Before creating an HDR, you have to ask yourself: Is the process adding something of value to the picture? Am I rescuing key highlight and shadow information that would otherwise be lost? Am I adding something of aesthetic value to the picture?

Each time I export images to an HDR application, I ask myself these questions. Or I should. Sometimes, in the excitement of trying to do more, I end up doing less, and then I go back and chastise myself for forgetting to address these questions.

I’ve worked with numerous HDR apps, most often as plug-ins to Adobe Lightroom, always in search of the ultimate HDR solution. When Adobe endowed Lightroom with an HDR merge function, I thought, bye-bye plug-ins. I was wrong. Lightroom’s HDR is nice, but it’s bland and unimaginative in comparison to the independent third-party apps out there. The one thing Lightroom HDR has going for it is that all the processing remains under one roof.

But you have to step out the door every once in a while. And Aurora HDR Pro – for Mac only, co-developed by Trey Ratcliff and available through Macphun Software, is a nice breath of fresh air when you do step across that threshold.
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Of course, as with any HDR app, when you do step outside, you may still encounter the odd cloud or two that unleashes anything from a drizzle to a downpour, destroying that carefully coiffed ‘do. But if you cover yourself with a simple umbrella – no overly elaborate steps needed, you’ll step back in with a more lustrous head of hair than when you started.

​Aurora HDR Pro’s Interface and Settings
Each HDR app brings to the table certain features and foibles. To begin, they all like to think they’re the flavor of the month. And that is true to a degree, because when they’re new, we all flock to them. But for some, that flavor soon fades or even sours. And just in time, another steps in, in this instance Aurora HDR, to pick up the gauntlet.
 
One of the things I look at is the set of presets and settings each app uses to create an HDR. Some use esoteric settings couched in an exotic language that doesn’t readily fall off the tongue. Not so with Aurora HDR.
 
First, the interface is clean and simple. Presets are shown along the bottom of the screen, with a settings panel on the right. My only complaint here is that the preset image is truncated – I’d like to see the full preview image.
 
The settings themselves are largely readily understood, but if any are new to you it just takes a few tweaks to see what they do. Just remember to Undo them afterwards, unless they’re to your liking, or hit the preset to start over. And if you’re really enthralled with your tweaks, save them as a User preset, so you can use them next time.
 
The one thing missing here is User Preferences. I may want one preset to initially apply to my HDR merges when launching Aurora HDR or perhaps I’d like to use the previously used preset, but, for now, I can’t dictate that. Also, you may want to default to a specific file format when exporting the HDR image. And you may want to customize the filename extension added to the resulting HDR image (although I’m sure most would be happy with the default).

​Step One: Choose RAW or TIFF Files
You can work with the standalone app or the plug-in (Lightroom, Photoshop and even the now defunct Apple Aperture). I prefer the plug-in, since I do my RAW conversions first – in Lightroom. A wide range of file types is supported. The standalone version has the advantage of being able to export the HDR to social media and to a broad range of applications, including Photoshop, Lightroom, and Macphun’s own Creative Suite.
 
Aurora HDR Pro installed itself effortlessly in Lightroom and Photoshop. In Photoshop, it’s listed under Filters. In Lightroom, the plug-in pops up in the list of export options: choose to work with the original, meaning RAW, files or adjusted (converted) TIFF files. I’ll be discussing the plug-in’s use in Lightroom.
 
As with any HDR app, the first thing to do is to select the bracketed exposures that will contribute to the merged image. When I shoot handheld with my Nikon D610, the maximum number of exposures for auto-bracketing is 3, and that’s worked well so far, usually at +/- 1 EV increments.
 
To minimize the possibility of shooting long exposures, I often set an ISO that will deliver relatively fast shutter speeds. The benefit there is in minimizing the gap between exposures, with the camera set to capture sequential frames at the highest rate, which minimizes camera and subject movement and possibilities for ghosting.
 
Working in Lightroom, I’ve worked with both RAW and TIFF files. In some instances, surprisingly or not, the TIFF files worked best. For the most part, though, my first choice is to merge RAW files. That means that none of the adjustments made in Lightroom carry over – and hence can’t taint – the resulting merged HDR.
 
The down side to using RAW files, at least when working with some lenses, is that the HDR image that Aurora returns to Lightroom doesn’t carry complete or entirely accurate EXIF data. For example, when I try to apply a lens profile in Lightroom, the profiles for images shot with Tamron and Sigma lenses are all wrong, judging by the ones tested so far. I’ve had to use a different lens profile, then further adjust that, or make the adjustment from scratch. Not a big deal, per se, just a minor annoyance. (And this quirk is not exclusive to Aurora HDR.)
 
When you work with converted TIFF files, you first apply the lens profile, so that’s written in stone. In other words, there’s no longer a need to concern yourself with that aspect of the editing process.

​Step Two: The Opening Dialog Window
When you export the files for the HDR from Lightroom to Aurora HDR Pro, you’re greeted by a dialog box, which gives you three options: alignment, ghost reduction, and chromatic aberration (color fringing) correction. When working with RAW files, I check all three. Alignment is especially important when shooting handheld, on a monopod, or even with tripod shots that show even the slightest discrepancy between frames. Note: when working with RAW files, even though you are using chromatic aberration correction in Aurora, you should also enable Remove Chromatic Aberration in Lightroom, since there may be a residual amount of color fringing that remains in the HDR.
 
When ready, click Create HDR.

​Step Three: Choose a reference Image and Deghosting Strength
Moving on, now you have to choose a reference Image and the amount of deghosting (ghost removal) to be applied. I’ve found that selecting an overexposed frame that involves movement as the reference Image tends to result in ghosting that can’t be corrected by the software (this applies to Aurora and other HDR apps). So choose the metered exposure or the one below it.
 
If you’ve come this far, take the next step: click Create HDR (same command, different dialog box).

​Step Four: Making Your HDR Shine in Aurora HDR Pro
You’re now on the main screen, the Aurora HDR interface. It takes a few moments to get here while the program is processing the HDR, so be patient.
 
The easiest way to start is to select a preset. I find the ones labeled “realistic” are the best place to start. You can then tweak the settings in the panel on the right.
 
Presets have cute and clever names – a bit too cute and clever for my taste, but, hey, that’s me. What I would have liked is if each preset, when scrolled over, would offer a brief description that differentiates it from its neighbors. You can, of course, create your own presets, and the nice thing here is that presets are grouped by the overall impression they’re designed to make or a subject or situation they address, or by the person who customized them (Trey Ratcliff or User). There’s also a Favorites group, and a way to get more presets off the Web.
 
To Aurora’s credit, however, when you click on a preset, you’re presented with a slider that globally modifies the HDR look of the image. Specifically, this slider addresses the Layer Opacity (not to be confused with other Opacity settings, such as Denoise Opacity).
 
More to the point, changing this Opacity setting directly affects the histogram. For instance, you can use this setting to reduce clipping (lost highlight and shadow detail). Click on the two triangles top left and right above the histogram to see shadow and highlight clipping, respectively, which are shown as blue and red in the image.
 
You may find that you’re overwhelmed by all the settings. Don’t be. Creating an HDR image that’s worth sharing is worth the effort. You can use the presets for a quick fix, but step through all the settings to show that you really care about the image, at least initially. Over time you’ll discover that certain settings are more relevant to delivering the look you’re after.

​The Final Step
Next, export the image back to Lightroom. Here you can make the necessary lens corrections that weren’t previously applied, add sharpening, and finesse the image further to deliver the look you want.

I was never a big fan of film emulators, so any time I used one, it wasn’t in an attempt to replicate the look and feel of a film as much as to lend a distinct character to an image. Besides, what I remember about film are scratches and fading, although a few films did leave an indelible mark in my memory. Well, almost indelible, as memory does fade over time, along with film.
 
But I do remember the rich colors of Kodak Kodachrome and the grainy texture of Kodak Tri-X, the increased contrast and grain when pushing film, and the look of some Polaroid instant slide films and how easily they were scratched.
 
When it came to E-6 reversal (slide) films, Fuji fast became a favorite, with Velvia and Provia leading the pack. Ilford’s black-and-white emulsions also had a unique place, capturing a certain depth of tone. Agfa color film never quite did it for me; ditto their black-and-white emulsions. Fuji black-and-white, too, was one I rarely used, although it did have its adherents. There was also 3M and Konica – each a poor but economical substitute. Some of these films are still available today, although I doubt they’re the same. On the other hand, for the more adventurous film shooter there is Lomography film, for a unique twist on analog photography.
 
One of my favorite black-and-white films was known as chromogenic—a favorite not because it was processed in color chemistry and yielded a black-and-white negative, but because it could be exposed over a wide range of ISO settings – kind of like what we do today with our digital cameras – one film fits all, kinda.
 
What I don’t miss about film is changing cassettes amid a storm of midges, the time wasted to change film cassettes, the need to change film cassettes whether because you’ve run out of exposures or to suit the lighting or the subject – and the need to carry around all those canisters of film. Good thing back then that airline travel was a simpler thing.
 
Still, I wonder if I’ll ever recapture the feeling of looking at a cardboard-mounted frame of Kodachrome on a lightbox, seeing  those rich colors, that fine grain. I know I won’t recapture it in a film emulator, but at least this software can imbue my images with a quality they did not have before. And that’s what I’m going for. And that’s what I found so remarkable about Alien Skin’s Exposure X.

Posted 7/22/2015 on www.shutterbug.com.

I’ve worked with Adobe Photoshop since it was first introduced. While it wasn’t my favorite image editing software initially, Photoshop grew on me as its capabilities grew, and it has become my go-to editor outside Lightroom.

In fact, Photoshop has led the field among image editors for as long as I can remember. It’s a robust package with an array of tools that far surpasses what many of us would normally use—although, granted, it’s nice to know they’re there when needed. And no pro photographer I know would consider abandoning Photoshop in favor of a fledgling software application. Not just yet, anyway.

However, for the many photo enthusiasts who have yet to dabble in Photoshop or who find it too unwieldy or intimidating, or downright too expensive, something new is always an enticement. This is especially true in light of Adobe’s recent and controversial subscription-based Creative Cloud service, which many photographers balk at. Even some pros I know prefer to stick with the tried-and-true, standard desktop versions to the Cloud-based subscription versions.

Well, Affinity Photo from Serif Labs is here to address the naysayers among us. First of all, it’s available at a one-time price, and a very inviting one at that: for $49.99, you get not only the software, but also all future updates and releases. Affinity Photo is available from the Mac App Store—currently (and likely for the foreseeable future) Mac OS X only, 10.7 or later, 64-bit processor—courtesy of Serif Labs. READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW.

Posted 7/7/2015 on www.shutterbug.com.

Lightroom has always been available as retail standalone software that you buy, install, update, and pay to upgrade when applicable. Well, that has changed, in part, thanks to the Adobe Creative Cloud, which unleashed a torrent of cloud-integrated apps, among them Lightroom CC.

I wasn’t convinced of the necessity to dive into the cloud when Photoshop CC was first introduced, choosing instead to remain firmly grounded with CS6. But things took a turn that would force my hand when Adobe chose to no longer support Lightroom 5 with updates. When testing new cameras and lenses, I found myself resorting to Photoshop CS6 so I’d have access to the latest Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). I was at a crossroads. Creative Cloud, show me what you’ve got. READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW.