Create 32bit hdr "light" using PS CS2?

[jfharper]

I'm going through the Grant Warwick tutorials on lighting. I am using 3ds max 2016 and vray 3.4. In his video, he shows how to create a 32 bit image in photoshop, selecting colors with "light" intesity values because he is using a newer version of pshop that allowed him to start with a 32 bit created image layer.

 

I suspect I can do the same with cs2, but my initial layer creation can only be 16 bit, as well as editing. Can someone help me figure how to convert the painted layers I can create to convert to 32 hdr?

 

I think he will be using these as lightboxes, or hdr light textures. It would be very powerful if I can figure how to create my own...thanks.

[Francisco Penaloza]

I barely remember Photoshop Cs2 but if you can't switch to 32 bits with the top menu=>image=>Mode

What you could do is create at least three images at 16bit or 8 bits with different exposures. Then use the HDRI merger that was introduced on Photoshop Cs2 from there you could output to HDRI full float format.

Hope this help.

[RyderSK]

1- You can't. Until CS6 pro, and later CC, PS didn't support 32bit layers without ProExr plugin.

 

2-Definitely don't do Fracisco's method of creating fake exposures :- ) This method is legendary, thousands of people came up with it independently, even me at some point hah, of course it doesn't work ( doesn't do anything they think it does ). What does though, is that some hdr softwares let you stretch dynamic range from single image, or recover full dynamic range from single .raw photography (modern CMOS sensors have up to 15 stops ) back into linear format ( dcraw can do it too, then you just have to convert to 32bit).

 

PS CC is definitely worthy of upgrade. I thought PS6 Pro version was really good, but CC persuaded me otherwise. Nothing else to do here.

[Stephen Thomas]

Pretty sure you needed to have PS Extended version to get 32-bit layer editing mode with earlier versions. Possibly not introduced until CS3 though.

Edited September 22, 2016 by stef.thomas

[jfharper]

Thank you.

 

I can convert an image into 32 bit only after creating it in either 8 or 16. But I'm not sure if the lighting intensity is created or how it is created using this method.

 

Maybe, I'll have to upgrade.

[Francisco Penaloza]

1- You can't. Until CS6 pro, and later CC, PS didn't support 32bit layers without ProExr plugin.

 

2-Definitely don't do Fracisco's method of creating fake exposures :- ) This method is legendary, thousands of people came up with it independently, even me at some point hah, of course it doesn't work ( doesn't do anything they think it does ). What does though, is that some hdr softwares let you stretch dynamic range from single image, or recover full dynamic range from single .raw photography (modern CMOS sensors have up to 15 stops ) back into linear format ( dcraw can do it too, then you just have to convert to 32bit).

 

PS CC is definitely worthy of upgrade. I thought PS6 Pro version was really good, but CC persuaded me otherwise. Nothing else to do here.

 

Kind of lost here, besides I haven't seen Warwick videos, so not sure what technique he is explaining there.

But never the less, why selecting different exposures and merging them in to a single 32 bit image won't work Juraj?? that's exactly the way HDRis and similar are created.

 

I know if you just paint something in 8 bit then switch to 32 it won't give you more dynamic range that's true, but merging different exposure works.

Is he talking about painting? or merging renders? painting at 32 bit in CS was not possible, I think only curves and exposure was available can't remember really.

[Ernest Burden III]

I don't know about MAX, but in C4D/vray I make environment lights with native gradients. The question was, where on the rectangle should a bright spot be to be 'left', or 'behind'... So I figured it out. You can layer a vertical gradient (top is straight down light, bottom is straight up light) over a horizontal one. See the images attached.

[RyderSK]

Kind of lost here, besides I haven't seen Warwick videos, so not sure what technique he is explaining there.

But never the less, why selecting different exposures and merging them in to a single 32 bit image won't work Juraj?? that's exactly the way HDRis and similar are created.

 

I know if you just paint something in 8 bit then switch to 32 it won't give you more dynamic range that's true, but merging different exposure works.

Is he talking about painting? or merging renders? painting at 32 bit in CS was not possible, I think only curves and exposure was available can't remember really.

 

Because those 3 exposures (or any other arbitrary number other than 1), need to contain 'different' dynamic range. If you just take single source (a single render, or something you painted) and save it in different exposures you're not stretching the dynamic range at all. People did this 5 years ago because the HDR mergers didn't want to accept single .raw source, or they thought it would be smart re-saving single jpeg in 3 exposures :- ).

 

Single .raw has up to 15 stops (although not with good precision), and linear render infinite ( 32bit .exr supports up to 32bit stops, .hdr up to 256). Merging renders is therefore nonsense :- ). Same goes for merging 3 different non-linear painted images. He's gonna be painting all of them at 0-1 intensity. After he will merge it he will still have 0-1, so none dynamic range at all. Besides, this doesn't tie anyhow to OP's question.

 

He's talking about painting a light softboxes manually, sort of what HDR Light studio does. I would just get that, the software is pretty damn great by now and comes with tons of captured presets (even clouds now). If he wants to paint it in Photoshop, he needs to get CS6 Extended version, or get on CC. No other way.

Edited September 23, 2016 by RyderSK