Combining exposures using RAW?

Let's say you take 3 shots while bracketing exposures so you can combine them in post processing to get a wide dynamic range. If you are shooting RAW, and have to convert them to TIFF or JPEG before you combine them, how do you set the exposure for each shot when converting them? Do you pretty much leave the exposures alone and then combine them in Photoshop to maximize the dynamic range?

Since RAW offers so much lattitude in the conversion process (for example, using the fill light and recovery sliders in Lightroom), it does not seem to make sense to me to make major exposure adjustments to each shot before combining them since you are basically trying to maximize the dynamic range twice and it may make combining them in Photoshop more difficult. I have never seen anyone address this question since people usually talk about combining non-RAW photos in Photoshop without discussing whether those non-RAW photos where initially adjusted in RAW conversion software.

By the way, I also have Photomatix but haven't had the time to really learn how to use it.

Thanks,

Peter

Hi Peter

yes, you can mix' em in PS, using layermasks. IMO, Photomatix is faster than drawing the selections in PS.

Generally, the same settings are used, when converting. If you change to much between the conversions, it will not fit together very well. Therefore you observe the 3 files with identical settings in - your example - Lightroom, looking for a good local contrast, as mixing will usually reduce it.

There is a exeption for that kind of work; if a shot has obvious contrast differencies, as a interior with some windows, you might run for the windows only a special conversion; most of the time, I did that one with lowered contrast, and paint it as a selection on a layeramsk.