HDR generating software

HDR- High Dynamic Range photographs blend multiple exposures of a photo into one HDR image. The most popular of the HDR software is "Photomatix  Pro" which is for Mac or PC retails at $99 but you can try it for as long as you like by downloading it at HDRsoft, all your photos will just be watermarked with "photomatix" as you can see below. There are a handful of others- the free ones just don't do as much, and the other companies seem to all be more expensive.


When I first played with Photomatix I was under the impression I needed to capture one scene in 3 different exposures, but the program would never except them due to slight differences in dimensions...which I cannot explain. So I used one image and Gimpshop (free) to make the image overexposed by 2 stops and under exposed by 2 stops, exporting them as .tiff files; as well as turning the original into .tiff. After importing the three photos into Photomatix it generated the worst looking photo EVER!!! This is true HDR. Inorder to make it appealing I used the tone mapping sliders and just moved them until I liked what I saw. You can, however, at the bottom of the tone mapping sliders choose what it is you are turning into HDR and have the programs pre-determined settings do the work for you. Once I decided I was done and the photo looked as good as it ever will, I saved and exported it.


The image I used to test Photomatix is actually a sore story. Driving home from Stratton Resort there is this dead tree on the right in a decent sized field. I always mean to stop and photograph the tree, but the light is never quite right. This time when at the stop sign, I look over at the tree and there are 4 or 5 crows perched on all different branches of the dead tree. After pulling off the road and changing my camera settings, I get out of the car and walk to the edge of the field. The crows don't even move. I put my camera to my eye and before even focusing they fly away. This is the only shot I got with those damn crows in it!