Round Two: Two Paths to a Pseudo HDR: Orangutan Ceiling

So, here's another go at the game of "Pseudo-HDR: '1 image' vs 'multiple exposures generated from 1 image'". This time, I picked out one of my old JPEG files -- another orangutan image that I shot (with my Sony DSC-F707 camera) at the Fort Wayne Zoo back in 2002.

I used Corel AfterShot Pro to convert the original JPEG into a TIF file (converting 592 KB to 7.04 MB). Next, I opened the TIF file in AfterShot Pro and made adjustments in the exposure setting, ending up with files set at exposures of -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, and +3.

In the processing run through Photomatix 5, I used the Factory Setting "Vibrant" and bumped the contrast on each resulting image to "mild".

First up is the original, unprocessed JPEG file:

Next is the JPEG version of the Photomatix-processed single TIF file:

Finally, the version that is Photomatix-processed from multiple TIF files, with exposures generated from -3 to +3 by steps of 1:

Differences:
The differences are obvious between the original file and the HDR-processed files. By comparison, the HDR orangutans 'pop' out of the image, whereas the original orangutan is simply hiding in the dark.

The original file weighed in as a 592 KB JPEG. The single file tonemapped came out as a 1.08 MB JPEG, whereas the second multiple-file tonemapped version came out as a 1.03 MB JPEG.

When you look at the two processed images side-by-side, you notice that the orangutan in the single processed file is slightly darker than the orangutan from the multiple file version. (This would make sense from the brighter exposures that were worked into the 'multiples' image.) Perhaps the smaller file size of the 'multiples' image has something to do with it being a brighter image?

Verdict? I think in this version, that I am going to give the slight edge (between two otherwise almost virtually identical pictures) to the single file processed version as being my personal preference.