# LR4 and HDR Efex Pro2



## 1jayfrogel (Jul 20, 2012)

I export 5 to 7 images to Nik HDR Efex Pro2.  Images are separated by 1 f/stop.  I then correct the default merged image to increase contrast a bit and maybe do some local corrections with U-points.  No over sharpening, grunge work, etc.  Just want to reproduce what I saw in a high contrast situation.  HDR Pro2 automatically reimports to LR4 and puts image into the stack that i formed with the working images.  Most of the time things look great.  Aobut one third of the time the image that comes back into LR4 is clearly pixelated when I zoom in - can be seen at 1 to 1, but becomes very obvious at 2 to 1 or greater.  This pixelation is NOT visible when I view the image in HRD Pro2 before I click on the save button.  Even when i zoom to same level as in LR4, sharp transitions are sharp.  Obviusly if i go high enough, say 4 or 5 to 1 I can begin to see pixelation in HDR as well.  What gives here?  is it because HDR via LR4 end up using 16 bit instead of 32?  seems unlikely since the problem is not always there.


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## Victoria Bampton (Jul 20, 2012)

Hi 1jayfrogel, welcome to the forum!  Any chance of a screenshot of what you're seeing in Nik vs. HDR Pro?  Perhaps that will offer some clues.


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## 1jayfrogel (Jul 22, 2012)

Hello Victoria,

Received your FAQ book last week and have already found it helpful.  So I attach two images:  The first one is a jpg of the HDR image.  the second is an element of the HDR image chosen so as to have the water at about the same light level as in the HDR composite.  They are at pixel resolutions of 4000 which is close to the RAW images themselves (shot with Nikon D700, 16-35mm Nikkor lens at 16 mm, f 6.3).  I am not sure what resolution the will appear to you.  If not high enough let me know how to convey the info.
In any case what I noticed after I sent the initial posting is that if I waited long enough the pixelation went away.  Why is this?  It is like when you first bring up an image in LR and click on zoom - it takes awhile to show the high res zoomed image; in the meanwhile image looks pixelated.  In fact, there was a thread about this issue that I noticed the other day.  But in the case of the HDR image it REALLY takes awhile before the pixelation goes away.  SO I need patience.  But still curious as to why.  Anyway, if you look at the two images, particular at the reflection of the tree limbs you will see that there are ghosts in the hDR, probably due to ripples in the water.  SO maybe I really need to consult with the NIK people about this as they have been quite helpful in the past.  However, any suggetisons from you would be most welcome.  Thanks,

Jay


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## 1jayfrogel (Jul 22, 2012)

I posted a reply with images but I don't see it.  DId you get it???  Maybe I screwed up


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## Brad Snyder (Jul 22, 2012)

Jay, the first few posts from new members are automatically moderated (must pass human judgment) if they include a link (or possibly an attachment). This goes a long way to helping us defeat spam advertisers. Looks like it's showing up now.


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## 1jayfrogel (Jul 22, 2012)

I see it now!  I'll await any comments or suggestions.


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## Victoria Bampton (Aug 15, 2012)

Hi Jay, I'm so sorry, I've been on vacation.  Did you get this sorted?


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## 1jayfrogel (Aug 15, 2012)

In a snese, yes.  For some reason, LR can take forever in displaying an un-pixelated picture when the file is large, i.e. > a few 100 Mb.  Sometimes it takes several minutes. I have noticed this with HDR images and with panos produced in photoshop upon re-importation to LR.  The only thing that seems to help, sometimes, is to log out of LR, log back in and then the image appears rapidly, unpixelated.  Any ideas??


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## Victoria Bampton (Aug 16, 2012)

Might be worth keeping an eye on Activity Monitor and make sure you're not just running out of RAM.  Where are the files stored - internal or external hard drive?  It could just be that it's taking extra time to read the file from disc or process the file, but then when you log out and log back in, it's able to load from cache.  You could also try switching to another photo and back again, as I've found that can help.


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