Free HDR software

The number of free high dynamic range imaging programs available is growing rapidly all the time. There are some that stand out and can boast a loyal user group, and others that help support the aforementioned examples simply without cutting them off. For those of us who love HDR photography, and are beginning to explore what this realm creatively brings us, free HDR software is the logical gateway to creating our own body of HDR work. Listed below are a variety of free downloadable HDR software.

I. pfstools

The pfstools package is basically a set of command line programs for manipulating, reading and writing high dynamic range video frames and images. pfstools can be integrated with GNU Octave or MATLAB, so it can function as a broader platform for processing HDR images. It also includes Qt and OpenGL HDR image viewers. For those who don’t want to work with a command line interface, Qtpfsgui might be the best way to go. Qtpfsgui bundles the functionality of pfstmo and pfscalibration into one GUI interface.

II. Qtpfsgui

This is an open source GUI application that can provide a decent workflow for HDR images. Being free software, this is rightly a preferred first choice as an introduction to HDR image processing. Great as a stepping stone if the artist is looking to go deeper and more confidently into HDR photography. Qtpfsgui is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Users who are just beginning should be encouraged to really explore their options to the fullest for valuable results. It should be considered good enough for the favorably free price. Qtpfsgui will create HDR files from JPEG, 8-bit / 16-bit TIFF and RAW files. You can rotate, resize, tone map, upload and save HDR images. You can also copy exif data between image sets. Qtpfsgui will also support a variety of formats such as openEXR (extension: exr), radiance RGBE (extension: hdr), RAW image formats, native PFS format (extension: pfs) and the TIFF formats (16-bit, 32-bit, and Log Luv) .

III. FDRTools Basic

FDRTools Basic is a collection of basic tools for the novice HDR enthusiast looking to learn about what is possible with HDR experimentation. It will combine bracketed exposures into an HDR image quite comfortably. It will import RAW images and prepare HDR images for display or printing with its option of tone mapping. It will also archive and export the HDR image in the format that the user chooses. This free software is not one that claims the loyalty of many. But it’s free and can be used as a springboard to learn more about the scope of HDR image processing.

IV. Picturenaut

Picturenaut, which has emerged from the German photographic arts community, has steadily developed over the past few years. It seems to grow with consistent updates that are made possible by user feedback. Picturenaut is often reviewed favorably, but many find their resources limited, so the results are readily available. Some Picturenaut features include image alignment, color balance, exposure correction, and noise reduction. Picturenaut will also support various HDR formats such as PFM (Portable Float Map), EXR (OpenEXR), HDR (Radiance), JPEG, TIFF (32-bit floating point), TIFF (LogLuv), and TGA (Targa, no alpha channel).

V. Photomatix Pro (trial)

This is the only paid program that should be included here as the trial is fully functional and is a top product for serious HDR photographers and artists. The main difference that requires full disclosure up front here is that Photomatix trial users cannot save their work without watermarks embedded in the image. Otherwise, the trial software is an amazing tool that will produce HDR as it is supposed to be, and can instruct the first-time browser user on many things in no time. Some key features of Photomatix, while being generalized for brevity, are: combination of bracketed exposures, batch processing, image alignment, ghosting, noise reduction, and tolerances for 8-bit or 16-bit images. or RAW files. Also, there is the powerful tone mapping feature along with Exposure Fusion.

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