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Blend with Lightroom Enfuse
Earlier this month I described several techniques I use for capturing multiple exposures that can be merged to create a single High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI). I also discussed HDRsoft’s new Photomatix plug-in for Lightroom. You can catch entire blog post here if you missed it.
Although Photomatix is an excellent tool for creating and tone mapping HDR images; it does require a fair amount of time to learn to use properly. Timothy Armes released an excellent alternative called LR/Enfuse. LR/Enfuse is a plug-in that uses an open source command line program (called “Enfuse”) to automatically blend images directly within Lightroom. Since Enfuse does not actually create traditional HDR images that require tone mapping, it is much simpler to use. LR/Enfuse examines the images you select (taken of the same scene at varying exposures) and analyzes the exposure, saturation and contrast of each pixel. The program chooses representative pixels from each frame and combines them to create a final, blended image. The beauty of LR/Enfuse is that you don’t need to leave Lightroom to use it. My experience has been that LR/Enfuse does an above average job creating naturally blended images without having to spend a lot of time fiddling around with settings. I use it most often in real estate projects when I need to present a client with interior shots that have a high dynamic range.
Timothy Armes makes a limited version of the plug-in available for free; however I recommend making a small donation and installing the unrestricted version. LR/Enfuse can be found here.
Download the plug-in and save it in a convenient location. The folder containing the plug-in is called “LREnfuse.lrplugin.” If you are a Lightroom 2 user, you can install the plug-in directly through the Plug-in Manager. Navigate to File > Plug-in Manager and click the Add button. Locate the plug-in and click Ok. Lightroom 1.x users must manually copy the plug-in folder into the Modules folder found in the Adobe > Lightroom directory.
Before using LR/Enfuse for the first time, you must also install the “align_image_stack” application (allowing for image alignment) and “enfuse” (allowing for image blending). The files must be installed separately from the plug-in. The process is actually quite simple. Specific instructions for installing LR/Enfuse and the third-party application files are available here.
Once LR/Enfuse has been installed, select three or four images of varying exposures that you wish to blend. In the example below, I selected four images of a master bedroom suite that were taken approximately one stop apart.
Once the images have been selected, go to File > Plug-in Extras > Blend exposures using LR/Enfuse. L/REnfuse will open offering you a variety of options. It is important to take a few moments to configure the basic settings before using LR/Enfuse for the first time. Under the Output tab, select a file format (TIFF or JPEG) and color space (sRGB, AdobeRGB or ProPhoto) for the blended image as well as a location you want to save it to. Near the bottom of the window you can specify LR/Enfuse to import the final image into Lightroom and/or open it in another application (such as Photoshop).
Note: "Batch mode" allows you to blend multiple stacks of images at the same time. Depending on the project you are working on, this option could significantly speed up your workflow.
Under the Auto Align tab you can direct LR/Enfuse to automatically align the images. Check the auto alignment box if you suspect any of the images are slightly misaligned due to camera shake. Since aligning images requires quite a bit of computing horsepower, I recommend leaving the auto alignment box uncheck if you captured the images on a tripod. The Enfuse tab allows you to change how much weight is given to the exposure, saturation and contrast of each image. Tick the preview box to see how the changes you make affect the final image.
Finally, under the Configuration tab you must specify the path that contains the “enfuse” and “align_image_stack” applications. This can be a little confusing. If the application files are installed properly, they are probably located in the “bin” folder under “Enabled-Enfuse.” The path to the directory on my computer (Windows Vista) looks like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Enblend-Enfuse\bin. This will differ for Mac users. Simply navigate to the folder where the application files are located and click Ok. This should fill in the path automatically for you.
Note: Although the installation instructions indicate that LR/Enfuse will find the application files automatically, my experience has been that the plug-in will not function until the path to the “enfuse” and “align_image_stack” applications is listed properly under the Configuration tab.
Whew! Installing and configuring L/REnfuse sounds much more confusing than it really is. With the plug-in and application files installed properly you can finally start blending images. Click Ok at the bottom of the main settings window to blend the images you originally selected. L/REnfuse usually takes just a few moments to work. The final image will be saved in the location you specified earlier under the Output tab. Bear in mind that it is not uncommon for blended images to look a little flat or dull. Once LR/Enfuse has finished, open the final image in Lightroom or Photoshop and make any final adjustments to the brightness, contrast and saturation.
This is by no means an all inclusive guide to using LR/Enfuse. I urge you to read through the user guide and experiment with the different options that are available. As I mentioned earlier, the beauty of Enfuse is how quick and accurate it is. It makes blending images a snap!
Thanks Steve! I've had LR/Enfuse installed and never spent enough time with it. This intro makes it much more understandable. Now I have to go and play!
Great tip and wonderful explanation of the process. Enfuse is superb. It's one of the only HDR apps that creates acceptable, natural-looking results, especially with a little post boost of contrast and blacks. LR/enfuse is done really well.
Which all sounds great, but Timothy Armes is not in the least bit helpful when his programs don't work as advertised; and unfortunately, they don't work on my Mac, nor on any computer most of my associates have tried his software on. If you get the free program, do not get the upgrade, it will not run at all. If you think you will want the full version, then don't get the trial version.
Got to counter Fritz's experience. Tim is quite helpful. This plug-in is one of Lr's best and the most natural handler of multi-exposed images. My only improvement would for the align_image_stack routine to be more multi-core aware. with 8 cores to crank, this routine tends to plod onwards on one core. Wish Tim could improve this, but i know its not his.
Jeyell
Hi,
Thanks for the positive review, I'm pleased when my plugins can help other photographers.
Fritz - Please feel free to contact me if you have any specific issues. I develop the plugins on Mac - I don't even own a PC - so rest assured that there are no Mac compatibility issues. As far as I'm aware there are no outstanding issues with LR/Enfuse on either platform.
Tim
I have to toss in another note to say that Tim is great on the support side. I exchanged several emails with him, including him sending me debugging versions of his plug-in to help me track down an issue that turned out to not even be a problem with his software - all before I had even donated!
I was so impressed, I donated before we reached a conclusion. With attention like that, I felt compelled to act in good faith, and was not disappointed.
George
Here's another endorsement for Tim. He has been excellent and responsive whenever I've dealt with him.
hello
Thanks for the review but I have some questions :
- does it work if you shoot hand hold as I don't have a tripod ?
- how does the final pic go back to LR ? You have to reimport it or the plugin does it ?
- I shoot in raw (nef). For HDR does it make sense as you have to convert it anyhow into jpeg (or tiff) ? Wouldn't make more sense to shoot directly in jpeg to save one conversion ?
- I assume that you make your corrections (contrast, clarity etc) in LR with the new HDR pic ?
thanks
Chris
Hi Chris!
"- does it work if you shoot hand hold as I don't have a tripod?"
I recommend using a tripod (a great investment); however you should be able to blend handheld images. Your best bet for handheld images is to set your camera to automatically bracket your shots (a stop or two apart) and shoot in continuous mode. On most current Nikon DSLRs, the continuous mode setting switch should be located on the front of the camera just to the right of the lens (if you are looking at the front of the camera). Look for a small switch with the letters "S", "C" and "M". Shooting a continuous burst of bracketed images should minimize nearly all of the camera movement between frames (there will still be some slight movement). You can minimize camera shake even further by bracing yourself against a wall or some other hard object. Be sure to check "Automatically align images before blending them" under the Auto Align tab. My experience has been that both Photomatix and LR/Enfuse do a pretty good job using their respective auto align feature.
"- how does the final pic go back to LR ? You have to reimport it or the plugin does it?"
The latest version of LR/Enfuse does import the blended image into Lightroom. The image will show up under the Folders panel at the location you specified for it to be saved (in the LR/Enfuse configuration window). For example, if your original images are on a secondary hard drive (let's call it the "D:" drive) and you specify LR/Enfuse to save the blended image onto your desktop, you will find the finished image in Lightroom under "C:" rather than the "D:" drive (where the original images reside). It makes sense to create a special folder for LR/Enfuse to save the blended images so that you can quickly find them. I prefer to save my final images under a sub-folder of the main folder of images (where my Raw images reside). It sounds more confusing than it is in practice. Once LR/Enfuse is finished, you can make any necessary adjustments within Lightroom or jump into Photoshop (or other editor).
"Wouldn't make more sense to shoot directly in jpeg to save one conversion?"
I haven't done side-by-side tests to see if there are any noticeable differences between blending JPEGs and Raw images. I suspect that you would be fine either way. I prefer to work with uncompressed image files (Raw image files converted to DNGs) so that I have all of the original data to play with; however your own workflow should dictate the format you use. If you are in a hurry and plan to blend a huge folder of images, it might make sense to just shoot and process JPEGs.
I shoot in raw, so is it OK to make two virtual copies of the image you want to HDR and slide the exposure slider to +/-2, say, and enfuse those three images? Would noise be a problem in the underexposed regions? Would you always expect results to be better if you actually expose two extra images at +/-2 EV?
I guess what I am really asking, is adjusting the exposure of a raw image by -2EV equivalent to taking an image with the camera at -2EV?
Just a quick correction to Steve's answer to chrisb63: On Nikons, the control on the front is for auto-focus. The control in question is on the top of the camera, left side. Set that to CH (continuous, high-speed) and enable bracketing, and hold down the shutter until all the frames have been exposed.
Thank you for the correction Mark!
LR2.3, Windows Vista, Enfuse
Oh how I wish I had found this blog two weeks ago. Installing this software is definitely confusing. I also had the experience that LR2.3 did not automatically find LR Enfuse. Plus when I downloaded direct from LR I was directed to SourceForge to make a donation - which I did. Then I was unable to access a licence key and ended up donating again through Photographers Toolbox. However it is now installed - complete with (I think) the update! I moved the folder which was originally in C/Program Files to C/Program files/Adobe. Thank you for the tip about the flatness - am now perking the images up a bit. One problem left - where does the preview appear? I have ticked the box but don't see it.
The installation is a lot more difficult than you let on. I consider myself somewhat computer savvy and I have been trying for about a half hour just to get LR to recognize it... to no avail... I have given up now.