Aperture
Most interiors are shot around f/8 to f/11 on a full-frame wide lens so near furniture and the far wall both look acceptably sharp. Wider apertures can help in very dark rooms but they make focus more critical. Do not treat any f-stop as a brand rule.
ISO
Keep ISO as low as the shutter speeds allow. On a tripod, ISO 100–200 is common. Handheld work often needs a higher ISO; noise is preferable to a soft frame.
Shutter speed
This is the value you usually change when bracketing. Leave aperture and ISO fixed so depth of field and noise stay consistent across the stack. Typical interior mid exposures sit between 1/4 s and 1/30 s; the darker window frame can be much faster.
White balance
A fixed Kelvin value (often 4000–5000 K in mixed UK interiors) is easier to correct later than Auto White Balance jumping between rooms. Mixed lamps and daylight will still need a later correction — that is normal.
RAW versus JPEG
RAW holds more recovery for a manual edit. JPEG is smaller, faster to upload and is the format HDRPhoto is built around. Many photographers keep RAW as an archive and upload JPEGs for automatic processing. HDRPhoto does not guarantee RAW decoding in the current worker.
Tripod use
A tripod keeps frames aligned and lets you use lower ISO. Handheld is possible — see the bracketing guide — but bright windows punish even small movement.
Exposure compensation
Auto Exposure Bracketing uses compensation steps (often ±1 or ±2 EV) around a mid reading. Check the mid frame on the camera: if the room is already too dark, bias the whole set up before you shoot the next room.
Focus
Focus once about a third of the way into the room, then switch to manual focus so the bracket does not hunt. Watch foreground islands and kitchen islands that sit close to a wide lens.
Interior lighting
Turn on practical lights if they are part of the room, but do not rely on them to replace a brighter exposure. Watch for mixed colour: warm pendants against cool daylight is the usual kitchen problem.
Exterior settings
Exteriors are often a single frame or a short bracket for sky. Polarising filters can help glass and foliage; they are optional, not required for HDRPhoto.