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Macphun Aurora HDR (and matters HDR)

by Mike McNamee

Reviewing this Macphun software provided the opportunity to consider and test other aspects of HDR imaging. An HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a compilation of several different exposures of the same scene to overcome inherent limitations in the dynamic range of the camera system. Typically this may be thought of as a dark church interior in which the windows are illuminated by strong daylight. A single exposure may be made for the interior or for the windows but cannot encompass both. In addition to overcoming this issue the HDR images of the past decade have also provided a certain 'look' to an image, often typified by exaggerated clouds in the sky or an almost metallic look to portraiture. This look is not universally popular and is starting to look a little dated. It has, from the start, been overused in some quarters, to the dismay of competition judges!

The desire to make HDR images has spawned a software trade in bespoke applications to make HDR images for although the compositing of images may be accomplished in Photoshop, it requires a good level of masking and mask-manipulation skills. Generally the HDR software will provide pre-sets to achieve a particular look for an image, often including an option to add glow and/or desaturate an image.

The Bracket Set
All HDR techniques require a number of exposures at different settings to bracket around the notionally correct exposure. The job can be accomplished with two, three or five images, sometimes more. The most common is probably a three-shot bracket at ±2 stops. In a perfect world the set should be made from a tripod although a high-speed, autobracketed set of images can be made with correct camera settings. For example the Nikon DSLRs have a dedicated bracket button which, when depressed, allows the user to choose both the number of frames and the exposure intervals between frames by use of the front (sub) and rear (main) command dials. Additionally the sequence may be altered in the LCD menu on the back. The Canon system is driven from the LCD menu and a tad more fiddly. When choosing the method of changing the exposure it is usually preferable to set the camera to Aperture Priority mode so that depth of field does not vary and if the subject might move (eg swaying trees) locking the focus is a good idea. Note that some cameras provide in-built HDR settings and image manipulation which is not the subject of this article (you can't shoot Raw files this way and have a lot less control).

Macphun Aurora Pro
When using this Mac-only software you open the application, load the requisite images and press the button to make an HDR, it really is that simple. There are options to Align Images, Ghost Reduction and Chromatic Aberration Reduction at the outset and, once the compilation process is complete, a mass of other adjustments and presets appear. And we mean a mass, there are loads of them! If that all gets to be too much, you can go for a preset from the scrolling window at the base of the interface although some of them (most to some eyes!) are a bit kooky. There are 'natural' settings available for the less adventurous.

The image set that we tried was challenging, rather too challenging in fact, and the software struggled to provide a clean rendering of the colours, inserting heavy green fringes around the sunbeams. Using the 'Landscape' presets produced a riotous green for the foliage on most settings. The bushes waving in the breeze made ghost removal a task too far. This particular landscape was better suited to a manual approach using Photoshop as described later.

The software did create a reasonably attractive Dramatic Monochrome although there was still some clipping and posterisation in the cloud fringes. Rendering of three D810 Raw files took 1m 03s.

Photoshop Methods
In Photoshop you can use HDR Pro to merge files automatically. This also provides a limited number of presets and a modest collection of sliders. At the extremes, the outcomes can be as garish as those made with Aurora. The default condition was rather boring and flat, and additional modifications would certainly be required.

To create an HDR image from a bracketed set, highlight the sequence in Bridge then click>Tools>Photoshop>Merge to HDR Pro. On our system it took 1m 20s to collect five Nikon D810 shots together and open the Merge To HDR Pro dialogue panel. From this panel the Tone and Detail sliders (Gamma, Exposure and Detail) may be adjusted to achieve the desired result. In our example, nothing acceptable was generated! Even at two stops underexposure there was some highlight clipping in the clouds before the sun. The +2 image was still a little too dark and an adjustment of +1 stop was required (ie a total of +3 stops). Combined with the -2 image, this gave an effective range of five stops.

Photoshop - The Manual Stitch
None of the automated routines from the Adobe software worked particularly well and so we resorted to manual stitching. This has the advantage of leaving the photographer in control of the elements that are represented in the final blend; one of the issues with landscapes is the breeze moving trees and bushes so that a combination of five shots is something of a mish-mash.

The sequence we used is as follows:

  1. We chose the highest and lowest exposure variants based on the detail in the sky for the low exposure and the bushes for the high exposure.
  2. Both files were highlighted in Bridge and then we clicked Tools>Photoshop>Load Files into Photoshop Layers. We have put the top layer into 'Difference' mode to highlight the misalignment caused by the use of hand-holding rather than a tripod.
  3. Select both layers in the Layers palette then click on Edit>Auto Align Layers. This matches the main features including the shore line and bushes.
  4. We then used the magic wand to select the base area of the dark image to make a sharp, hard-edged mask by clicking the Make a Mask icon with the selection active.
  5. The mask was then painted upon, freehand at low opacity, to blend the transition across the fields to the bushes in the foreground. The mask may also be adjusted using the Refine Mask Edge tool.
  6. Finally the Layer mask was selected and blurred to eradicate any unsightly transitions.


Overall

It seems that if you want an 'HDR look' then the better option is to go to a bespoke software such as Aurora or, on the PC, you could usefully look at Photomatix. It was interesting to note when scanning quickly through Martin Evening's book, Photoshop for Photographers our eye was taken by his landscape shot in Glen Etive, in the chapter on HDR, only to find on closer looking that the shot was a manual Photoshop stitch. This is perhaps a valid point, there is often enough flexibility in manually stitching a bracket sequence providing you take the trouble to learn the masking techniques - something you should probably be learning anyway.



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026