HDR photo hands-on with iPhone 4 and iOS 4.1

I've never used one of the HDR apps, so I was eager to try out this new feature using iOS 4.1 on my iPhone 4.

Launching the camera now gives you an HDR option at the top of your screen. It's automatically set to off. When you toggle the option on, it will automatically switch the camera flash to off.

Using HDR will provide you with two shots -- one normal shot and one with HDR utilized. For my test subjects I used:

A shot of a window from a few feet away.
A shot of a window standing at the window.
A dark shot using the cat lounging next to the iMac as a model
A well-lit shot using one of the other cats, who happened to claim a kitchen cabinet as his own, as a model.

The most noticeable difference came from the window shot taken a few feet away. As seen above, the normal shot has the outside areas overexposed while you can clearly see the apartment building across from mine -- including some detailed areas -- in the HDR shot. This shot was taken about eight feet from the window.Dark shot

This was, by far, the worst of the shots. The image on the left was actually taken in non-HDR mode with the flash on, and it's the one that I'd choose to keep. The version without flash and the HDR were both the same.

Well-lit shot

There wasn't much difference. Both are good shots, however the regular picture has a bit too much orange. The HDR version corrects this and the cat is better defined with more detail on his face exposed. Overall, I prefer the HDR shot.

Window at close-range

Again, not too much difference here. The normal shot is still overexposed, but not quite as much as the shot taken from further away. The HDR shot corrects this, toning down the apartment building in the rear to its normal color.

I think HDR is going to be very useful to a lot of people, but especially in places where you would normally have an overexposed image. To see HDR in action, check out this piece by fellow TUAW writer Mel Martin and how he used Pro HDR on a trip to Northern Arizona.

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I've never used one of the HDR apps, so I was eager to try out this new feature using iOS 4.1 on my iPhone 4. Launching the camera now...

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Accidental Speculation

The iPhone 4 HDR capability is really nice. It is very quick when compared to other apps (e.g. TrueHDR & Pro HDR) and therefore more useful while traveling.

I recently went on a trip to Peru and Machu Picchu and used the native HDR feature extensively and have put up the photos on my website (both the normal and the HDR for comparison).

http://www.accidentalspeculation.com/2010/10/18/iphone-hdr-photos-of-peru-machu-picchu/

October 18 2010 at 3:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

pablou

PRO HDR does a far better job, you should compare apple HDR to this app, I compared many HDR apps and the best one was pro hdr.

September 09 2010 at 7:15 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Paul

It doesn't work very well with florescent lighting, which suggests it does indeed take 3 pictures.

Also try a macro shot of your LCD screen - that doesn't work so well either.

September 09 2010 at 4:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Manuel

WTF is this? Why are you taking that stupid images?? Go outside and take some real HDR photos to show us the great power of HDR photography, and not your cat!

September 09 2010 at 1:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Manuel's comment

jon

HDR was not designed to create the cartoonish, fantasy images that most people think of when they hear HDR. Most of the professional photographers just laugh when HDR is mentioned. Why? Because they do not look real at all. The reason for that is not a limit in technological advancement, rather unprofessional usage of the capabilities. HDR can be stunning, yes, if done correctly and moderately. The iPhone HDR was not designed to create these fantasy images, but rather create images where the limits of the camera, (regarding over/under-exposure) is minimized.

September 09 2010 at 5:04 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Mikko

Over exposured photo should be much more exposured. It would give dark spots more dynamics.

September 09 2010 at 1:28 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Raman P

Here is a quick comparison between iPhone 4.1 and the Pro HDR app that I did earlier tonight.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramanpfaff/4972663764/

September 08 2010 at 9:44 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Raman P's comment

Mystic

Now try it with some actual life and movement in the scene.

September 08 2010 at 11:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

bcs

I'm a iPhone dev and have been using built-in HDR for over a week. I got some incredible shots at a evening-time artist's reception and art show where the lighting was very uneven with spotlights and a lot of shadows. I picked the HDR shot 99.9% of the time and the results were amazing, all without a flash. All the delicated textures of the art pieces made it through, without harsh shadows.

Even so, I discovered you can further affect the HDR shot by tapping on a dark or light area to shift the "anchor point" up or down the intensity scale to get a different balance from what the iPhone first decides for itself. I got shots that were even better still. Experiment! It's amazing.

I also own both the "Pro HDR" and "TrueHDR" iPhone apps, and you can get different but and even more amazing results from those apps as well. When using these apps, YOU take two pictures -- in the first you tap on and choose a pleasing level of detail for the darker areas (e.g. grass and trees), and in the second pic you tap on and choose a pleasing level of detail for the bright areas (e.g. sky and clouds) and then it will combine the two pictures.

This HDR thing is another enhancement that keeps the iPhone ahead of the pack until the competition catches on.

When using the iPhone's built-in HDR feature, I haven't yet figured out what the delay is. It takes three shots, but how long do you have to hold the camera still? I think many people may hold the camera still until the HDR processing is completed, though that's unnecessary.

Mark Hernandez

September 08 2010 at 9:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Paul D

Why on earth do you have an Intel sticker on your iMac?

September 08 2010 at 8:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Paul D's comment

Megan Lavey-Heaton

It's not an Intel sticker. It says "Anthill Inside: Pratchett Processor." It was a gift from a friend who attended a Discworld convention last year.

September 09 2010 at 12:12 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

4nNtt

Well there is a good chance that it does have an Intel processor in it.

September 09 2010 at 12:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

RobbyT

with jailbreak yes....

September 08 2010 at 8:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Rizzo

Thanks for the examples.

seems like a pretty poor implementation of it though. I have done HDR stuff before taking 4 shots, 2 over, 2 under and made some really stunning photos. This however does not seem to do a very good job. It seems like they should have just called it exposure correction.

Now we are going to have millions of people thinking that this is the best HDR has to offer.... just not the case.

September 08 2010 at 8:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

6 replies to Rizzo's comment