HDR software for mac recommendations?

[marxz]

I've been using (well, little more than experimenting) with CS2's* HDR function with varied and limited success.

What I'm looking for either a stand alone program or PS CS2 compatible plug-in that has a more intuitive interface than the CS2 HDR automation and is able to handle the importing of raw (or converted TIFF/PSD etc) files, combining and tone mapping the files in to a final HDR image.

Obviously needs to be OSX (10.4 /10.5) Mac compatible (using dual processor G5 tower so windows/linux under bootcamp or parallels is not an option until work replaces it with an intel mac at the end of this year)


*yeh yeh CS2, old school, I know, but that's what work supplies and as my job entails enforcing software licensing with my staff at work I have to maintain a "keep it legal" machine myself.

[niekirk]

Try photomatix.

http://www.hdrsoft.com/

[marxz]

thanks for that, I was aware of this program as other people had recommended it in the past outside of pbase, just thought I'd look at alternatives.

Anyway downloaded the plugin a while ago as a demo and was pretty happy with it then had a chance to muck around on the stand alone application which is good too so I'll probably splurge on both of them... it's a pity neither lightroom or Aperture support filter plugins. I'm not complaining but it just feals almost archaic to have to manually export files from one application to manually open in another another....

Once I have the full commercial version of photomatix I'll look at building some automator scripts to make this a little less involved.

[kepople]

photoaccute works very well and has the bonus of merging photos for other purposes.

Kirby

[marxz]

photoaccute works very well and has the bonus of merging photos for other purposes.

Kirby

looking through their site it seems an interesting program - particularly like the merge function that removes moving objects from a frame* but couldn't find anything specifically relating to HDR and tone mapping.

* this could be useful for certain types of HDR images - take 3 or 4 images at each exposure. run them through to remove moving objects then merge the resulting images in to a HDR.

[andy153]

The new Aperture 2 does support plugins and Niksoftwares Viveza is due to be compatible by May 08 - ColorEfex Pro already works with it. It may be worth while holding on a bit and see what other plugins become available for Aperture 2?