Which HDR software for more 'realistic' results?

So I'm looking to do some real estate pictures for my father and he wants some shots in HDR and some 'normal' shots, but I was wondering which program/version would I need to achieve this?

I was first looking at Photomatix Essentials, but after watching a video, it seems like the Pro version has a 'blending' feature that would get me the results I would want.

Any other thoughts?

Personally, I have switched to using the "merge to 32 bit TIFF" plug-in from Photomatix and I just edit the TIFF in Lr and then Ps.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #17072233
Personally, I have switched to using the "merge to 32 bit TIFF" plug-in from Photomatix and I just edit the TIFF in Lr and then Ps.

Is their 'essentials' and 'pro' version just an all-in one of LR and PS?

I like SNS-HDR Lite. It's free. It's easy. It works. And I rarely have issues with halos or other HDR gotchas. The Pro version gives you a GUI with a little more control.

BobDawg wrote in post #17074500
Is their 'essentials' and 'pro' version just an all-in one of LR and PS?

Their website lays it out pretty well. "Essentials" is a standalone HDR tonemapping application. Pro comes with a plug-in for Lr that allows you to launch it from within Lr. Pro Plus comes with the Lr plug in, the Ps plug in, and the "merge to 32 bit TIFF" plug in. Or you can just get the "Merge to 32 Bit Tiff" plug in for $40 and edit the file in Lr and Ps.

As far as features within the software, the Pro version does have a few things that the Essentials package lacks.

I'm still on Photomatix Pro 4.2 so I can't tell you about anything they've added to version 5.

Features Comparison

Thanks guys! I tried a few different programs last night and it seems like each program has one thing I like about, now it there was one program that had them all! :P

SNS-Lite is pretty sweet, but I wish it could do batch processing like merge to tiff add-on by photomatix.

I find that using Luminosity masking is about as accurate as you can get it. At first I was just taking the exposures and using layer masks to brush in the areas I wanted, but after learning about luminosity masking I wonder if anyone actually needs to use HDR software as it's all achievable in photoshop.

Hi, If you have lightroom have a look for Enfuse on the photographers toolbox site http://www.photographe​rs-toolbox.com/products/l​renfuse.php
It is a donation software/Plug-in
Russ

Paulstw wrote in post #17462911
I find that using Luminosity masking is about as accurate as you can get it. At first I was just taking the exposures and using layer masks to brush in the areas I wanted, but after learning about luminosity masking I wonder if anyone actually needs to use HDR software as it's all achievable in photoshop.

This. I have used Sns-hdr, and merge to 32 bit in photoshop with edits in lightroom, but now I am using luminosity mask for all my hdr and some non-hdr images. It takes some time to learn and practice, but once you get a grasp of using luminosity mask, the results are simply amazing, and using this method you can avoid halo. It also uses non-destructive editing, so as your skill improves you can go back to some of your older edits and fix them non-destructively.

monty87 wrote in post #17465071
This. I have used Sns-hdr, and merge to 32 bit in photoshop with edits in lightroom, but now I am using luminosity mask for all my hdr and some non-hdr images. It takes some time to learn and practice, but once you get a grasp of using luminosity mask, the results are simply amazing, and using this method you can avoid halo. It also uses non-destructive editing, so as your skill improves you can go back to some of your older edits and fix them non-destructively.

Hi, Been trying to get to grips with luminosity masks for blending even bought the TK panel and videos but today came across this
http://gregbenzphotogr​aphy.com/lumenzia/
looks pretty good and quick.
No relation to the guy just found it on youtube.
Russ

I've been using the Lumenzia panel for a few days and I have used the TK panels for a while now. Although I have not processed many images with the Lumenzia panel yet, I am impressed with the thought process and the approach. As it is a Javascript panel, it is "smart" and is not just a set of actions. The approach to creating the masks using a B&W conversion with a curve is very clever and much more flexible than the self-intersetion method, although the Lumenzia panel also gives you the option to CMD-click on the panel to create the traditional self-intersection mask as well.

Watch the overview video and I think you will be impressed by the thought and implementation that has gone into this tool set. The ability to visualize the mask prior to applying it, and then being able to substitute a mask on the fly and mask a mask and combine the results is a huge timesaver.

Thanks for pointing this panel out Russ. I am not affiliated with the author in any way either, I just had heard about this a few months ago from the Color Theory email list and was waiting for it to come out.

kirk

I have been going through the Lumenzia video, and impressed with his approach. And the best part is it can co-exist with TK Panel, so you have the option to use both.

kirkt wrote in post #17467230
I've been using the Lumenzia panel for a few days and I have used the TK panels for a while now. Although I have not processed many images with the Lumenzia panel yet, I am impressed with the thought process and the approach. As it is a Javascript panel, it is "smart" and is not just a set of actions. The approach to creating the masks using a B&W conversion with a curve is very clever and much more flexible than the self-intersetion method, although the Lumenzia panel also gives you the option to CMD-click on the panel to create the traditional self-intersection mask as well.

Watch the overview video and I think you will be impressed by the thought and implementation that has gone into this tool set. The ability to visualize the mask prior to applying it, and then being able to substitute a mask on the fly and mask a mask and combine the results is a huge timesaver.

Thanks for pointing this panel out Russ. I am not affiliated with the author in any way either, I just had heard about this a few months ago from the Color Theory email list and was waiting for it to come out.

kirk

Hi, I took the dive in and bought it today, does seem a lot more simple to use than the likes of the TK panel but like anything else will take some practice.
Russ