In this video I'm going to show you how to create an HDR image in Photomatix Essentials,
from photos taken under multiple exposures.
You can use Photomatix with a single photo, in which case, you can skip the merge steps
that I will show you next.
First, select the bracketed photos.
You can do this via 'DRAG AND DROP',
or by clicking the 'BROWSE' button.
The list of thumbnails on the left shows the photos you just selected.
The thumbnail on the right shows the effect of removing or adding a photo to the list,
when unchecking or checking its box on the left.
To load the photos and proceed further,
click on the ‘NEXT ADJUST AND PREVIEW’ button.
The next window gives you options for merging the photos.
The ‘ALIGN BRACKETED IMAGES’ option
corrects misalignment problems,
should the camera have moved slightly when taking the bracketed photos.
This will happen if you took them hand-held and may even happen if you used a tripod.
If your scene includes moving objects or people,
check the ‘REMOVE GHOSTS’ box.
What you see in the centre is a preview of the final processed image.
You can adjust the preview size using the magnifier icons on top.
Try different presets to choose a style you like from the thumbnails listed.
Clicking on the thumbnail shows the effect of the preset on the preview image.
Balanced
Photographic
Natural
Painterly
Painterly 2
Painterly 5
Vibrant
Enhanced
Surreal
Surreal 2
Grunge
Creative
Soft
Soft 3
Monochrome
Once you have found a preset you like, you can refine the effect
by adjusting the settings on the left.
Once you are satisfied with the adjustment,
click on the ‘NEXT: FINISH & SAVE’ button.
Photomatix Essentials will align your photos,
merge them and apply the preset settings you selected.
Before saving the image, you can add a finishing touch.
The image has been processed at full size,
so you can view it at 100% resolution.
We’ll add some sharpening …
… and a bit of contrast.
Lastly, you can crop your image too.
By default the image is saved at its original resolution,
but if you want to save it at a lower resolution,
then click on the ‘SAVE WITH SIZE’ pull-down menu
and select the size you want.
To save the image, click ‘SAVE’ and select a location.
You can open the saved image in a photo editor of your choice.
Here, we have selected the ‘PREVIEW APP’ which is installed by default on the OS.
Click ‘SAVE’.
The final image now shows in ‘PREVIEW’.
You can see other examples of images processed with Photomatix,
in the user gallery at the HDRsoft website.
Download a free trial of Photomatix Essentials today
at HDRsoft.com,
and see what it can do for your photos.
The trial is free and does not expire.
It simply adds a Photomatix watermark to the final image.