Hi dma_732000,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
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I have been using the Tone Map Persona to see what it does with a variety of pictures. I have also watched all the great AP videos on HDR and Raw Development more than once. For the most part, I like the results for both color and black and white, especially if I use the local contrast conservatively.
I understand the benefits of using tone mapping for HDR images based on bracketed exposures. What I still don't understand is what is the difference between tone mapping a single image (starting from a Raw file) vs using various adjustment layers in both the Develop and Photo Persona.
In other words,
- Can I theoretically achieve the same results if I tinker with various adjustments than I would if I tone map a single image after doing some basic prep work in Develop first?
- Can Tone mapping a single image be considered a kind of short-cut to get particular results faster than going the other route?
- What are the trade-offs of using Tone Mapping (besides more noise) vs using the "traditional" workflow of Develop + Photo?
- For which types of single images does Tone mapping work best and for which one it does not do as well?
- Should I make different adjustments when I edit a single image in Raw, if my next step is tone mapping vs going directly into Photo persona?
Any clarification on these questions would be most welcome. Thank you!
