Luminar Tutorial: HDR vs Exposure Blends

It was less than a week ago here on the blog that I wrote up a summary of the differences between a traditional HDR and an exposure blend. I also mentioned it in my last newsletter. But over the weekend I had some comments and questions about it, and I realized that a video demonstration would be way better than just a written summary, so I made one.

In this video tutorial, I walk through and talk about the differences between these two types of blended exposures, and why the term HDR gets a little confusing. I also take the same images and blend them together using both methods: a traditional tone-mapped HDR and a true blended exposure, using masking and merge layers.

In each case, I point out the differences and show that in the images, zooming in and reviewing how they differ.

Bottom line - these two approaches are very similar but slightly different. They are two routes to the same destination, essentially. One gives you more control while blending, and the other is like blending on auto-pilot.

I hope that it’s useful and illustrative of the differences between these two types of blended exposures. Take a look and let me know!