compare aurora hdr photomatix easyhdr nik

When there are objects subject to movement in the frame (flowers, foliage, etc.), generally speaking the fewer shots taken the better as any movement will produced ghosting in the alignment stage of the HDR rendering. I have occasionally found it necessary, in extreme situations, to expand the bracketing sequence to seven or even nine shot sets. I've experimented and I like the results I get with five-shot one-stop brackets better than three-shot two-stop brackets, but YMMV.

I've invested a lot of time with PM so I haven't spent much time playing around with alternatives, but I have on one or two occasions used HDR Efex to good effect when I simply couldn't produce the result I was looking for with PM.Īs for capture, I use one-stop increments with bracketed sets. I ultimately produced my own custom presets (using variations of three different PM renderings) and I almost always blend two of these in Photoshop as a fundamental starting point for a final image. Once I decided that I would probably have to combine multiple renderings using different blending modes in Photoshop it freed me up to do a lot of experimenting. Fairly early on in the process I decided that none of the preset options, alone and as rendered, provided the look I was after. The first five (or so) years I spent trying to fine tune a workable approach. I've been using Photomatix for about 10 years now. Yes you can, and should if the situation dictates, use a polarizer. 3 to 5 shots spaced 1 2/3 or 2 stops apart will get you what you need 99% of the time. I think 1 stop brackets are pointless with today's dynamic range sensors. It depends on the scene, but it is very rare that you need more than 5 shots and often 3 is enough.ģ. Aurora seems to almost always get the nod for the most natural looking straight out of the box:Ģ. I would completely stay away from Photoshop's version and the Nik program has never worked as well as Photomatix for me from the standpoint of getting a completely non HDR look. I still sue Photomatix because I have years of experience with it and now how the 20 or so different controls behave - this is not a program that you learn in a day or even a month of daily use from the standpoint of being able to ahndle any situation. There are much easier HDR programs than those especially for beginners.

Compare aurora hdr photomatix easyhdr nik