iMac mid 2011 | 27 inch | 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 | 16 GB RAM | AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB (Graphics)
Issue has occurred with OS 10.8 (Lion) and now Maverick (10.9.3) installed on this machine
Adobe Photoshop CC (with latest updates)
Adobe Bridge CC (with latest updates)
I'm having an ongoing issue with the Merge to HDR Pro 32-bit workflow. Here's my workflow, which has served me very well in the past before the problem arose:
- Select multiple RAW exposures in Bridge (from 3-9 exposures ranging in degrees of overexposure to underexposure)
- With RAW files selected, select Tools>Photoshop>Merge to HDR Pro
- HDR Pro screen > Select 32-bit, Select Remove Ghosts, Click Tone in ACR (Adobe Camera Raw)
- 32-bit image opens in ACR, adjust image as desired and then open in Photoshop for further adjusting/output
I have used this method heavily with excellent results over the past year. However, a problem arose several months ago that I (despite numerous calls to Adobe and a LOT of reading/troubleshooting) have not been able to resolve. The problem occurs when the 32-bit image opens in ACR. Instead of having tons of "room" to lift the shadows and adjust the exposure, the resultant image is extremely dark. Even moving the Black slider to 100% (which I never do) and the Shadows slider to 100% (which I never do) does not come close to lifting the darks/shadows to produce a coherent image. The images--and I've tried many, many different exposure sets, including ones that worked beautifully before this issue arose -- are incredibly dark and completely unusable.
As I mentioned, I've had numerous discussions with Adobe, with no solution. I've un-installed/re-installed Photoshop several times without solution. I've upgraded to Maverick 10.9.3 from 10.8 and am experiencing the same issue. And as I stated above, I've tried numerous exposure sets (including ones that produced beautiful end images before) without any success. Interestingly, we have two identical iMacs in our office, with the same software/OS installed. The issue occurs on one machine and not the other.
I'm at a loss with this and am seeking some help here. Thanks for any suggestions and/or guidance you can provide. |
