LatentE said at 12:59 p.m. on Jun 24, 2007: You don't describe the method you use for blending the exposure bracketed series. Whether manual (how?) or something on the level of an HDR (high dynamic range) tool.
For night images, which are almost always beyond the range a camera can handle in a single image, with both shadows too dark and highlight areas blown out (too bright) I do something like what you've done here.
I put each (or the most useful) of the exposure level images into a single image - as separate layers. I label the layers appropriately (lightest, midtones, darkest, etc.). Then I put a copy of the layer that has the most areas with good tonal qualities - say the middle image of the three you have - at the top of the layer stack. Just below that top layer I put a layer that has better tonal qualities in some parts - say the dark image, which looks better in the lower right corner where the highlights are blown somewhat. Then, using the erase tool set strongly feathered and with limited effect (30% or less for the most part), I gradually "erase" those sections in the top layer so that the better tonal qualities of the lower layer show through. When the section of the image that I'm working on has been corrected to match the qualities of the bracketed image that handled that area best, I add a new blank layer to the top of the layer stack and do a "merge visible," which stamps the work I've done mixed in the top two layers into a single image layer.
I then repeat this operation - make a copy of the current best looking layer (the top one I just "stamped visible" and put one of the other exposure bracket layers that has some better quality sections just below it. Again, I gradually erase from the top layer copy those sections that look better in the exposure bracket layer placed just below it - say this time I work on the shadow areas that look too dark, erasing them to bring out the details that are in the lighter exposure layer I placed just below.
When this is done, completing a manual merge of the series of bracketed images, I then fine tune the image looking for areas that need a little more snap. Say, sections that have grayish or muddy shadows or weakly toned highlights. In the same way as before but with a smaller sized erase tool, I bring whatever looks better in the original individual bracketed exposure layers into the current best version till I've done everything I think possible.
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