HDR Tools

Awhile back I posted on creating HDR images and concerns I had with overusing the technique. Putting those aside, I decided to try several of the software tools out there for creating HDR images and see how well they work. I had heard of a few different tools and rounded them up to give them a try. For this experiment I used Photomatix, FDR Tools, Qtpfsgui (Luminance HDR), and Adobe Photoshop CS4's merge to HDR function. A more exhaustive list of HDR software is available here.

Two of the packages--FDR Tools and Qtpfsgui--were free, though their creators do ask for donations to support their work. FDR Tools also has an advanced option that costs $52 that looks like it has useful additional functionality. Photomatix costs $99 for a license; I used the demo version which is identical, but leaves a watermark on the final image. Photoshop CS4 costs around $650, depending on where you get it; it is worth the price without the HDR function.

After running a particularly troublesome set of images through each of these tools, the clear winner is Photomatix. It output an image with the greatest dynamic range and best preservation of color, tone, and contrast.















Here is the original image, the middle exposure of a bracketed set of 3.

















Here is the Photomatix output. The differences are subtle, but you can clearly see the foreground is much brighter than in the image above. The additional range gives the image a more balanced appearance. A little tweaking in PS will create a much improved final product.

FDR Tools and Qtpfsgui both had somewhat similar output. If I had to choose I would put Qtpfsgui just a little ahead of FDR Tools. Both created an image with greater dynamic range, but also one that had fewer highlights and shadows and was much too heavy in the midtones. Both outputs looked somewhat flat and will require a lot more work in PS to get them to where the Photomatix image is, if they can get there at all. Additionally, Photomatix' interface was more user friendly, using sliders to make adjustments instead of curves and histograms. FDR Tools had perhaps the most challenging interface and the fewest options for adjusting the tonal map after the creation of the HDR image.

I save Photoshop's tool for last because it was a bummer. You have little control how the images are merged. And once they are merged you have only one slider to adjust the tonal values. The output was by far the worst of the four. I read recently that Adobe didn't put much work into the tool and that it is a tack on that should see more development in the future. Let's hope so.

Ultimately, these are tools to help us make our images more like reality, and help overcome the limitations of cameras. I liked what I saw and you can bet I will be investing in Photomatix' full program in the future.