Assuming by now you're holding your copy of the HDRI Handbook in your hand, I think you are ready for the truth:

HDRLabs.com is the official Companion Website to the book.

The whole package consists of 3 parts. It was laid out like that from the start, with each part riding on the specific advantages of it's medium. And this is how it works:

1. The Book

• 340 pages hold the majority of textbook information.
• Filled with high resolution, full color images.
• Quick to browse offline; convenient offline reference.
• Looks great on your shelf and makes you look smart.

2. The Companion DVD

• 4.3 GByte (filled up to the max).
• HDR images, bracketed exposures, tutorial files.
• All material royalty-free, under the CC license.
• Essential HDR software to get you started.

3. The Companion Website

• Always up-to-date: news (right here) and link directory of HDR software.
• A community forum: feedback channel and community hub.
• Permanent home for all new software and projects that premiere with the book.

So that is the scoop. Read the book. Play with the DVD content. Make your own HDR experiences. And the come back here and get involved in the HDRI community!



By the way - I am constantly working on improvements to this site. The latest feature is automatic Google translation via the flag icons in the upper right corner of each page. This might not be the best quality of translation, but people who really can't read English are not left out anymore...
I am also keeping this website an ad-free zone. You won't see Google-ads or anything alike here, simply because I hate that stuff myself. The site is a service for my readers, and so every link you see here is purposely put there and can be trusted.

Happy browsing!
Christian Bloch

Oh, how very exciting!


The HDRI Handbook is real, it's in full color, and it sits on my desk! It might not come with a Yoshi, but for sure with the warm and fuzzy feeling to learn about cool new stuff.

There are 6000 of this currently entering the distribution carousel. O'Reilly will take care of distribution, sending it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and whatnot. You can actually order from O'Reilly directly if you're in a hurry, but they're not giving you a special deal like the other resellers.

Thank you all for waiting, and special thanks to everyone who already preordered the book. My peeps at RockyNook are thrilled about 2800+ orders, and so am I.

Special hint for OSX users: If you can't wait for your copy to arrive, check out this handy Dashboard Widget for tracking your order!

Forgot to count in the delivery time, so the HDRI Handbook's release date has been pushed to October 26. Yes, the same day Leopard ships, how exciting!
However, since this is a Friday, I would assume it will really be available the next Monday: October 29.

That might be your last chance to take advantage of the pre-order deal from Amazon. $32.97 instead of the regular $49.99 - that's a 34% saving!!

Sony launches the first OLED Screen on December 1st in Japan. These are the main specs:

• Contrast Ratio 1,000,000:1
• 3 mm thin
• 11" screen size
• 960 by 540 pixels resolution
• HDMI input, USB, Ethernet connection
• price tag: $1,700

The first number is what makes this screen so special. Million-to-One contrast ratio equals a dynamic range of about 20 EVs! If Sony can hold this promise, that would even outnumber the infamous BrightSide Display which holds the record with 300,000:1 (or 18 EVs). But Dolby owns Brightside now, and thus Dolby also owns several patents on HDR display driver technology and HDR-capable video codecs. It wouldn't even surprise me if Sony's software is the missing link that prohibits showing HDR content (still or moving) in its full glory, crippling this screen to a "boosted LDR" television set. We will see...

However, the hardware is sound and affordable. Here is some more insight on the technology:


More elaborate info on the official Sony press release,
some more images and tech specs on the japanese press release (google translated),
and for a closer look at the device check out Sony's slick flash presentation.

UPDATE:

As with all the cool japanese toys, US customers can order them directly from Dynamism.

PS: Site Updates

There is a new Monthly sIBL Set, and of course the Hot On Flickr gallery was rebooted for photos taken in October. And in case you missed the big countdown clock, there about two weeks left before my book hits the shelves. I have honestly no idea if Amazon will pull the plug on the pre-order special or not, but I assume the discount will at least stay valid as long as the release countdown is running...

The current standard is to vary shutter speed for shooting exposure bracketing sequences. If you'd vary aperture instead, you would also vary the depth-of-field, which is a bad thing because then you get fringing artifacts when you generate the HDRI.

But not anymore. Some crazy folks from the University of Toronto figured it all out, turning this obvious weakness into an advantage! Their new algorithm can not only avoid registration artifacts, they can even use the slight variances in the depth-of-field to create some kind of Über-HDRI where you can set the focus anywhere you want.
onmouseover="apert.src='http://www.hdrlabs.com/news/assets/aperture_brack_B.png'"
onmouseout="apert.src='http://www.hdrlabs.com/news/assets/aperture_brack_A.png'">



Their method reads like inverse ray-tracing to me. Apparently, they analyze the tiny variances caused by aperture changes to split the image into several layers. These layers are then treated like cutout-cards in a 3D space: You can set them all in focus, or specify a tight focus range that is on one specific layer, or even somewhere between these layers. Good stuff!
Check out the movies on their project's website, and even if you're not a math fanatic you can safely read the first and the last page of their paper.