Give an image a fake HDR effect via Adobe Photoshop CS6

So this is basically the inaugural post. In this post we will see how to fake a HDR effect in a photo via Adobe Photoshop CS6. This is extremely simple to do. First of all, what exactly is HDR?

"High-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI or HDR) is a set of techniques used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than possible using standard digital imaging or photographic techniques. HDR images can represent more accurately the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, from direct sunlight to faint starlight, and is often captured by way of a plurality of differently exposed pictures of the same subject matter."

-Wikipedia

This tutorial is meant for any person living on earth and expects no previous experience in Adobe Photoshop. For this tutorial I am using a photo of a bee clicked by Ashish Funde, a dear friend of mine, via his Samsung Galaxy S3. So, let us see how the initial and final photographs would look like.

The Initial Image:

The Final Image:

 So, let us start the tutorial.


STEP 1:
Firstly, we need to import the base photo in Photoshop.

STEP 2:
Duplicate the background layer 2 times.

STEP 3:
Desaturate the middle layer(Background copy) by pressing Ctrl+Shift+U and then invert the same layer by pressing Ctrl+I on the keyboard. Set the blending mode to Overlay.

STEP 4:
Set the blending mode of the top layer (Background copy 2) to Linear Light and set its opacity to 62%. Experiment the opacity value to what suits you the best. It mostly works out the best at 62%.

Thats all we had to do. Now just export the photo and save it as a .jpeg. Now I believe we are off to give some photos a HDR effect and add vivid colors to it.

Thank you! Have a nice day ahead.