How to Create an HDR in Photoshop Using the Merge TO HDR Pro Feature
Last Updated on November 12, 2021 by Peter Wood
What you see is not what you captured with a digital camera. Human eyes can adapt to different brightness levels smartly, while digital cameras and monitors are limited to a fixed dynamic range only. If you want to represent the vivid world you see, you need to adjust the exposure to dig out the entire dynamic range. That’s why you create HDR images. For people who subscribe to Adobe Photoshop, you can check the following tutorial to make an HDR image in Photoshop. You can achieve the Photoshop HDR effect step by step.
By the way, if you are not very familiar with Photoshop and want to create HDR images quickly, you can use a Photoshop alternative instead. It is WidsMob HDR that can recreate HDRs with a set of 3 bracketed images in clicks. You can adjust HDR effects and parameters with easy-to-move sliders with ease. Compared with Adobe Photoshop, WidsMob HDR is a beginner-friendly HDR photo editor. You can make an HDR image within 3 minutes on Mac.
Whether you use Photoshop or WidsMob HDR, you can get the detailed steps to create HDR photos. Just read and follow.
Part 1: How to Create a Manual HDR Image with Photoshop
There is the Merge To HDR Pro feature in Adobe Photoshop. You can combine several images with different exposures into an HDR using Photoshop on your computer. This section will show you how to make exposure adjustments and create 32-bps HDR photos in Photoshop. You can follow similar steps to merge 8/16-BPC images into HDR as well.
Note: Make sure your pictures took in the same scene. Exposure is the only difference among those imported images in Photoshop.
Step 1: Run Adobe Photoshop. Choose Automate from the File drop-down list on the top. Then select Merge To HDR Pro from its submenu.
Step 2: In the popping-up Merge To HDR Pro dialog box, click Browse to add a set of exposures into Photoshop. Thus, you can create a high-dynamic-range image with Photoshop. Mark before Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images. Then click OK to move on.
Step 3: Wait for a while for Photoshop to create an HDR photo. Later, you can see a preview of the merged HDR result in a new popup. The imported source images will display at the bottom.
Step 4: To save the entire dynamic range of this Photoshop HDR image, select 32 Bit from the Mode list on the top right corner. Or you can make an HDR as an 8-bit or 16-bit HDR image as well. Move the white point icon with the slider under the histogram. You can make the preview adjustment freely.
Step 5: Or you can save an HDR as an 8-bit or 16-bit HDR image as well. Here you can adjust the specific dynamic range you want using the Photoshop HDR tool.
Step 6: Save the Photoshop HDR effect. Or you can save it as an HDR preset in Photoshop as well. Go back to the Photoshop main interface. At last, save your HDR Photoshop image as TIFF or other image formats.
Part 2: How to Make an Automated HDR Image with WidsMob HDR
Photoshop is a professional photo editor for Windows and Mac users. The HDR Photoshop tool is just one part. You can indeed retouch and edit HDR images in detail within Photoshop. But Photoshop is expensive and difficult to use for users. If you want to cancel the Photoshop subscription, WidsMob HDR can be your best HDR Photoshop alternative. Here’re the main features.
1. Create HDR images on Mac automatically with the advanced HDR algorithm technology.
2. Convert a 32-bit floating pointing format to an 8-bit image with tone mapping.
3. Customize HDR photo parameters, including brightness, saturation, contrast, vignetting, etc.
4. Permanent license and free update for five computers.
5. With a clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interface.
Step 1: Run WidsMob HDR after installing. Click Import to import a set of 3 bracketed images.
Step 2: You can see the selected images displayed in the main interface. Click Next to merge into an HDR.
Step 3: The auto-merged HDR image shows in the main interface. You can adjust HDR effects with the tools in the right panel. Later, click Save to export HDR or click Next to continue editing.
Step 4: Move the sliders to find the best HDR result. Those HDR editing tools are available in Photoshop as well. But you don’t need to find them from these or those lists. WidsMob HDR lists all necessary tools in the right panel directly. At last, click Share or Save to export your HDR photograph.
Part 3: Tips to Take Photos for Photoshop Merge to HDR Pro
1. You had better take at least five images to cover the full dynamic range of the scene. When you add photos into Photoshop for HDR creation, you should import at least three photos.
2. The auto-bracket feature in your camera cannot create HDRs as the available exposure changes are tiny.
3. Use a tripod to take pictures. make sure the scene in the monitor is not moving.
4. Don’t vary the lightning in a set of bracketed images.
That’s all to create an HDR in Photoshop and WidsMob HDR. There is no need to install an extra HDR Photoshop plugin since Adobe Photoshop has the built-in Merge To HDR Pro feature, though it is still not easy to use. Compared with WidsMob HDR, it takes a longer time to upload and merge images into HDR as Photoshop takes high CPU usage, while WidsMob HDR is only a lightweight HDR maker. The output image quality is similar. You can save or share HDRs with both two HDR merging software successfully.
All in all, if you still need to edit HDR images with Photoshop, you can use Photoshop to merge high-dynamic-range photos on your computer. But if you want to create HDRs on Mac only, Adobe Photoshop is not your first choice. You can quickly make images into HDR using WidsMob HDR with a cheaper and much more intuitive interface. The free trial shows all HDR merging and editing features. If you are not sure, you can download the free version to have a try. Later, you can upgrade to the full version to remove the watermark.