so what does the HDR effect do? makes the image more vibrant? anyways, i really like this, the tide pool in the bottom left is beautiful!
Eh, the point of HDR is to give a color and light range that is MORE realistic. Not to make it less realistic. Though, I do concede that in many instances the actual outcome is somewhat surreal. Anyway, it's pretty much impossible to get a good quality HDR image that actually IS HDR with one picture. You need at least three pictures, one from a median F Stop, one from a lower F Stop, and one from a high F Stop. You then compile these images together in something like Photomatix or Photoshop using the HDR functions. Here are some examples of real HDR: