New HDR software

Quite like this new HDR software from Oloneo, at the moment the beta 1 is available for free upload.

I find it easier to use than Photomatix and there is no watermark on the demo software.

http://www.oloneo.com/​en/page/photoengine.ht​ml

lannes wrote in post #10562711
Quite like this new HDR software from Oloneo, at the moment the beta 1 is available for free upload.

I find it easier to use than Photomatix and there is no watermark on the demo software.

http://www.oloneo.com/​en/page/photoengine.ht​ml

Could you post a few examples? Would be interested in seeing true HDR (multiple exposures) and single-file psuedo-hdr.

I have finally downloaded the beta and tried it out, albeit for about 45 minutes. Once mature, it should be very promising. The basic workflow is very straightforward and the tonemapping controls provide a very natural result, if that is what you are going for. The tonemapper itself is fast, and I am running on XP on VMWare Fusion on my Mac Book Pro. This makes life really simple for dialing in the look you want without preview windows that may produce less than accurate portrayals of the final tonemapped image file. Currently there is no way to save the 32bit file (ie, the HDR data) - this obviously needs to be included in any HDR app. Also, there is no control over tonemapping the boundary for a spherical panorama - this again should be addressed.

I tried three types of data:

1) multiple exposure HDR ("true" HDR).
2) single RAW file - essentially using the app as a RAW conversion tool.
3) 3 RAW files of the same aperture and shutter speed - each RAW file was of the same scene, with a flash placed in a different position, firing at full power. This is the "Relight" feature test.

I will say that the image quality is really nice, and the tonemapped image is WYSIWYG. I was able to save a 16bit TIFF the first time I tried but now my 16bit TIFF saves are unsuccessful, with an error occurring at the end of the save. I have no idea what happened.

It almost appears as if the tonemapper is doing some real-time Enfuse type combining of the images, as the colors are accurate and do not shift and freak out. Maybe this is why there is no save to HDR or EXR? Although, there is an option to open .HDR files from the open menu, so that is probably not the case.

EDIT - the app will not open the .HDR files generated from PTGui - I need to open the .HDR file in PS, save it as an .HDR file and then open that new .HDR file in PhotoEngine. Hmm.

Should be interesting to see where this app goes as it matures into release.

Kirk

Here are two "true" HDRs:

1) - Equirectangular panorama

Very nice indeed, Kirk. Having shot many of the type of interior scenes as you did here, I know how tough those exterior exposures are. I am not only impressed with what it did with exposure, but the color balance looks to me to be incredibly accurate. With some HDR apps, where the exterior light is splashing on the interior (such as the ceiling) the WB will be accurate, but in recessed shadows it will skew toward the blue. Here the WB is accurate everywhere.

Even examining the fine details, the ferns look perfect. I say that because at least in my experience, the greens and some of the reds in photomatix could end up oversaturated as PM sometimes does. Here, the tonal qualities across the entire image are quite even and nice. It's a very pleasing image.

Having messed with it only 45 minutes, you did a good job with it. I can imagine that a final version + acquired experience with it would make this app a strong contender near the top of the heap.

Thanks for taking the time to test and post!

Have been playing with this since Electric Shepherd mentioned in this OLD post:

https://photography-on-the.net …hread.php?t=900​110&page=2

I quite like it and just did a 3 RAW conversion - using their Local Tone Mapper adjustments (all auto settings turned off). Results were very natural.

Kirk - I was able to save several times as 16bit TIFF. I also was able to bring in several .HDR files from other applications but NOT from PTGUI. Could it be a limitation because of HDR panorama stitching?

Use Windows 7 64 bit.