m very happy to hear my video had such an impact on your work! Best regards to California from Porta Westfalica, Germany!

[@laranitasantana]

Nice tutorial and with no loud annoying music in the background. Thank you !!!!

[@barryfrost8503]

A very clear and concise video that can be followed in real-time, setting up the camera while the video is running. Thanks so much.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You're welcome!

[@johnscratchley3288]

Great video, a lot of good information. Can't wait to try it out.

[@BazzilioSPb]

Thank you very much! Great tutorial)

[@teeanahera8949]

This is great. I learned how to use the U1 etc on my Z7 (not much different in the menu settings). I am much more aware of why some settings work or disappear every time I turn the camera off. 😊

[@Daniel_Firebred]

a lot of value, thanks, usefull information

[@greenfishbowl]

Thanks! Great video. Exactly what I was looking for.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You're welcome! Stay healthy!

[@eric.ko.]

Thanks for this. I’ve got some awesome shots following your guide.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Glad to hear that. If you've posted your shots somewhere, feel free to share the link as an answer!

[@IronMotoro]

Muchas gracias!!... saludos desde Colombia

[@eirikkittelsen9787]

Very useful video! I just acquired a Z7II and could not find a good way to bracket with a single click of the shutter. So this was perfect!! Thanks a lot 😃👍🏻

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You are welcome!

[@kamillasenska864]

A fantastic tutorial, many thanks !!!

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Thank you! Much appreciated!

[@alanw2036]

Thanks for this video.

[@ginotarabotto]

Extremely helpful video. Thanks for posting! Subscribed. Any changes we should make if using a shutter remote?

[@miri34sg]

Thank you for a very very good tutorial!

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Nice to hear you found it useful!

[@niloyd]

Thank you! Very helpful video!

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You're welcome!

[@maryhamilton5835]

Thank you - clear and concise.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Thank you! Have fun shooting HDR!

[@steve_aventura]

It is a quirk of Nikon cameras that for bracketing, the self-timer can be set to 1 shot. It does not have to agree with the number of shots set up for bracketing. Try it and see.

[@irinakoldi7379]

Thank you so much! Very useful!

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You‘re welcome!

[@user-su2ql2if4k]

Hi! Thanks for the video. Very informative! Can I use bracketing mode and stacking mode at the same time?

[@AndrewJaws]

This helped a lot! Gave you a like.

[@InMotion-xy4ow]

Fabulous! Mucho Gracias

[@chrisvandijke]

perfect, thanks

[@phase4485]

Thanks for the great video. Is it possible to save the bracketing settings to U1, U2 etc, one with rapid burst and the other with self timer? So if you’re in U1 you can hand hold a HDR burst and in U2 when on a tripod. Thanks.

[@conraddeetjen6715]

Thank you so much. I was ready to throw my Z 7ii out the window. I had all my Menu settings correct but still could not get the camera to take an automatic burst of bracketed shots without having to hold down the shutter release. Holding the shutter release button is not a good option because it introduces camera shake. It was only when I took the final step you thankfully showed of switching from continuous shutter release to the delay option within the shutter release i-menu and selecting a delay period with the number of shots the the truly one button burst becomes active. What a convoluted series of menus to go through to do a simple auto exposure set. My Fujifilm and Leica kits have much better exposure bracketing controls. Thank you helping my Z camera meet my expectations.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Great I could help you!

[@josephkoprek832]

I had the same issue until now :). Only thing - I try and save the 2 sec delay in one of my User banks, but it won’t save (?). I just wanted to create U3 as my bracketing go to. Do you have to go to the menu and select 2sec delay every time you want to bracket?

[@paulmanhart4481]

How do you set your base exposure? Can I select the middle exposure to be any shutter speed I want? Paul

[@sallymally6892]

Can u do these bracketing settings in M mode ie ; shooting manual

[@chiscochacon]

Thanks for this video, it's great! Just one question, when I go back to M mode it keeps the bracketing and hdr folder name. How do you fix this? manually?

[@propertysnappers6297]

Ok, so i have it set to take 3 brackets, 2 stops apart. What do i do next? On my old Canon, I would dial in the viewscreen to show the middle exposure and the camera would take that bracket, one 2 stops darker, one two stops lighter. On the Z6ii, when I dial in the middle exposure it takes the dialed in bracket, but then does a bracket 2 stops higher, then another two additional stops higher. How do i get it to take a bracket 2 stops lower than the dialed in bracket?

[@laranitasantana]

I use Photomatix Pro 6.1 to import all bracketed shots and create the HDR image from it, including Tone Mapping. Then later I do the final retouch in PS

[@vvo_ram]

Hey bro you can help me? i dont see in menu camera setting chenge PAL NTSC - you know there this options ?

[@mister13sud]

merci pour la video

[@arturomatta8487]

I followed all the steps, but the camera saved all settings to my Aperture priority mode as well! I selected as per the video U1 to save the new settings. What am I doing wrong? Or do you manually have to go back and change all A settings? That would be very impractical of Nikon...

[@paulmanhart4481]

Ok. What if I want a series of exposures from 1/3200 to 4 seconds at 1 stop intervals at F/11? How do I do this? (For the eclipse). I’m new to the Z6ii and can’t figure it out. Thanks, Paul

[@shinylara5820]

Why doesn't the bck option appear in info?

[@dalcu27]

Thank you !!!!

[@Tilburger72]

Tried this but for unclear reason the folder rename isn’t saved correctly to U1. When I which back the HDR name remains. Is this a bug on the Z6ii?

[@paulmanhart4481]

At 12:22 I don’t see what you see on the screen. When I push info, I see two rows and five columns. How do I change the middle exposure? Can I take all photos from SnapBridge?

[@sliverfoxbox7967]

I FOLLOWED THESE INSTRUCTIONS HOWEVER IT'S AUTO ADJUSTING MY SHUTTER SPEED. IS THERE A FIX TO THIS?

[@richardtardif4899]

This is a great tutorial very helpful!!! When you shoot HDR for Real estate what setting do you use for focusing the image? Do you use auto area AF or wide area AF (L)? Thanks in advance for your reply. Richard

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

I'm not shooting for real estate, but most times when shooting architecture from tripod I use single AF or even manual focus to make 100% shure the focus is set where I want it to be set. I nearly never trust any AF system.

[@JWPanimation]

Thanks

[@_osnap_]

Great video! But is there a way to save the self timer on my U1 settings? So far it saves everything else but that and I have to turn on self timer everytime I turn off the camera.

[@Rentwithruben]

Any workaround for this issue?

[@LukaszFrankowski]

Hi, thanks for the tutorial. Why do you shoot at different ISO depending on whether the shot is taken on a tripod or handheld?

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Higher ISO enables me to shoot with shorter exposure time, which is better when handheld, due to handheld camera movememt and resulting motion blur. On tripod I have all the time in the world for having long exposure times, therefore ISO can be very low.

[@marclabro]

very nice tuto. i am a little confused with self timer. Do you mean that when you specify self timer 2sec, 5 images, 0.5sec it is just a preparation for tripod use in timer mode, not used handhed (2sec delay) ? for timer mode we must tell camera how many images because it has no idea it is in BKT mode ??? and handheld, you must select H so could take 12 images BUT camera knows that it is limited to BKT number of images=5 ? so, when you press shutter, there is no 2sec delay and camera knows it is in BKT mode and knows it is 5 images ?

[@laranitasantana]

I use 5 seconds self timer. Tha will gives me enough time to focus, press the shutter and stay away from the camera until will start shooting after the 5 seconds

[@powerking73]

how do you get that other mode on your screen which displays in blue, your shutter speed and aperature?

[@davideley2368]

DISP button: In shooting mode - cycle through options until this screen appears (Page 25 of Reference Manual).

[@tommcdaniel7775]

Do you know how to turn off AE bracketing? I set my Z6 in A (Mark 1) using the video and now cannot get it out of the AE bracketing in A mode?

[@5280livin]

You need to go back into the auto bracketing menu and turn AE to 0 and push ok

[@tommcdaniel7775]

@@5280livin thanks figured it out :) will be trying out hdr over Christmas. Really like the video 📹

[@duncandronenuts1126]

Hi. For image quality you said to set it to FINE but isn't that just a jpeg option ? isn't it better to set to RAW or RAW + JPEG fine ?

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Yes, we are shooting RAW. Sorry for the mistake. Set it to RAW.

[@sivanaskayo]

@@PixelfriedhofTutorials I was about to ask the same question. Why to set up for FINE? I'm shooting Hotels and I need High Rez files.

[@me4jas]

Great video. But Is there any simple and free software to merge the the bracketed shots ? Thanks

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

I'm not aware of any free software that is actually good. But I use Aurora HDR for all HDR projects and that is only 99€: skylum.evyy.net/pixelfriedhofaurorahdr (Affiliate Link)

[@laranitasantana]

I use Photomatix Pro 6.1 to import all bracketed shots and create the HDR image from it, including Tone Mapping. Then later I do the final retouch in PS

[@me4jas]

@@laranitasantana Thanks. I will try that.

[@LaughingStock_]

If you are shooting RAW, white balance should not matter - or does this matter for HDR shooting?

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You're partly right, but you're still making your whole workflow more difficult and complex. Since we shoot our photos in RAW, we still have the option to change the white balance in post-processing after composing the HDR - at least if all HDR shots were taken with the same white balance. But if your camera automatically adjusts the white balance due to some circumstance within the exposure series, then you will have one or possibly several images with different white balances. And you would then have to adjust them before the merge process. To avoid this from the beginning, I forbid the camera to automatically choose a white balance on its own and choose a neutral white balance, which I can then shift in post-processing as much as I want and with as wide a range as possible, either to yellowish or bluish.

[@izgil7541]

i did everything u said but for some reason my camera shoots 1 or 2 shots at the most

[@MEDIASTIK]

Same here

[@MEDIASTIK]

I found the problem, press the „i” go to release Mode - choose slef timer - press the bottom arrow under OK, choose numer of shots 5 and press ok

[@mytrigger5613]

Why would you ever bracket shooting freehand? It is impossible to make each image precisely framed throughout the sequence of 3 to 7 frames handheld, even if the camera is capable of adjusting for this i can't think of an event where this would come in handy?

[@thomasasannes]

I shoot a lot of HDR handheld. Photoshop automaticly align the images. Its no problem in daylight.

[@Isaypreach]

Correct me if im wrong but Hdr photos are for static pics only Correct? Like i couldn't do one of the water at a beach because of the movement of the water. Yes?

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You can also photograph moving subjects. For example, if you shoot waves on a beach, the mix between all exposure shots will blur the water. Like some kind of long time exposure shot. But most HDR programs like Affinity Photo or Aurora HDR give you the opportunity to set a reference-image out of your bracketing row. They then try to use the waves from the reference image and keep the in the picture. This has sonetimes very good results, sometimes the results are a nightmare.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

You can see a lot of HDRs in this blogpost on my site: pixelfriedhof.com/en/a-june-in-brittany-travelling-the-atlantic-coast-of-france-by-motorhome/ Swaying boats in harbours, moving clouds, waves, water, streams.

[@Isaypreach]

@@PixelfriedhofTutorials Thank you 😊. I appreciate the info good brother. I shall put this to good use

[@barmalini]

@@PixelfriedhofTutorials your photos aren't short of awesome! I have been to those places a couple of years ago, but the shots I took are in the second league comparing to yours.

[@laranitasantana]

Correct, static photos

[@SLO_Foto]

I followed all these steps with the video and the camera only takes one shot. There must be some other setting that is defeating the procedure you describe.

[@PixelfriedhofTutorials]

Try it in manual focus or disable focus priority to shutter priority.

[@philmtx3fr]

It s a good video but more for exposure braketing settings rather than hdr… hdr is the composition of different images, not the fact of taking several bracketed photos :)

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

Great video Even I could follow. Please shut off that non music music

[@laranitasantana]

I took this HDR with 3 bracketed shots with my Canon 6D mounted on a tripod. Then imported the 3 shots into Photomatix 6.1 to create the HDR with Tone Mapping and later did final touch in PS. Train Museum Miami: www.jaimephotos.com/p904311373/h3d5505cb

[@petar3683]

Please, stop using lossless compressed.

[@juliaanderson74]

dope video, except you are butchering the pronunciation.