# Looking for a HDR plugin/app that does not require Photoshop.



## stayathomedad (Sep 4, 2012)

LR 4.1 on a mac

I do not own PS, so the use of Photoshop's HDR Pro is not an option.

Is there another HDR plugin/app that is easy to use and reasonably priced?


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## JulieM (Sep 5, 2012)

Hi,

HDRSoft (the makers of Photomatix Pro) have a new plugin for Lightroom 4 which creates a 32-bit merged file.  It's extremely simple to use but since it only produces a merge of the bracketed exposures, you'll have to apply processing in Lightroom or elsewhere to achieve your desired HDR effect.  My personal opinion is that it is very effective if you aren't looking for a highly stylized HDR look.  At $29, I believe it is more reasonably priced than the applications in which you can also do the stylizing. Here's the link:

http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/merge_lrplugin.html

A brief FAQ on the plugin is found HERE.


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## DaveS (Sep 5, 2012)

Hello.

  Photomatix is fairly reasonable and will work from lightroom.   Also, they have a new Merge to 32-bit HDR plug in for Lightroom.   You select the bracket files, and in the export menu is a new Merge to 32 bit HDR option.   It does it's thing and then returns to lightroom where you can then use the lightroom develop module on the resulting 32 bit HDR file.   All in all, works fairly well.    You don't actually go into photomatix to do any work with it.   It's a quick round trip process and then it's off to the develop module.

Dave.


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## LouieSherwin (Sep 11, 2012)

Nik Software also has HDR Efex Pro that works in Lightroom. They just released a new version with a lot of improvements in the tone mapping and in the user interface. 

A trial is available on their website: www.niksoftware.com


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## baphoto (Sep 19, 2012)

I second Nik's HDR Efex Pro 2.


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## ukbrown (Sep 19, 2012)

I have used this and it works, can produce pretty good results http://www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrenfuse.php it's very cheap !!!!


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## Katherine Mann (Oct 15, 2012)

If you don't want to purchase anything there is always a very nice pseudo HDR effect put together by Matt Kloskowski here: http://lightroomkillertips.com/category/presets/page/2/

Tim Ames' Enfuse mentioned above is very good as well.


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