High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging is a special technique that enables photographers to obtain perfectly exposed images in all areas, even if they have radically different luminosity values. And now you can try this method with your own pictures and Photomatix.
You don't need to know a lot about professional photography, nor spend a lot of money in material. Some photos taken with a different exposure value is all this program needs to create some astounding HDR images. Well, you'll also need some patience as the program may take a while to process images, depending on your system's performance.
Photomatix includes automatic working modes for those who don't want to be bothered tweaking a dozen different values, and also manual modes for picky photographers who prefer controlling every single detail. It also features a quick tutorial and a user manual to help you take your first steps in HDR creation.
Changes
Added 64-bit support. The code is 32/64-bit Universal, which means it will run as 64-bit if your system is 64-bit (which is the case of most Mac Intel computers) and as 32-bit otherwise. Bug fixed: When "Don't crop" option was selected for the alignment with Batch Processing, results starting from the second set were scrambled. Bug fixed: When the active image is in 16 bits/channel mode, the "Tone Mapping" button of the 'Workflow Shortcuts' panel was greyed out.
If you have ever photographed a high contrast scene, you know that even the best exposure will typically have blown out highlights and flat shadows. Photomatix offers two ways to solve this problem: Exposure Blending, which enables to merge differently exposed photographs into one image with increased dynamic range, and Tone Mapping, that allows you to reveal highlight and shadow details in an HDR image created from multiple exposures. The tone mapped image is ready for printing while showing the complete dynamic range captured.
The benefits of using Photomatix are:
Saving on lighting equipment
Given that most digital cameras can auto-bracket at different exposures, you do not need to acquire expensive lighting equipment -and carry it- when shooting high contrast scenes. Just enable Auto Exposure Bracketing, and let Photomatix merge your photos into an image with extended dynamic range.
Saving time in post-processing
Photomatix Pro is designed for productivity -- automatic blending, unlimited stacking, easy comparison of results and batch processing save hours of masking and layers work in image editing programs.
Great pictures on cloudy days
Shadowless hazy sunlight or an overcast sky usually results in dull-looking photographs. The tone mapping tool of Photomatix Pro can turn them into great-looking images. Check this image as example.
Noise reduction
The Exposure Blending functions of Photomatix Pro merge any number of bracketed photos -- this process is equivalent to image stacking, which tends to reduce noise in the resulting image.
Well exposed panoramas
A panoramic scene is almost always a high contrast scene -- you can't limit your view to areas with the same brightness when shooting a 360° panorama. By taking views under several exposures and processing them in Photomatix Pro, you can create a panorama that will show details in both the dark and bright areas of the scene.
Exactly what I was looking for and am planning on purchasing the program as soon as possible...Julian
Anonymous user
Easy to use and as advertized. Great program for combining over exposed photos with under exposed photos. I use this for real estate and I find it very easy to use with several different combinations of filters. I really like this program Pros: easy to useproduced good quality pics
Anonymous user
Easy-to-use software that produces great results quickly!. Great tutorial, followed and in a very short while had a great HDR image! I'm impressed. I will be playing around a lot with the various options--easy to see what they do. Thank you, Softonic!MJ Pros: Ease of useGood tutorial Cons: Can't think of a thing!
Anonymous user
Amazing tool for scenic landscapes!. love it! I do road trips and find scenics that I could never shoot the way I want without this tool. I shoot 7 frames on a tripod and when I combine them with this software I get detail that pops. Great, great fun. Pros: Final ProductEase of use Cons: Sometimes the sky has edges, needs work
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