Best HDR Software?

[dlleno]

Nik has improved their alignment and ghosting code quite impressively and I happen to like their UI. I'm seeing surprisingly good performance with 5 frame handheld shots believe it or not. IS is the lifesaver

 

[xvilamanya]

Wait for a new Photomatix Pro 5. Better performance and two new presets for real HDR: Balanced & Real State
I've tried at: http://serfotografo.es/fotoshdr/photomatix-pro-5/

Does the result match the preview now? I just couldn't get past that. What's the point of adjusting all those sliders when it's going to export another result to what you saw in the program?


Photoshop gives you what you saw and so does HDR Efex Pro 2.

In my computer, Photomatix Pro (versions 4 and 5) matches the preview and the result. The result, in version 4, was more sharpen but looks equal.

 

[bluenoser1993]

I'm looking to buy PtGui for the pano aspect, but is it also a capable HDR program? It is advertised as HDR stitching software, but video tutorials I've watched seem to use a work flow that is about blend plains in PtGui, then processing in other software. Am I missing something before I make the purchase, or is it just a matter of preference and the one program can do the whole thing?

 

[BeenThere]

I'm looking to buy PtGui for the pano aspect, but is it also a capable HDR program? It is advertised as HDR stitching software, but video tutorials I've watched seem to use a work flow that is about blend plains in PtGui, then processing in other software. Am I missing something before I make the purchase, or is it just a matter of preference and the one program can do the whole thing?

You can take your HDR brackets for each pano shot into PtGui and have it stitch together a 32 bit HDR pano. Save this Pano and then take the saved high bit pano into Photoshop and use the NiK HDR plug-in on the high bit image to tone map it into a standard tif format image. I've used this process many times and it works well for me. You can see some of my sunset panos done this way in the sunrise-sunset gallery at www.ronbrunsvold.com

 

[privatebydesign]

I'm looking to buy PtGui for the pano aspect, but is it also a capable HDR program? It is advertised as HDR stitching software, but video tutorials I've watched seem to use a work flow that is about blend plains in PtGui, then processing in other software. Am I missing something before I make the purchase, or is it just a matter of preference and the one program can do the whole thing?

You can take your HDR brackets for each pano shot into PtGui and have it stitch together a 32 bit HDR pano. Save this Pano and then take the saved high bit pano into Photoshop and use the NiK HDR plug-in on the high bit image to tone map it into a standard tif format image. I've used this process many times and it works well for me. You can see some of my sunset panos done this way in the sunrise-sunset gallery at www.ronbrunsvold.com

Both CS6 and Lightroom 5 (and maybe 4) can process the 32 bit file, no need for NiK if you have those.

 

[bluenoser1993]

So would it be a choice between LR 5 and the NIK suite, or are both required? I use Aperture and I'm looking for HDR capability, as well as pano. In addition to the HDR, is the sharpening and noise reduction that much different as compared to Aperture? I like the object removal tool of LR, but want a capable HDR program that will do the work I need on the files from PtGui. Trying to figure out what software I need/want I find I'm going in circles. :-[

 

[privatebydesign]

So would it be a choice between LR 5 and the NIK suite, or are both required? I use Aperture and I'm looking for HDR capability, as well as pano. In addition to the HDR, is the sharpening and noise reduction that much different as compared to Aperture? I like the object removal tool of LR, but want a capable HDR program that will do the work I need on the files from PtGui. Trying to figure out what software I need/want I find I'm going in circles. :-[

I haven't used Nik, but Lightroom can definitely fully process a 32bit file and there would be no need for anything else.

 

[TammyBurks]

As for me, the best HDR editor is https://aurorahdr.com. What I really like about it is that they update it regularly and launch special offers.
NIK was also good, but it'll die without Google's support in the nearest future.

 

[stevelee]

I've tried some dedicated software, and I've used Photoshop. I haven't got past interface issues where I think I am getting a certain look from the 32-bit stage, but then in the step back to 16-bit I can't maintain it.

Recently I've been using Adobe Bridge in Filmstrip mode. The result then is treated with normal (to me) ACR controls. So I feel like I understand what I am doing and have predictable results. I'm usually aiming for something that approximates what I remember the scene looked like in person, rather than aiming for something surreal. I usually find that bracketing in 1 1/3 stop increments works well for my purposes.

 

[blaydese]

By the way, Photomatix Pro 6.1 is so nice and smooth and has come a long way since 4.1 days.

https://www.hdrsoft.com/

Peace! 8)