HDR vs Bloom

[n0aH]

Ok what im trying to figure out here is what the difference between HDR and bloom lighting is. I know HDR is better, but what is bloom.

 

[redrumy3]

Ok what im trying to figure out here is what the difference between HDR and bloom lighting is. I know HDR is better, but what is bloom.

like with the sun , like when clouds are over it n u get shade and then sun comes out bright, thats bloom for ya , u can see if alot in hl2 lost coast, and in css on de_dust n milita , and i cant think of the other name, i guess u can say its like a birghtness, when u look away and turn around fast u geta brightness , hard to explain

 

[FlakMonkey]

nuke

 

[redrumy3]

nuke

there ya go lol

Bloom is a shader effect used by computer game designers to create a "blurred effect" on the bright edges in a rendered scene, imitating a camera's overexposure. This feature has been added to other applications and is often mistaken as a full implementation of High Dynamic Range (HDR).

 

[Sgt.Rock]

Ok what im trying to figure out here is what the difference between HDR and bloom lighting is. I know HDR is better, but what is bloom.

Ok, im fairly certain on this.

HDR is high dynamic range lighting which I believe is supposed to be dynamic, like it fluctuates. So your in a dark cave and you go outside and its really bright for a short time till you adjust to it and the lighting evens out so its more comfartable. I believe thats what HDR is supposed to do.

Bloom is like a fake HDR. It just adds the really bright glare to objects. So like your at the beach and the sun is setting, so the game would add a really bright glare on the horizon of the ocean to add the effect of the sun glare, but it never fluctuates in brightness.

Hoped that helped

 

[n0aH]

ok thax and is HDR harder for a system to do than bloom?

asking because of oblivion

 

[NsOmNiA91130]

Very.

HDR is usually calculated real-time for the exposure, if you run Lost Coast with commentary, it explains alot about HDR.

 

[Illah]

Think of a mirror reflecting a sunspot. Bloom is sort of 'fake' lighting, i.e. it knows a light is hitting a spot, so to make it look more real they slightly blur and brighten it to simulate a hotspot. HDR is more 'real' in that rather than just blurring and brightening, it actually calculates what the light should be doing. See the screens in the below thread. Subtle, but HDR is clearly better.

http://www.hwspirit.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1208&sid=471668585146fdf03f62e85cfee7b745

--Illah

 

[squads]

man its really tough to say whether Bloom + AA or HDR is better. HDR is clearly superior at lighting effects, but AA makes the scene look alot better in its own right.

 

[NsOmNiA91130]

It matters. At lower resolutions, Bloom is the way to go, because you'd need the AA. At high resolutions, where one can barely see individual pixels, HDR is better. At least that's how I would do it

 

[Elif Tymes]

This is because it's a personal decision that can only be made by the observer. Bloom + AA could be visually more appealing to people who don't like Jaggies, while HDR would be more appealing to people who think that lighting is the be all end all for visual quality.

 

[ziggo0]

HDR has such a huge impact on FPS though, mainly in Oblivion. HL2/CSS is just fine but I don't care for it there. I want it in Oblivion

 

[]-[itman]

Ya, HDR is a really complicated thing with many different techniques to implement it. I know atleast some CSS maps used bloom before they implemented hdr, don't know about all or HL2. HDR is definitely prettier, though I don't think oblivion's implementation is as good as Lost Coast or Far Cry(though Far Cry can get too intense sometimes) it still makes a difference. The thing I'd like to point out that those shots don't show above is the way HDR makes the whole world look better by allowing a much broader range of light/colors to be rendered. I'll have pics up, just give me a min to get a sample.

Here they are, from FarCry, though I know oblivion has similar results(it's just a lot easier to turn hdr on/off in farcry).

 

[]-[itman]

I'd say 1024x768 and higher, hdr on if your machine can handle it. Any lower and you'll probably want AA.

 

[redrumy3]

Ya, HDR is a really complicated thing with many different techniques to implement it. I know atleast some CSS maps used bloom before they implemented hdr, don't know about all or HL2. HDR is definitely prettier, though I don't think oblivion's implementation is as good as Lost Coast or Far Cry(though Far Cry can get too intense sometimes) it still makes a difference. The thing I'd like to point out that those shots don't show above is the way HDR makes the whole world look better by allowing a much broader range of light/colors to be rendered. I'll have pics up, just give me a min to get a sample.

Here they are, from FarCry, though I know oblivion has similar results(it's just a lot easier to turn hdr on/off in farcry).

makes me want to install farcry but i have the 5 cd version and i dont feel like swapping right now lol

 

[]-[itman]

Ya, the environments in FarCry are still pretty amazing even though the game is becoming aged now, especially with some hdr lovin.

 

[n0aH]

ok thanx guys

 

[blueswitch]

Wikipedia Always has some good info on stuff like that.

HDR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_rendering
Bloom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom_(shader_effect)

their bloom section is short but the HDR one is very detailed

 

[twoeyes]

Its hard to compare HDR and bloom with screenshots, since the hallmark of HDR lighting is that the levels actually change depending on what you're doing (i.e. walking from a dark to light area or vice versa).