Fusion for the Sky

If you are looking for a smooth and luminous sky, with great cloud details, then you might want to try the Exposure Fusion function in Photomatix Pro 4. It can save the day, as it did for me on this image.

Exposure Fusion is not a tone mapping operator, like the Detail Enhancer or even Tone Compressor. It is a simple blending process. It doesn’t proved the exposure latitude that tone mapping provides, but what it does, it does well. There are no halos, no painterly look. In short, it gives a very natural look. It is great for photographs that feature the sky, or water, or even interior walls on architectural shots.

Tone mapping on smooth areas of a scene can cause strong fluctuations in the luminosity and it can bring out details where you prefer the natural smoothness. The following image is from five images, each exposed one stop apart, -2, -1, 0EV, +1, and +2. I was happy with the lighting on the grasses and trees, but the sky looked awful:

So I kept what I liked and got rid of the rest. I blended into the image the sky (and part of the water) that was created with the Exposure Fusion process in Photomatix Pro 4. What a difference!