How to Merge to HDR Pro of Photoshop in Detailed Steps
Last Updated on October 24, 2022 by Peter Wood
When you get a series of photos taken by an HDR camera, how to make an HDR photo with an HDR Pro of Photoshop? HDR Pro is available for Photoshop 5 and above versions, which provides the basic HDR combination technology. When you need to get some stunning effects, there are limited features. Just learn the detailed procedure to use HDR Pro of Photoshop to merge tonal values from multiple exposures of the same scene. Moreover, you can also find the best alternative to get beautiful HDR photos.
Part 1. How to use HDR Pro of Photoshop
Just make sure the series of photos are in the same folder before you merge to HDR Pro of Photoshop, and then you can easily upload all the files to Photoshop. After that, you can follow the steps to make HDR photos with the Merge to HDR Pro option in Photoshop.
1. Launch Merge to HDR Pro
It takes a few seconds or minutes to process an HDR photograph. But it is just the beginning of the HDR procedure. You have to combine the best parts of different exposures to merge everything into an HDR with HDR Pro.
Launch Photoshop on your computer, Select the File menu, and choose the Merge to HDR Pro option from the drop-down list of Automate. It will open the Merge to HDR Pro window within Photoshop.
Note: When you are using Bridge, you can select the images and choose the Tools option. After that, you can select the Photoshop option and access the Merge to HDR Pro option.
2. Load Images to HDR Pro
In the Merge to HDR Pro dialog, you can find detailed information about images with different exposure. And you can also find the parameters to adjust the tonal range of the HDR photographs with HDR Pro.
Click the Browse button to select the series of images with different exposure, you can also choose the Folder option from the drop-down list. It enables you to remove a particular picture by clicking the Remove button from the files list.
3. Tweak the Set EV Manually
The Merge to HDR Pro feature of Photoshop only enables you to choose two or more files from a set of exposures to merge. Make sure the photos are captured with the HDR mode of your camera.
Select the Attempt to Automatically Align Source Image option and click the OK button. It will pop up a Manually Set EV window, which enables you to enter the detailed exposure time, F-Stop, and ISO for each image before merging the photos into a high-dynamic photo.
4. Choose HDR Presets and Modes
Compared to the previous version, the latest Photoshop provides more advanced features, such as Presets. It enables you to make HDR photos in one click with a series of settings. Moreover, you can customize the desired HDR preset according to your requirements.
In the Preview window of Merge to HDR Pro, you can select the desired HDR preset from the drop-down list, such as City Twilight, Flat, More Saturated, RC5, Scott5, Monochromatic series, Photorealistic series, and Surrealistic series. But you should know only 32-Bit merged images can store the entire dynamic range of the HDR with HDR Pro.
5. Adjust the Tonal Range of HDR Pro
There are various parameters of the tonal range of HDR Pro, which should be hard to select. If you cannot find a satisfactory preset for HDR photos in the Merge to HDR window, you have to learn more about the settings beforehand.
Part 2. Parameters of HDR Pro
The parameters for adjusting 32-bit HDR images are different from the 8-bit or 16-bit images. Here are some parameters you can set for a 16-bit image with HDR Pro.
Preset: Batch adjustments for a series of similar images. You can save to load presets.
Remove Ghosts: To remove the ghosts caused by moving stuff or outdoor images, you can minimize these moving stuff with the optimal result.
Edge Glow: Use the Radius and Strength sliders in combination to increase the perceived sharpness of the image.
Tone and Detail: Adjust the contrast between highlights and shadows is a significant feature of HDR Pro. The exposure slider controls the overall lightness or darkness of the image.
Color: Vibrance adjusts the intensity of the subtle colors and minimizes the clipping of highly saturated colors.
Tone Curve: Add an anchor point or enter a numeric value to adjust the image tonality.
Part 3. Tips for Using HDR Pro
1. Since 8-bit and 16-bit images offer the same options, converting them into 32-bit images in HDR Pro is not recommended.
2. Finalize changes made in Merge to HDR Pro’s 16-bit mode. Discard the unused parts of the 32-bit tonal range.
3. If you need a 16-bit copy to share or print, You can save first as 32-bit, adjust, and then use Save As to create the 16-bit copy.
4. When you have any difficulty using HDR Pro, you can use other HDR apps to merge HDR photographs.
Part 4. Best Alternative of Using HDR Pro of Photoshop
Is there an easy alternative to merge HDR photos without the Merge to HDR Pro feature of Photoshop? Whether you cannot find a satisfactory preset, or difficult to be familiar with the settings, WidsMob HDR is the best HDR Pro alternative to help you out. The HDR maker not only works for stitching standard HDR photos but also enables you to apply HDR filters. Moreover, there are more advanced settings to get the optimal high dynamic range photographs easily.
1. Merge a series of bracketed images into standard HDR images as HDR Pro.
2. Provide stunning HDR effects and advanced settings to polish HDR photos.
3. Tweak color enhancements, color correction, smart tone, image radiance, etc.
4. Edit the stunning effect with an instant preview and save the photo in high quality.
Step 1. Launch WidsMob HDR on your computer after installation, you can click the Add Photos icon to import the desired photos into the program. Of course, you can simply drag-n-drop the files for combining HDR photos. It supports RAW files for most digital cameras.
Step 2: Select the Bracketing mode to stitch a series of images you have taken with different exposures. Choose the photos for the standard HDR and click on the Next button to make an HDR image automatically. You can choose the Single Photo mode to apply HDR effects directly.
Step 3: Go to the Effect menu to choose the desired HDR effect, including Classic, Super Nature, Magic, Cooler, Fresh, Blue Sky, Painterly, B/W, Super B/W, and Old Photo just as HDR Pro of Photoshop. Just use the settings of the Advanced menu to explore more HDR effects.
Step 4: When you need to make a special HDR effect, you can check the settings under the HDR tab, including Color Enhancement and Color Correction. You can choose the contrast mode from Contrast Enhancement. There are multiple smart tone settings, image radiance filters, and more to polish the HDR files.
Note: There are different brightness, saturation, contrast, and effect on your HDR image according to your need. Since the HDR merging will bring up image noises, you have to use the HDR Denoise to enhance the HDR photos.
You can also check the video tutorial as following: