HDR Photography: Shoot and Edit Like a Pro—Without the Overdone Look
You already know your way around a camera. Maybe you’ve edited in Lightroom Classic or Luminar Neo, but when it comes to HDR, you’re unsure how to get results that look clean, natural, and compelling—without halos, ghosting, or that cartoonish HDR mess.
This course teaches you how to capture and edit high-quality HDR images the right way, using tools you already have—or are considering.
What You’ll Learn
- How to bracket HDR exposures manually or with AEB
- Why histogram analysis matters—and how to get it right
- When HDR helps (and when it makes things worse)
- Step-by-step editing in Luminar Neo and Lightroom Classic
- How to spot and fix common HDR problems like ghosting, halos, or flat contrast
- Advanced techniques like Pano-HDR and sky corrections
No fancy gear required—just a camera with auto-bracketing (AEB) or Manual Mode, and software for processing.
Who This Course is For
- Confident photographers ready to add HDR to their toolkit
- Lightroom Classic or Luminar Neo users who want to edit bracketed exposures the right way
- Real estate, landscape, cityscape, and travel photographers frustrated by high-contrast scenes
- Aurora HDR users looking for a modern workflow with newer tools
You don’t need to be a professional—but you should already understand manual settings and exposure before diving in.
Course Breakdown: Here’s Exactly What You’ll Get
Lesson 1 — Photography for HDR
Part One: Camera Settings, Bracketing & Best Practices
- What is bracketing? Manual vs. AEB
- Equipment, menu settings, and camera setup
- Step-by-step bracketing and histogram review
- Confirming your dynamic range capture
Part Two: To HDR or Not to HDR?
- When to use HDR—and when to skip it
- Scenes that work well: interiors, cityscapes, sunsets
- Common fails and what they look like
Part Three: Mistakes to Avoid
- The most common HDR mistakes photographers make
- Ghosting, noise, blue skies, bad alignment, and more
Part Four: HDR Processing Tips
- Software walkthrough: Luminar Neo, Lightroom Classic, and others
- Understanding what the software does—and doesn’t do
Lesson 2 — HDR Processing in Luminar Neo
- Where to find the HDR Merge tool
- How to add and process bracketed exposures
- Batch merging multiple image sets
- Final editing tips using Luminar Neo tools
- Avoiding oversaturation, banding, and ghosting
Lesson 3 — HDR Processing in Lightroom Classic
- How to activate the Merge to HDR feature
- What to do if your HDR image “disappears”
- Organizing your files with stacks and sorting
- Using masks and local adjustments for precision
Lesson 4 — Advanced HDR Techniques
- How to shoot and merge Pano-HDR images
- “Faux HDR” using a single image
- Using layers or sky replacement to handle challenging skies
What Students Are Saying
“I avoided HDR because I didn’t like the look. Now I’m excited to try it the right way.” – Allan Webner
“This completely changed my perception of HDR. Darlene explains everything so clearly. I’m ready to shoot!” – Rita
“Thank you, Darlene! Great demo and explanation. I learned a lot I hadn’t even considered.” – Marguerite La Haye
“HDR was frustrating for me before—now it’s a pleasure. I finally know what I’m doing!” – Deb
Your Instructor: Darlene Hildebrandt
Darlene is a professional photographer with 35+ years of experience and over a decade of teaching thousands of students worldwide. She specializes in making complex concepts like HDR easy to understand and apply, even if you’re brand new to editing or nervous about settings.
Includes:
- 2+ hours of instruction in 4K video with subtitles
- RAW image files for hands-on practice
- Side-by-side editing demonstrations in both Lightroom Classic and Luminar Neo
Start Creating Beautiful HDR Photos—Without the Guesswork
From tricky lighting at golden hour to dark interiors with bright windows, HDR photography helps you capture what your eyes really saw. This course gives you the complete playbook to do it right—no more guessing.
Enroll now and download your RAW files today to follow along!