CHDK allows you to quickly and easily perform bracketing using an extra photo override. CHDK bracketed photos are perfect for making HDR (High Dynamic Range) images in your favorite photo editor. In this post I will guide you though the steps required to take bracketed photos using your Canon Powershot Camera and CHDK.

You can also use the bracketing techniques mentioned in this post to make HDR panoramas and equirectangular images for use in 3D graphics packages with the addition of HUGIN or PTGUI.

1. Open the CHDK Main Menu.

2. Load the Extra Photo Operations Menu.

3. Set Disable Overrides to Off.

4. Open the Bracketing in continuous mode menu.

5. Change the TV bracketing value from Off to something like 1 Ev.

If you want you can enable "Clear Bracket Values on Start" which will reset the bracketing settings when you restart the camera.

6. Close the CHDK Menus and exit ALT mode.

7. Switch to the Continuous Photo mode.

8. Hold down the Shutter button to take your bracketed photo sequence.

9. If you want an automated bracketing solution you can press the self timer button on your camera and scroll down to enable the Custom Timer. Press the Menu button when the Custom Timer is selected to change the delay to 0 seconds and the shots to a value like 10. The shots setting will specify how many pictures are taken automatically when you press the shutter button once.

10. When you are finished taking your HDR sequence set the Self-Timer to OFF.

11. After you transfer the bracketed sequence to your computer you can process the images using your favorite HDR software. Photoshop and Hugin / Enfuse are popular tools to create HDR images.

8 Responses to “Bracketing with CHDK in continuous mode”

1. Robert Brown says:

   February 19, 2011 at 8:31 am

   Thanks for posting this guide. It really helped me in setting up my Canon A480 for continuous bracketing mode. Nice photos and screenshots from the camera. Very helpful.
2. Clif says:

   March 15, 2011 at 9:57 am

   I also want to thank you for posting all the helpful information on CHDK here on your blog. I now have my SD780 able to shoot bracketed exposures in continuous mode and to take RAW photos saved as DNG that open up directly in Lightroom and CS5.

   Here's an HDR shot I did this morning using both of those functions: http://www.clifburns.net/pb/?p=258
3. cody says:

   May 4, 2011 at 1:02 pm

   I really like the tutorial but it doesnt seem to work for me. i have the a650is and when i get to the continuous settings, it isnt there. Is there something i am doing wrong or does my camera just not support this?

   When i go out of the menu and out of alt mode
   i go into the func set and there is no continuous.

   please help
4. Andrew says:

   May 4, 2011 at 1:20 pm

   You might want to take a look at the online version of the Canon Powershot a650is Camera User Guide.

   On page 64 the topic of Using the Self-Timer is discussed.

   On page 88 the topic of the various shooting methods like the Continuous Shooting mode is discussed.
5. goldead says:

   June 5, 2011 at 11:33 am

   Thank you,

   Spending lot of time searching how to set continuous mode (got no paper manual to check).
   Then i've found your site.

   Thank again.
6. Alex says:

   November 9, 2011 at 1:39 pm

   Thanks a ton for this quick guide - just installed CHDK on my SX120IS and already got HDR bracketing dialed in! Awesome!
7. SkateSnow says:

   April 4, 2012 at 12:04 pm

   Awesome tutorial... It got me going with my waterproof PowerShot D10 in minutes!! The book "The Canon Camera Hackers Manual - Berthold Daum" is also worth taking a look at, especially if you want to get into scripts.
   THNX
8. Marc says:

   May 18, 2012 at 3:59 am

   Nice work with this tutorial, simple but somehow very helpful for the newbies .
   Thanks a lot!