I thought I was over HDR.
I used to use it quite a bit around 5 years ago when it was all the fad. Like many photographers, I went through the overblown HDR look and slowly made my way to more realistic HDR photos.
But then camera sensors improved to the point where they could handle most of the high dynamic range situations I encountered. Even if I took bracketed shots, I would usually end up using the middle bracket and processing it in a regular fashion using highlights and shadows sliders to bring out the details I wanted. In extreme situations, I would make the HDR image, and then manually blend one of the original images back in for a more natural look.
But now all that has changed!
I’ve finally tried out Aurora HDR (now available for Windows and Mac) and I’m excited to find a new way to handle high dynamic range with much better results.
In the video below, I give a demonstration that will show you why I’m excited about HDR again.
If the video is too small, click here to view it large on YouTube.
Here is why I think this software is so special:
HDR specific sliders that give great results
HDR Enhance: allows you to specify the amount of HDR-ness if you know what I mean. In other programs I have found that I can barely touch this slider before things get out of hand. Aurora HDR gives you quite a bit of range while keeping the image realistic. Or, you can take it to the extreme if you want.
HDR Details: Allows you to increase or decrease the amount of detail for both large and small details separately. I really like the ability to leave large details alone while increasing the smaller details. For example, I can keep the mountain looking completely natural while increasing the detail in the house at the bottom of the mountain.
Image Radiance: I love this panel! It gives the whole image a sort of glow without making it too soft.
But here’s the really big thing:
LAYERS! And layer MASKS!
Woo hoo!! With the power of layers and layer masks, you can simply choose a preset and apply it only to the parts of the image where you want it. Then you can pick a different preset and apply it to another part of the image, such as the sky for example. Or you can make a new layer and use some of the sliders like the HDR enhance I mentioned above.
I have discovered that using this method allows me to achieve the look I want in much less time than it took me to do it manually by blending exposures in Photoshop, or making an HDR image and then taking it into Photoshop to blend it back with one of the originals. I also found the results much more natural looking than using Photomatix (sorry Photomatix).
In a matter of minutes I took this photo:
And made it into this:
You also have the option of not blending exposures at all, but just opening a single exposure in Aurora HDR and using all the powerful features it gives you.
In a nutshell, Aurora HDR is fast, intuitive, comes with beautiful presets, gives you all the power of layers and layer masks, and allows you to make HDR images that are much more natural looking then any of the other software options available today.
Oh, and one more thing, there is a new version coming out in a few days and it will work for both Windows and Mac. Up until now, it has been a Mac only product.
It works as a standalone product, or as a plugin with Photoshop or Lightroom.
I’m excited about HDR again!
If you want to try Aurora HDR, you can get $10 off by entering the code MCKINNELL
Click here to get more details and order Aurora HDR 2018.
Here are some more examples of photos I processed with Aurora HDR 2018.
Great to hear this, Anne! Have you by chance compared it with the new Photomatix Pro?They’ve included a new more realistic option. Sounds like Aurora has some excellent features. I’ll give the trial a try! Thanks!
Hi Rhonda, I have the last version of Photomatix (5) and I didn’t upgrade because there weren’t any new features that impressed me. And, it doesn’t have layers! The addition of layers in Aurora is what sets it above the others I think. Thanks for your comments.
Hi Anne Mckinnell,
Great thanks for sharing this amazing tutorial !
Reall Aurora has some excellent features___ I love Aurora so much for personally .
Oh….If any new features was not well then last version of Photomatix (5) will be amazing for us dear !
Thanks a lot sor sharing dear 🙂
Thanks for your comments Sharon. I was using Photomatix 5 before, but to get the natural looking results I wanted, I had to blend one of the original brackets back into the hdr image using photoshop. And still the results weren’t as good as what I’m getting with Aurora.
Thanks Anne for the effective demonstration of this HDR software. The ability to produce more natural-feeling results does make HDR an appealing option for my image processing again.
Hi Steve, glad you enjoyed the demo. The natural looking results are definitely what sold me! Thanks for your visit and comments.
HI Anne, Thank you so much for the demonstration! I have so many photo’s that just need a bit of this or that in certain sections and I don’t know how to accomplish it. So unfortunately the photo’s just remain as is. I am so excited to try this! Thank thank you again for being so generous with your time and talent.
Deborah
In San Diego
BTE my email is registered as deborahmcedevitt@san.rr.com
Hi Deborah, I know what you mean! I just found that it was a bit of an ordeal to blend one of the originals back in with the hdr like I was doing before, that those photos ended up sitting there and not getting processed because it was time consuming. Now I can get great results so much faster with Aurora! Thanks for your comments.
Thanks for this interesting review. I have not used any HDR software. Do you know if the 2017 or 2018 versions are compatible with the older LR version I have (LR 3 I think))?
Hi Linda, I’m not sure actually. If you look at their page there is a frequently asked questions section that lists system requirements and it also says that it works as a plugin with Lightroom, but it doesn’t specify if you need a particular version of Lightroom. But they do have a 30 day money back guarantee, so you could always give it a try and if it doesn’t work with your system just ask for a refund. Or you could upgrade Lightroom 🙂
good morning Anne,
I am so interested in your offer but currently over the top busy. Providing you also will be having tutorials on it? I am setting up my photography studio, doing my personal training and personal wellness too, and I feel if i bought it it would just sit there for now. So would you be willing to extend this offer to me when I am ready to jump in? I know it is a lot to ask but I figured it never hurts to ask right?
Thanks again for keeping me so up to date with all your spectacular photography and ideas! I really enjoy hearing from you! Deborah
Hi Deborah, I am not the developer of the software. The promotion is being put on by it’s developers at MacPhun, so I’m afraid I cannot extend the sale. Sorry!
I purchased it soon after it came out. The application, from what little I’ve used it, is quite powerful and easy to use. However, as a Windows 10 user, it falls down in numerous little ways; it doesn’t handle 4k monitors very well, nor does it understand how to respond to a Windows mouse correctly. I’ve also had issues with launching it from Lightroom – currently, selecting Export -> TIFF to Aurora HDR does nothing; time for a reinstall.
Hi Robert, Did things get better after the re-install? I have a 4k monitor and everything seems to work here, but I’m on a Mac and Aurora was originally a Mac only product so I guess they have Macs figured out. From Lightroom, I am going File > Export with Preset > and then I pick one of the two options under Aurora 2018.
Hi Anne,
Really nice demo of the software and tutorial. I’ve been using Photos and have a few MacPhun installs. Aurora looks really nice. What are your thoughts about photography software more generally for those of us that aren’t professional photographers, but who enjoy creative photography. Thanks,
Charles
Hi Charles, glad to hear you enjoyed the tutorial! I haven’t used photos much at all (I’m not sure if you mean the windows or the mac product since I believe both platforms called their photo program “photos”). I always recommend that people start with Lightroom because you can do all the basic photo processing and keep all your images organized there. But when it comes to more creative post processing, it all depends on what you want to do. I am loving Luminar right now because the filters are very effective, easy to use, and create natural looking results. But if you are trying to make images that go beyond the natural look – like if you want images that look like paintings, or images with textures, or you want to dramatically change the entire colour scheme – I really like the Topaz plugins. I do have a bit of an issue with Topaz right now because they are moving all their plugins into a new product called “topaz studio” so you have to use topaz studio to access them. And topaz studio doesn’t work well with Lightroom. That’s a major flaw in my opinion. However, topaz studio works fine either on its own or with photoshop and photoshop elements, and I don’t think there are other plugins out there that do the same things as topaz. So it depends on the result you want to achieve. I hope this helps! I have some older reviews on the topaz products on the blog. My favourites are adjust, restyle and impression.
I purchased Aurora based on this article (using your coupon- thank you!). What a great program for a very reasonable price! I really like the fact you can use one raw file to create an HDR photo. Thank you also for your inspirational blog and webpage. I love following your adventures and seeing the wonderful photographs that are the result!
Thank you so much for the kind comments Steve! It means a lot to me that you enjoy the tutorials and videos.
Anne
Enjoyed your video tutorial and planned to buy the program but discovered that the Windows version doesn’t have all the features that you showcase in your video.
So far I have found there is no white balance filter, no provision to rename layers and can’t resize image layers which is extremely limiting. There are probably more differences between the Mac and PC versions and these are not evident in the advertising. Looks to be a potentially good program but Windows users may want to wait for a more mature version to be issued.
Pete
Hi Peter, Yes, that’s correct. I didn’t realize when I made the video that the versions were not the same, but there are still a few differences. Here is a comparison chart: https://aurorahdr.com/versions I know their intention is to make them the same, but I don’t know exactly when that release with the updates will be. Hopefully soon! Thanks for your visit and comments.
I Anne,
I just, impulsively, bought this and am trying to download it to my iPad. The iPad is where I do all my photo editing. I finally took a minute to read a little more, but don’t see if it can be used on the opD. I don’t see an app and I can’t get in to the program. Any tips or info on iPad usage? Thanks so much!
Hi Pam, unfortunately it doesn’t work on an iPad. You can look at the bottom of this page here for the system requirements:
https://aurorahdr.com/
If you bought it directly from Skylum you could try asking them for a refund. Sorry it didn’t work out.