Free Faux HDR Photoshop Action

Today I'm testing a free HDR photoshop action that I found on photographypla.net.  It is a sample out of a set of 12 that are available for purchase.  I love HDR photography, but I have to admit, the only thing I know about it is that it really takes a specific picture to really pull it off.  My new Canon EOS 5D Mark III has built in HDR functions, and I'm pumped about trying to figure it all out, but for now, I like to experiment with faux HDR actions.


I always like to show you the stand-alone, true results of the actions I test, so I try not to run any work flow processes on them before I post them, and I try to do limited layers adjustments after I run them.  With this one, I wanted to show you that final "oomph"  by running it on a couple of pictures that were pre-edited.  The picture of the Chrysler 300 to the left shows the difference between a straight out of the camera photo compared to only having the free faux HDR action applied.  Same thing with the tree photo below.  That one actually turned out to be one of my favorites and is such a simple photo.
I didn't constrain the proportions when I added the picture of my grandpa, but aside from that, the photos show a straight out of the camera shot compared to having the HDR action applied.  It's amazing how a simple action can give a photo a whole new meaning.  Bringing out the details in an old man's face tells a story like words could never do.   I was happy with the picture straight out of the camera, but the HDR action really gave it a whole new depth of feeling.  He passed away not too long after this photo was taken.

The bottom two pictures show pre-edited photos with the HDR action applied.  They really turned out well.  This action isn't over-powering like many HDR actions tend to be.  I didn't have to adjust any layers on any of the pictures, which is also a huge, huge plus for me.  Overall, I would highly recommend downloading this action, even if you aren't a huge HDR fan.  You can get some very cool looking effects if you apply it to the right photos.  If you are a huge HDR fan, I would consider purchasing the set based on the quality of this action alone.  It is only $17, and there are 12 different actions in the set.  It's only available with Photoshop CS4 and up--unfortunately, no elements version.