If you have ever shot a high contrast scene, you know that selecting the correct exposure will not avoid blown out highlights and flat shadows.
Photomatix Pro offers two ways to solve this problem:
›32-bit Tone Mapping: Creates a High Dynamic Range Image from multiple exposures, then tones map it to compress its tonal range while preserving local contrast.
›Exposure Blending: Combines differently exposed photographs into one image with increased dynamic range. The result is an image that shows local details in both highlights and shadows.
The benefits of using Photomatix Pro include:
Saving on lighting equipment
Given that most digital cameras can auto-bracket at different exposures, you do not need to acquire expensive lighting equipment -and carry it- when shooting high contrast scenes. Just enable Auto Exposure Bracketing, and let Photomatix merge your photos into an image with extended dynamic range.
Saving time in post-processing
Photomatix Pro is designed for productivity -- automatic blending, unlimited stacking, easy comparison of results and batch processing save hours of masking and layers work in image editing programs.
Taking advantage of your 32-bit images
Have you created a 32-bit HDR image in Photoshop CS2 and could not get a good HDR conversion? The Photomatix Tone Mapping tool may help. See how it compares to Photoshop CS2 HDR conversion.
Great pictures on cloudy days
Shadowless hazy sunlight or an overcast sky usually results in dull-looking photographs. The tone mapping tool of Photomatix Pro can turn them into great-looking images. Check this image as example.
Noise reduction
The Exposure Blending functions of Photomatix Pro merge any number of bracketed photos -- this process is equivalent to image stacking, which tends to reduce noise in the resulting image.
Well exposed panoramas
A panoramic scene is almost always a high contrast scene -- you cant limit your view to areas with the same brightness when shooting a 360° panorama. By taking views under several exposures and processing them in Photomatix Pro, you can create a panorama that will show details in both the dark and bright areas of the scene.
