P#18 Q3A: Which HDR Software Do You Recommend?

The Best of the Best

Tony Sweet: There are quite a few HDR software packages to choose from. There are even some that are written for Aperture, the Apple software for processing. There are some cameras that have HDR built into them already. I think that's going to be the wave of the future here.

Two of the major HDR software packages are Photomatix and FDR Tools. Which one is best is really a matter of how you want to work. They both have their pluses and minuses.

The big plus for Photomatix is the myriad of controls you have in tone mapping, which brings your images to life.

It's kind of complicated to an extent, but once you process your file, you get this weird looking image on your monitor that just looks strange. It doesn't look right until you tone it.

The reason is because the extreme dynamic range of an HDR file cannot be shown on a monitor. The current monitors don't have the dynamic range to show these HDR files.

Tone mapping gives you the ability to approximate the color and the scene so that it can look natural but it's not the absolute HDR file. It's an interpretation.

Audri Lanford: Oh, that's interesting.

Tony Sweet: You have to read about it to get the full understanding, but in general what you see is what I call an HDR RAW file. Then when you save that, what you want to do to avoid processing next time is go to tone mapping. Then you start seeing the image come out. You fine tune it from there.

To Conclude

There may be multiple options, but when it comes to software for HDR technology, you want to go with one of the top two (depending on your specific needs). According to Tony Sweet, Photomatix and FDR Tools are the two top HDR software choices, and are the preferred choice for HDR professionals. Tony says pretty much everyone he knows uses Photomatix because of the tone mapping.