HDR Tutorial – How to Make Beautiful HDR Photos with Ease!
Free HDR Photography Tutorial
The brand new Aurora HDR 2019 is now available for pre-order. Dozens of new tools and features to help you create stunning HDR photos you never thought possible. Buy Now Try for Free Already own Aurora HDR Pro, 2017 or 2018 and want to upgrade? Click here to find out if you qualify. Aurora HDR Tutorials and Tips. Click “PLAYLIST” in the upper left corner of the video to browse the entire playlist. Download Aurora HDR for Windows 1.1.3 for Windows. Fast downloads of the latest free software!
I wrote this HDR photography tutorial over 9 years ago and I update it about every few months. I recently rewrote it from scratch to incorporate all of the new things I’ve learned and I’m happy to share them with you here. Hundreds of thousands of people have used this free tutorial to learn how to make beautiful HDR photos — I am sure it can teach you too! Remember, anyone can do this stuff. All it takes is a tiny bit of curiosity. You will surprise yourself in no time! Let’s get going! ?
Trusted Mac download Aurora HDR Pro 1.2.7. Virus-free and 100% clean download. Get Aurora HDR Pro alternative downloads. Aurora HDR is one of the best HDR software for Windows 10 as it amplifies your images with HDR image processing tools. Skylum has already announced Aurora HDR 2019. The new version of the software uses Quantum HDR Engine. It is been revamped and has different HDR algorithm along with AI. Let’s take a look at the features of.
Aurora HDR – NO Halos, NO Noise, NEW Looks
Entirely New HDR Algorithm with Artificial Intelligence
How do you follow up from Mac’s App of the Year in 2018? That’s a tough one but we put our heads together with the team from Skylum and we’ve done it!
The latest Aurora HDR uses Skylum’s new Quantum HDR Engine. It is a completely redesigned HDR algorithm, paired with artificial intelligence, which took 3 years of development by Skylum’s AI lab. My favorite thing about this new version is you no longer need to make corrections on the initial results because it virtually eliminates noise, halos, and other little issues you often needed to fix. This means you can focus on your creative side. Begin by trying out the new “looks” (formerly called presets, a few of mine are included for free). Seo analyze site online. And try tweaking out the “HDR-ness” of your creation with the new and improved HDR Enhance and Smart Structure sliders.
Aurora HDR Tutorials and Tips
Click “PLAYLIST” in the upper left corner of the video to browse the entire playlist.
What is HDR?
HDR is an acronym for High Dynamic Range. If you use some special HDR software, you can see all the light in the final photo that you can see when you are standing on the scene. Perhaps you’ve been in a beautiful place and taken a photo and it comes out flat and disappointing. With HDR processing there is no longer a need for that; now the final image can be as truly evocative as it was when you were there.
The human eye can see so much more than a single shot that your camera takes by itself. I’ll show you how you can get these files into this software and make the scene as beautiful as it was when you were actually there. I’ll show you how. Don’t worry, it’s easy and super fun!
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![Aurora Aurora](https://static.filehorse.com/screenshots-mac/imaging-and-digital-photo/aurora-hdr-mac-screenshot-02.png)
Sample HDR Photos
Here are a few interesting HDR photographs that people seem to enjoy. This shows the sort of style I have arrived at over the years by using the techniques described in this tutorial. You can see many more in my portfolio;.
Step 1: Get your box of 128 Crayons ready!
The first step is to get the Aurora HDR Software. It works on Windows and Mac. The software has now been through at least 10 iterations and it’s absolutely amazing.
Do you need a new camera or lens too? Most any camera nowadays will do, but I have a bunch of great camera, lens, and goodies recommendations. Hey, go ahead, get some more stuff; you know you want it! ?
Some optional things you may want to pick up are Trey’s Presets/Looks for Aurora HDR and the HDR Video Tutorial with sample files.
Step 2: Get your photo(s) ready
Notice I said photo(s) with an “s” because you can use a single photo or multiple photos. Personally, I use a single photo about 75% of the time, but I’ll explain more.
A Single RAW Photo
RAW photos are the format most cameras now use and write them to the memory card. Note that if you have a new camera, sometimes JPG is turned on by default. You might have to go into the settings and change it over to RAW.
Single RAW files make a great source for the new Aurora HDR, which is especially tuned for these. I used to do multiple photos in bracketing (see next section if you don’t know what that is), but I find a single RAW is sufficient for almost all situations.
Note you CAN use a single JPG in Aurora HDR as well, but a RAW is recommended because it has more light stored inside.
Bracketed Photos
You can also import a series of photos called bracketed photos. Many cameras have a setting that will let it take a burst of photos at different brightness levels. So, you would end up with three photos: a dark, medium, and bright photo. This setting in your camera is typically called Auto-bracketing. I put my camera in A (Aperture) mode, and then the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speeds. Most of the time, I shoot with the basic exposure settings of -2, 0, and +2.
I still use bracketed photos when I’m shooting and there is a big difference in the lighting, from bright to dark. For example, if I’m shooting into a very bright sunrise and something quite dark is also in the image.
What should you do? Well, I suggest you do shoot bracketed RAW images and then try bringing the middle RAW photo into Aurora HDR and see if that has enough light for you. If it doesn’t, you have the other two brackets ready to go.
Step 3: Import your photos into Aurora HDR
Okay now the fun starts!
Use Aurora HDR to open your files. You can also use the Lightroom Plugin if you wish. Depending on what you import, you have slightly different options:
Importing a single photo
On the opening screen select “Open Image” and then you’ll see the screen below. There are other options under the gear, but I almost never use them. They have good explanations inside the tab that opens though.
Importing a set of bracketed photos
After selecting “Open Image” and then choosing your three exposures you’ll see an option for “Auto Alignment” – yes, do this. I do this even when I am using a tripod to get all the shots.
Inside the gear, you’ll see another good option for “Ghosts Reduction.” If you have movement between your frames in the photo (like you are shooting horses mating or something), then check that box too along with the default options.
Step 4: Play with the Presets/Looks!
Okay now that you’re in, you may notice your photo already looks a bit different! If you click on the eyeball on the top bar, you’ll see the before/after. Pretty slick eh? Now, we can make more changes to amp it up even more!
First, let’s talk artistically here. There’s no RIGHT and WRONG decisions here, so don’t be hard on yourself. You can choose if you want it to be a subtle HDR or a more extreme one. You may want it cartoony or glowy or desaturated or even more grungy. Your call!
A great way to get started is with the Presets/Looks. Open up the presets/looks panel along the bottom and have a gander (you do this using the button at the top right that looks like three litte squares with a line above them). You’ll notice there are different categories as well. Architecture, Landscape, even some from me, Trey! Once you fall in love with the presets/looks, I hope you will also enjoy buying my additional set– they’re great!
Here’s a special note about the presets/looks. If you hover over them, you’ll see a slider with 100. That means percent. So if you like the result, but not too much of it, you can slide that back to 50% or 25% or whatever you like.
Presets/looks are very powerful and they keep the tool very simple so you don’t really need to use all those controls on the right that we’ll get to next. I know all that can be intimidating to new beginners, so don’t feel like you need to understand all of them. Presets/looks are your friends!
Step 5: Play with my favorite sliders for more powah!
Once you have the panels open on the right (you’ll see a toggle above in the top bar to open and close them, just like the presets/looks this time it’s lines with circles on them), you’ll see there are a TON of sliders.
Don’t get scared, I’ll start out by just showing you my 4 or 5 favorite ones.
First, mosey on over to the “Smart Tone” slider. Crank that thing all the way over to the right to see what happens. Cool eh? Then just move it back and forth until you like the look. This is a new slider and is very powerful…almost AI-level stuff going on behind the scenes.
Second, check out the looks on that “HDR Clarity” slider. This allows you to add a bit of sharpness.
Third, somersault down to the “HDR Smart Structure” slider. This is where you can really AMP IT UP if you so choose. Again, try moving the slider all the way to the right just to see what it does, then back off. This whole area can be used to make your photo look as “HDRish” as you want. See that “Softness” slider in there? That is handy if you don’t want your edges to be too sharp… sometimes soft is nice. But, then again, if you want a really hard edge and quite a bit of sharpness, move that Softness slider to the left.
Fourth, head down to frozen food section and find the “HDR Denoise” panel. Often times, when you move the sliders above, the sky can get a little noise. This will get rid of that lickity McSplitickity. Wow, imagine if that was really your last name and you’re stuck talking to customer service in India and they’re trying to find your customer name.
Fifth, parkour using only one hand down to the “Image Radiance” panel. This area gives it that Fairy Tale Glow I love so much. Amp up that first Amount slider, then be sure to go down and pull up the Shadows a few sliders down. Quite a cool effect, eh?
Step 6: Discover Layers
Layers allow you to do different things to different parts of the photo. For example, sometimes I want just part of the photo to have a very strong HDR look. Other times, I might just want a silky smooth sky.
Let’s try it.
Aurora Hdr For Mac
1) Go click on the + in the Layers section and add a new Adjustment Layer.
2) Go move one of the HDR Enhance sliders pretty far to the right.
3) Go move the Image Radiance Amount Slider pretty far to the right as well as the Shadows down below it
4) Now, go up to your new layer and you’ll see a little brush in the rectangle. Click it.
5) Now start painting by clicking on your photo and dragging around.
2) Go move one of the HDR Enhance sliders pretty far to the right.
3) Go move the Image Radiance Amount Slider pretty far to the right as well as the Shadows down below it
4) Now, go up to your new layer and you’ll see a little brush in the rectangle. Click it.
5) Now start painting by clicking on your photo and dragging around.
She what happened there? All your adjustments are just where you are painting. Note you were painting at 100%, but you can see that can be lowered in the panel along the top. This is all called “Masking” by the way, but I know that terminology can be confusing to newbies.
That’s how layers work. Of course, now you can still go back and make adjustments to all the sliders, and it will only happen where you’ve painted.
You can make as many layers as you like!
(Optional) Step 7: Have fun with all the other panels!
Wow there’s a lot of panels. Where do I start?
Well, my first suggestion is to have you go play with all of them like a kid. Don’t worry. You’re not going to mess anything up, and it’s a great way to get to know the tool. Remember when you try a new slider, be sure to violently move it around so you can see what it does.
Here’s a few panels that are pretty sweet.
History Panel
This panel is actually on the top bar. It gives you all your history, except for when girls made fun of you in high school. You can go back and reverse any decision you made, except for that pesky high school stuff.
HDR Details Boost
You might think this is like the HDR Microstructure, but it’s not. Think of it more as very detailed sharpener. When you use this tool, be sure to zoom into 100% so you can see the effects. You won’t otherwise.
Top and Bottom Tuning
This area is handy for making different adjustments to the top and bottom of your photo. Some people like to use this when not using layers. For example you can make the top part of the image a cooler color and the bottom part warmer.
Dodge and Burn
This is a new area and allows you to selectively brighten and darken different areas of the photo.
The End! But hey, why not become a Passport Member?
I have something new here on the site called the Stuck In Customs Passport. I make a bunch of special videos, presets, how-tos, behind-the-scenes videos. Come see all the goodies you get!
Whether you are a pro or novice photographer, all of us want a perfect picture. A perfect picture can be achieved by either clicking a photo at a correct angle and edit it a little or click an average photo and edit it to make it better. In both the cases, you need an HDR software. A software which is simple to use and has an intuitive interface.
The HDR software can help you practice photography and help you get practical knowledge.
Also, you get to know how to not overprocess your images.
A photographer shooting static images in High Contrast surroundings will get benefit from HDR. Landscape photographers could get an advantage to capture perfectly exposed wide angle HDR sunset and like it. It could help photographers of other fields as well.
So, if you want to manage the professional shots with ease, then you must have HDR software handy. In this post, we have listed some of the best HDR software for Windows 10.
1. Aurora HDR
Aurora HDR is one of the best HDR software for Windows 10 as it amplifies your images with HDR image processing tools. Skylum has already announced Aurora HDR 2019. The new version of the software uses Quantum HDR Engine. It is been revamped and has different HDR algorithm along with AI. Let’s take a look at the features of Aurora HDR:
- It enables you to get flawless HDR images without any ghosting, chromatic aberration and halos.
- It merges bracketed images instantaneously to produce balanced HDR with sharper details.
- It has Advanced tone-mapping technology and advanced image processing engine.
- It comes with HDR enhancer and multiplies layers & blend modes.
Aurora HDR comes with Adobe Photoshop plug-in along with Adobe Lightroom plug-in. It also has lens correction and Transform tool to enhance the images to look more natural. The layers, masking and brushes along with various filters to help you create a perfect image.
2. EasyHDR
EasyHDR is an HDR image processing software for both Windows and Mac OSx which gives us High Dynamic Range (HDR) images. It can import various image formats such as JPEG, TIFF, FITS, PNG or RAW photos. It supports Radiance RGBE (*.hdr), OpenEXR (*.exr), and 32-bit floating point TIFF HDR images. Let’s take a look at the features of EasyHDR:
- It comes with Lens Distortion and chromatic aberration correction along with Retina (High DPI) display support.
- It also has Free Adobe Lightroom plugin installed.
- It reduces noise with noise removal filters. You can reduce noise either before or after the image is tone mapped.
- It also has a feature called unique manual Image Alignment which enables you to process photos captured without a tripod.
EasyHDR has automatic and manual Ghost Removal feature assures that moving things won’t defile the ultimate photo. You can process photos in a batch which saves a lot of time when you have a lot of photos to edit
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3. Photomatix Pro
Photomatix Pro is one of the best batch processing HDR software available for Windows and Mac. It provides you with an option for automatic image alignment for the images taken without a tripod. It offers two ways for Tone Mapping one being Details Enhancer, based on a local operator, and other is Tone Compressor, based on a global operator. Let’s take a look at the features of Photomatix Pro:
Aurora Hdr Software
- It offers a selective deghosting tool for effective removal of “ghosts” in dynamic scenes. You can also use the lasso tool to select the ghosted areas and make changes on an image. It also has automatic ghost removal tool.
- There are four ways available to use Exposure Fusion: Fusion/Natural, Fusion/Auto, Fusion/Intensive, and Fusion/2 images
- If you are processing images in batch, then you can use Fusion/Realistic, an additional method which provides natural looking interiors with bright windows.
- Give a finishing touch to your image, when a photo has been treated with tone mapping, the Finishing Touch panel enables a user to increase the contrast of the image, adjust the saturation of individual colours and sharpen it.
Photomatix Pro can load and process images from a certain location and once processed, could save the outcome in the defined output location. The tool supports 8 bits/channel or 16 bits/channel images, or Raw/DNG files. If you have taken a RAW format image, the software offers to adjust output colour and White Balance.
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4. Oloneo HDR
One of the best HDR software for Windows 10, Oloneo HDR is a RAW and HDR image processing software, which gives you High Dynamics Range output with ease. It offers total control over light and exposure in real time to digital photographers. Oloneo HDR comes with Lightroom plug-in and also allows to export to different image processing applications directly such as Photoshop. Let’s take a look at the features of Oloneo HDR:
- The software is real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR), 32-bit floating point per channel, full resolution and non-destructive image-editing engine and ultra-wide gamut.
- Despite colour shifting and clipping, the software ensures that no image data is lost while the HDR process.
- It offers the best HDR and RAW image processing for both amateur and professional photographers.
- It is useful when it comes to different photography styles such as architecture, landscape, advertising, real estate, panorama and catalogue and more.
Oloneo HDR is a combination of easy to use, intuitive user interface, and image controls, operate in full real-time at a rate of 1/20 second.
5. HDR Projects
HDR Projects enables you to get the best professional shots as it is great when shooting in low light, capture portraits without flash, romantic candlelight portrait or any other site. It lets you select suitable look for 5 photo moods or styles and HDR projects 2018 will apply to all 155 presets. Let’s take a look at the features of HDR Projects:
- The software comes with automatic ghost image correction along with sensitive selective drawing tool.
- If you have paid version of the app, then you can process images in batch, and also get Photoshop plug-in, and Lightroom plug-in.
- The software also has a 1:1 comparison window including zoom function.
- With the paid version, the software provides you with all the editing functions of a RAW converter.
HDR Projects supports both Windows and Mac computer and also lets you make changes to a 4K photos. A new composing function is added which lets you provide image components customizable textures.
6. Machinery HDR
Machinery HDR is yet another best HDR software for Windows 10 which uses HDR technology to get you mesmerizing & breathtaking images. Whether you are professional or novice, you can add amazing effects to a single JPG format photo. Machinery HDR comes with a simple and intuitive interface. Let’s take a look at the features of Machinery HDR:
- The software has a set of predefined settings which enables users to get HDR effects like a pro with a single click.
- MAchinery HDR provides you with a lot of tools so that you can edit the photo and get finishing touch.
- It also includes an Adobe Lightroom Plugin for a smooth workflow.
- The software runs parallel on multicore processors, by using NVIDIA accelerators and there is also a 64-bit version available to use the power of the computer.
Machinery HDR is available to be used on Windows and Android as well. The software supports almost all formats such as 8- and 16-bit files including PNG, TIFF, JPG, BMP, along with RAW format CR2, ARW, DCR, DNG and more.
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7. SNS-HDR
SNS-HDR is a tool used for processing photos with the help of HDR technique. It enables users to produce HDR images from both series of photos or a single photo. It comes with a lot of tools which makes your processed images look natural. The software is available in three versions Professional, Lite, and Home. Let’s take a look at the features of SNS HDR:
Aurora Hdr Free
- It supports all the reading images in popular formats, along with RAW, radiance HDR and open EXR images.
- It comes with the option to align images, reduce ghosts and allows you to edit further without great image editing tools.
- It also has inbuilt preset to edit the image in a single click.
- It gives you the option to save images in TIFF and JPG formats.
SNS HDR can merge various photos into HDR in a few clicks. You can process both images in batch and individual. The software is compatible with Windows.
8. HDR Darkroom
HDR Darkroom is a simple tool with intuitive interface which is compatible with Windows and Mac. It comes with cutting-edge tone mapping technology with advanced alignment and ghost reduction technology. You can process images in a batch and control light and colour. It also useful in image alignment and colour space management. Let’s check out the features of HDR Darkroom:
- It uses local Tone mapping technology to provide realistic images in a few seconds.
- With great photo editing tools, you can control the exposure, saturation and contrast along with advanced editing such as lens correction and curves.
- It comes with an improved alignment algorithm which fixes the issues when your camera moves imperceptibly between the bracketed frames.
- You can adjust and apply styles to images in batch.
Almost all the processing tools in the software act in real-time, which is why HDR Darkroom 3 is the fastest processing High Dynamic Range software available. It supports all RAW files from 150 + camera models, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Panasonic included.
Aurora Hdr Pro 1 2 1 Download Free Download
9. PaintShop Pro
PaintShop Pro is one of the best HDR software for Windows 10 which comes with intuitive tools to make your photos stunning. With the advanced set of tools, you can edit photos like a professional. You can resize, enhance, retouch, straighten crop and more to make corrections to the image. Let’s take a look at the features of PaintShop Pro:
- You can design with brushes, text, drawing and painting tools to create stunning designs on your images.
- It comes with a lot of filters and fun effects make your photos look amazing.
- It helps you get rid of undesired photo elements, be it an object or whole background.
Paint shop Pro works by combining multiple exposures of the same scene to get a single, stunning HDR photo. With this HDR photo editing tool, you can also add different colour gradient effects to the photos to get a graduated filter effect.
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10. Dynamic-Photo HDR
Dynamic Photo HDR is an advanced HDR image processing software developed by Mediachance for Windows computers. It can create and tone map HDR photos by using numerous JPG and RAW camera images captured in different exposures. Let’s take a look at the features of Dynamic Photo HDR:
- It lets you add layers, textures and masks while editing the images.
- You can apply the changes to both single and batch images.
- It comes with Ghost removal tool, custom presets, full EXIF copy, plugin SDK and more.
- The software has a simple and intuitive interface.
Dynamic Photo HDR is a tool which can also be used to enhance out of focus photos. Also, it improves the clarity of your blurry photos. It removes distortions and focuses problems in a flash.
So, these are some of the best HDR software available on Windows 10. Check the article and download the app that you find suitable for editing images.