Photo matix Raw vs tiff

[rw2]

I used Photomatix to process this picture from RAW files and from a converted tiff. I used ACR to adjust white balance and then used PSE 5 and Noise Ninja to do a bit of processing to the tiff.. Then used the same settings in Photomatix to process. Brought each back into PSE 5 and processed.
I seemed to get better results when the raw was procesed in ACR. By the way this is what they reccommmend on the Photomatix web site.
I think the sky came out better in the second one, the one I used ACR in.

[dugcross]

You're always better off using the RAW file as opposed to a TIFF. The RAW file contains a lot more information for the program to work with giving you better results. And I agree the bottom one does look better the top one has a funky green tint to the sky.

[rw2]

You're always better off using the RAW file as opposed to a TIFF. The RAW file contains a lot more information for the program to work with giving you better results. And I agree the bottom one does look better the top one has a funky green tint to the sky.
I used the same raw file for both pictures. The top one I let Photomatix convert the RAW files(3) to a tiff and the bottom one I used ACR to adjust white balance and convert the RAW and then used PSE and noise ninja to reduce the noise. Then converted in PSE to a tiff. Loaded the 3 converted tiffs into Photomatix and generated the HDR for the bottom shot.

[dugcross]

Sorry, misunderstood you. I thought one was raw and the other tiff.

[Kevin]

Personally I load my images into ACR make the adjustments in want, including WB, save them out as Tiffs and then load the Tiffs into Photomatix. I found early on that this gave me the best consistency from shot to shot. I tried JPEGs and found the results to be quite short on tonal range and the merged images varied after being opened in Photomatix.

This is copied from HDRsoft FAQ section, you may want to take some time to read through all FAQ's, lot's of good info there.

› Do I need to process bracketed RAW files to TIFF format first?
Yes, it is recommended to first process your bracketed RAW files in your favorite RAW converter, and then combine the converted TIFF or JPEG files in Photomatix. This is particularly recommended with Exposure Fusion, given that Exposure Fusion is intended for images that have been fully processed, either in-camera or through a RAW converter.
When generating an HDR image, having Photomatix directly process the RAW files is theoretically better for the accuracy of the 32-bit HDR image produced -- the data in RAW files represent the linear luminance values captured by the camera sensors, which is exactly what is needed for an HDR image. Also, the calculation of HDR values can rely on the exposure information retrieved from EXIF data when RAW files are used.
However, the RAW conversion of Photomatix is not as good as the RAW conversion done in Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, DxO or other applications specialized in RAW conversion.
This is why you should process your bracketed RAW files in an application that is specialized in the RAW conversion task. Then, use the converted output as source images for Photomatix.
If you have Lightroom, it is easy to integrate both processes with the Lightroom Export Plug-In.
When using a RAW converter with files intended for HDR merging, you should disable sharpening and uncheck all tonal and exposure-related automatic settings (especially the Exposure adjustment setting but also adjustments for contrast, shadow, etc.) which should be set to zero. This does not apply to files intended for Exposure Fusion, though. For Exposure Fusion, it is better to process your RAW files using the auto-settings of the RAW converter.
As a side note: Though shooting in RAW is definitely better than shooting in jpeg for the dynamic range, this is not really relevant anymore when several exposures are used -- if your bracketed shots properly cover the scene's dynamic range, jpegs will work as well as RAWs for creating an HDR image.