It also accommodates a number of different workflows. When loading images, you also can choose which ones (if any) to apply noise reduction (very useful, especially, for noisier dark images).īecause Photomatix has so many options, and you have to learn its naming conventions, it takes some time to learn what the controls do. For example, Photomatix offers previews and manual controls for de-ghosting (which is needed when people, animals, cars, and water move between bracketed exposures). What Photomatix offers is a LOT of control, if you want it. Viewers might sometimes have difficulty telling whether the image is processed in Photomatix or another standard image editor, such as Photoshop. Photomatix makes it easier to get photorealistic images, although you can create bright, contrasty creative images, too. My recommendation is not to choose one or the other because it’s easier, but choose the one that produces your best work. These tools don’t exist in Photomatix: you create your merged image and then do further processing in your favorite photo editor, instead. Unlike many HDR programs, Aurora adds many Photoshop-like features, such as layers, masks, blend modes for layers, luminosity masking, cropping, vignetting, and a history tool that allows you to undo as far as you like in the editing process. Photomatix has wider sliders than Aurora, which makes it easier to do subtle changes with a mouse or pen. Using Photomatix’s Detail Enhancement tools, you can smooth highlights and shadows separately, and control the detail in those areas, too. You can, of course, dial up the color meter, and its HSL tools are slightly better than Aurora’s. Photomatix allows you to easily make more subtle changes to an image. Aurora’s HDR structure tools make it easier to control contrast down to the micro-contrast level. Its HSL (Hue, Saturation and Luminance) and other controls are a treat to use. If you want to work with highly-saturated colors, Aurora feels like a racehorse you have to hold back to control. (More on that later.)īoth Photomatix and Aurora have a unique “look” to their HDR images:
With timely monthly upgrades, they’ve kept their promise, but there are also a few new features that still need upgrades. The user manual admitted that some of the features of the Mac version still hadn’t been implemented in the PC version, but improvements were coming by the end of the year. I have used Photomatix for years but bought a copy of Aurora HDR last October for my PC. The choices and a streamlined workflow probably also reflect Trey’s experience in teaching all levels of students. Trey also has a background in mathematics and computer programming, so I suspect that Aurora conforms to Trey’s aesthetics with the ability to easily create highly saturated and contrasty photos, when desired, plus other photographic techniques. The company that makes Aurora HDR seems to be diving wholeheartedly into the Windows image business, too, since they just changed their name to avoid sounding like a Mac-only company.Īurora was developed with leadership from HDR photographer and teacher Trey Ratcliff, the photographer behind the Stuck in Customs → travel and photography blog. Originally for Macintosh OS, the company recently released a Windows version, which is what I use. Photomatix is for Windows, Macs and Linux.Īurora HDR → is one of the newest software programs for HDR, created by MacPhun which is now renamed Skylum. It works well with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. It’s a mature HDR software package and offers several workflows for enhancing your merged photos. It was created in 2003, which is pretty close to the beginning of HDR still photography. Many HDR photographers are comfortable with Photomatix Pro →, offered by HDRsoft. One thing they have in common: they both have a significant learning curve to get the most out of them. Photomatix sees one main task and tries to do it very well Aurora wants to be your complete photo workflow.
Photomatix is the seasoned veteran Aurora the brash upstart.
In the High Dynamic Range (HDR) world of photography, Photomatix Pro and Aurora HDR are opposites in many ways. One of my first HDR images using Aurora HDR The Young HDR Upstart Gives the Seasoned Pro Competition
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