Merging two images and highlighting different regions

Question

I have 2 images, one taken with flash on(A) and other with no flash(B). Both images highlight different parts of the view.

How can I add details from both images to create a new rich in detail image?

I have Adobe Photoshop CS 5 and GIMP, so any would do. I prefer Adobe PS.

Example images are:

Answer 1

I don't know what you know about photography, but you're basically asking how to make an HDR photo. If you don't like my solution, that term will help you in your future Internet searches.

File > Automate > Merge to HDR Pro should be the answer, but I found it to be less than sufficient for your specific case. Maybe I just don't know how to use it well.

What I did for your images was:

1. Bring in the darker image as a layer over top of the other one,
2. Line them up (drop the opacity and rotate slightly to get that to work for these two),
3. Set the darker layer's Blend Mode to "Multiply" instead of "Normal",
4. Adjust the opacity until you're happy with it.
5. I also used a mask and a soft brush to get rid of a hard edge and the overlay that was making some of the reflections look unnatural.

Here's what I got:

As always with Photoshop, there's more than one way to get it done. Others may provide better solutions.