Photomatix-Pro-4.2: Trees are great, elk still have that less than realistic feel and too much blue/teal back in the hills.Įnhanced-in-Lightroom-Alone: I feel too much blue/teal in it. I would’ve enjoyed this one if the elk’s dark brown fur would’ve remained dark like in Highlight-Recovery-Only. HDR-Effects-Pro: this is actually my favorite for the grass, trees, mountains and sky, but the elk look out of place. This adds depth and life without over-enhancing to the point of feeling like a painting.Īs for the HDR’s, I love the extra colors in the trees and the hills, but the total picture starts to feel less than realistic as my eyes and brain immediately think that an overcast day like that should result in these very dark green evergreens, darker colors on the animals and shadows over the subjects.
Hdr efex pro vs photomatix professional#
It feels the most realistic while adding in some professional touches to recover the sky a bit and pull out the brown grass in the field. It ends up that your litmus test leads me to enjoy the photo you are aiming for. All the same, many clients do like a bit more “punch” than I obtained with only highlight recovery, so I created an image which was processed in Lightroom 5 alone but with some more enhancements, such as increased clarity, vibrance, saturation, and contrast:
Hdr efex pro vs photomatix pro#
I almost came to the conclusion that the Nik/Google HDR Effects Pro was my favorite of all, but then I remembered that my original intent was to break out of the HDR rut. Nonetheless, between the two single exposure HDRs of this particular photo, I preferred the Nik/Google HDR Effects Pro version. HDR Photos: Capturing the Elusive Sweet DulcineaĪll those photos are images in which I truly love the effects I got with Photomatix Pro 4.2 and I’m sure I’ll still use it for many photos.
![hdr efex pro vs photomatix hdr efex pro vs photomatix](https://eadn-wc03-4744117.nxedge.io/cdn/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hdr_ui_shot.jpg)
To see examples of some of my favorite HDR photos which were all created with Photomatix Pro, check out one of my most popular posts: I’m not saying I’ll never use it anymore, given that I have a ton of HDR photos I adore which were created using Photomatix. The verdict was that my longtime best friend, Photomatix Pro, is no longer my only bestie. In general, I preferred the HDR Effects Pro version of this photograph. By contrast, I discovered the HDR Effects Pro plugin has better overall color controls. I also couldn’t get color balance I was happy with using the Photomatix Pro plugin alone. In particular, I could not get a single exposure HDR which didn’t look noisy to me, no matter what I did.
![hdr efex pro vs photomatix hdr efex pro vs photomatix](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1620/24535687582_87bdd4ed9a_b.jpg)
Much to my shock, I was not able to get an effect I liked much using any setting combinations with my old best friend, Photomatix Pro. To fully appreciate what I discovered, let’s start by looking at the original raw photo, which has had no post processing other than cropping to a square format and adding a white feathered vignette:Įlk Encounter in Rocky Mountain National Park Photomatix Pro 4.2 To best judge for yourself, I recommend clicking on each image to view the original source, then using your back browser button to continue reading. I used a photo I recently took of an encounter with some elk in Rocky Mountain National Park and processed the same RAW file with four different post-processing methods:ġ – My many years “tried and true” favorite – Photomatix Pro 4.2Ģ – Branching out to “test drive” Nik/Google HDR Effects Proģ – Using highlight recovery alone in Lightroom 5Ĥ – Further enhancing the image in Lightrooom 5 In my quest to find a new way to get great looking results, with excellent tonal range and fantastic color, I put a new image to the test. I’ve come to understand that finding a way to post-process images in a more “purist” way will likely net me more fine art sales. To grow as an artist, it is vital to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things! This has become increasingly important to me as I’ve begun having many opportunities to sell fine art landscape photographs, but have discovered that not everyone loves HDR effects as much as I do. Elk Encounter in Rocky Mountain National Park Highlight Recovery in Lightroom 5 Only