HDR Images allow you to show a larger range in the colours and intensity of different areas in your subject. Done well, they can yield some really beautiful pictures that showcase a large number of colours. To get a HDR image, you need to have a camera that can take shots at different exposure settings. You’ll also need a steady enough hand to get the shots properly, unless you have a tripod. Once you’ve taken the different shots (bracketing makes this much easier) you just need to transfer them to your computer and fire up qtpfsgui.

There, you just import the files and (if you’ve got some slight movement of the camera) activate the anti-ghosting feature. Don’t set the number of iterations too high or it’ll take way too long. Also, if the pictures have all been jerked around, then the anti-ghosting feature will not work very well, and you’ll get some double images. Once you’ve got the composite image, hit Tonemap, and play around with the settings. Some of the choices will be good for skies, and some others for vehicles and roads. The best way to find the nicest tonemapping operator is to set a low size for the preview and to try each of the operators, move the sliders around a little bit until you’re satisfied and remember there’s only so much a program can do, the rest is up to you