Exposure Blend in Photoshop.

[@flobeau2320]

Very informative video, thank you ! For me, there is another good reason to go to the AI denoise route as a landscape photographer : that is when I shoot panoramas at sunset/sunrise. As the light conditions are changing pretty rapidly, it is better to shoot all the exposures as quick as possible and then use the denoise tool in post to recover the details in the shadows. I think it is a new tool that we can't throw right away just because it is labelled AI. Some people may think denoise softwares use some sort of magic relying on content aware fill but it is fundamentally different. They use only the pixels in your image without adding anything new. The AI part is only involved in the way the softwares analyze and process the noise. We still are the ones choosing the settings and the frame to create our own images.

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you and great reply. Some very good points in there. Yes, the denoise tool uses ai, but it’s not “altering” the image, just enhancing what you have already captured. I don’t see any issues using it, only pluses 👌🏼

[@norbertalexy8803]

Excellent description and observations, thank you very much. I'll have to do some testing, then I'll come back to you. I'm glad I found your site and contribution. Congratulations! 👍

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you and enjoy testing. Let me know how you go. 👌🏼

[@alexkublanovsky8324]

To put it simple and short - this is excellent! Thanks much!

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you very much. 🙏

[@BrianEddy-c8q]

Your instruction on exposure blending was easy to follow, and I now have a better appreciation for how I can use layer masks on my landscape images in general. Thanks for making it clear.

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you. That’s my goal, make things simple. Glad you enjoyed it. 👌🏼

[@debbiewitt7028]

Wonderful video I’ve been looking and looking for an easy way to exposure blend. I think this is my favorite so far.

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@alanp9100]

Awesome video . . . great Step by Step approach. Thanks !

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you

[@joseenriquecorchadoarribas6137]

Fantastico, muchas gracias por la explicación. Un saludo desde España

[@photosonthebay9341]

🙏👌🏼

[@sylvialynn7417]

This was an incredibly helpful tutorial! Thank you!

[@photosonthebay9341]

Glad you liked it. Thank you

[@r1982ohan]

Great Video. How would you exposure blend 3 images? Most cameras can now do 3 or 5 AEB images at 0.3/0.5 or 1EV. Or do you do one "normal exposure" and one overexposed image?

[@photosonthebay9341]

@@r1982ohan Thank you. I’m working on a video showing HDR vs Exposure Blending soon. HDR is where the camera takes 3-5 “bracketed photos” and you merge them in editing ( or in camera ). I think that’s what you are looking for. Personally, I only use 2 exposures these days as it’s easier to get a natural look. One exposure for highlights, one for Shadows. Good question 👌🏼

[@rogerhance5883]

Very good video.

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you 🙏

[@rosssayer6524]

Great video, I’m not a big user of photoshop mostly use Lightroom. I seem to learn better from reading a process so if you ever think of doing it I’m happy to buy. Thank you 🙏

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you. Lightroom keeps getting better with each update. Once they add in “layers” so you can blend two separate photos, I’ll do another video. I still use Lightroom for the majority of my photos. It’s excellent. Good idea about the written examples. It has crossed my mind to do an in depth instructional course. 👌🏼

[@tedboyer5819]

Great detailed video and thank you for sharing it with us! Wish I could buy you a cup of coffee or tea? 🙂 Around minute 15 to 22 will be my new way of blending sunrise/sunset images. Question...once you select RGB Channel, why not use Gradient instead of Brush to paint in the darker sky? Seems like it would save some time and produce the same effect in eliminating the halos around the trees/hill area. Cheers!

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you very much. You bring up a very interesting point about the gradient tool. I will give that a try and see what happens. You might be onto something 👌🏼

[@adventure_photo]

You didn’t really talk about Photomerge>HDR in LR and PS Raw. I find it works pretty well and has ghosting controls. Not always perfect but a tool in the kit to use for certain tasks.

[@photosonthebay9341]

I am planning a Video on Exposure Blending vs HDR. I have some very interesting results using the HDR merge that show a huge flaw. HDR definitely has its use, and is an easy and affective tool. Stay tuned 👌🏼.

[@leniehulse1621]

What would be the advantage of blending in PS with masks as compared to blending it in Lr?

[@photosonthebay9341]

As far as I know, Lightroom only lets you work with one image. Photoshop lets you stack multiple photos on top of each other.

[@markdemarte6744]

My first time at your KZbin site. I subscribed. I already was familiar with the first 2 methods you described, but my eyes were opened when you went through the third method and I will definitely give it a try. I see it bringing me many benefits. However, I am not a Lightroom user. Seems ACR will offer me the same options. My question is this: is the denoise function in Photoshop also AI as you identified it is in Lightroom?

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you and welcome. Yes, Lightroom and Photoshop use the exact same ACR. Both have the a.i option 👌🏼

[@jay10242]

good information. But, like the foreground bush, sometimes there is just no point to bring every detail from the shadows. Our brains will fill the missing details. Human evolution is a wonderful thing.

[@photosonthebay9341]

Absolutely, that’s the joy of editing. You have the choice to edit how you see things. Realistic or artistic, it’s good to have choice. Not all brains work the same, and we all evolve differently. Choice is one thing we all have in common. 👌🏼

[@GarrisonFall]

Great instructions, thank you! (I'll give the AI a miss - I'm still using PS version 6 :)

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you. I only just moved from CS6 not long ago. There is so many new tools I simply don’t need. 👌🏼

[@OxleySteve]

Thanks for a very informative video. You didn’t cover how you would blend the last, difficult image without AI.

[@photosonthebay9341]

Thank you. The last image. Yes, without a.i there is no easy way. It’s a combination of blending as per part 2, then pushing the darker exposure as bright as possible with the help of normal noise reduction. Then manually masking the leaves best you can. It’s very time consuming. There is no “simple and effective” for this one. I did another video on complex blending which might be more helpful. That’s where “Blend if” comes in handy.