HDR of a single image

Here is a before and after of our famous rainbow in DV shot. The before is tweaked as best I can in LR2. The After is post-processed using the HDR Tone Mapping adjustment in PS CS5. I'll probably try this again with Photomatix Pro sometime, as well. Apparently, tone mapping of a single high-bit image (16 bit based on 12 bit original capture) can be a big improvement. Who knew!

Before (top) and After (bottom)

Nice can

How about this alternative? (Cropped, multiplied, and darkened lower right corner.)

worn gasoline can

not my image but I like it a lot

A word can inspire a thousand pictures

“Reality always puts a texture on things, a chaotic topography of imperfections, that imagination had foreseen as smooth and featureless.”—C. J. Cherryh