Filmmaker's Dream Blog

A new style of visual effects is the HDR effect. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It's easy to be done in photos, but for video? I researched how you can achieve this effect and found there are multiple ways of doing it. Below is an example of what an HDR video can look like.



How do you achieve this sort of animated and interesting style of video? Below are a few ways of getting the look.

• Combining two cameras- Video is captured on two of the same cameras but the same exact angle and position so there is no difference between the two. One camera is underexposed while the other camera is overexposed. This increases the dynamic range between the cameras that are set to +/- 2EV this broadens the range to now 4 stops. Using this effect can appear to be more realistic.
• Using one camera- The same process is done as using two cameras by shooting a scene underexposed and one overexposed and then combining the two, but the scene needs to be a still shot such as a landscape, or an object that does not change so the videos will match up. Be sure to have a stabilizer or a tripod to avoid extra movement you don't want that will cause inconsistency.
• After Effects- Import your footage and duplicate your shot. 

1.    Apply the Shadow/Highlight effect to your TOP layer.
2. Raise the shadow amount to 100. 
3. Next apply the tint effect to your TOP layer as well and set the amount to tint to 80-90. *your preference of the look you're going for*
4. Set the blending mode to Hard light.
5. Apply the 'Hue and Saturation' effect to the BOTTOM layer.
6. Increase the Master Saturation to 20-30

To get an alternative look check out this video for a wider range of HDR looks with After Effects.
There are many ways of achieving the HDR look for your videos, this could make a really cool style for a music video, action film, or sci-fi. Apply it to whatever you like. To learn how to achieve HDR with photos check out this excellent website listing tutorials for achieving HDR Imagery.
HDR Photo Tutorials