Good news for HDR photographers: Photomatix Pro 5 is the best version every for the best HDR. New features include: Contrast Optimizer Tone Mapping for realistic-looking results, new Fusion method for real estate photography, multiple batching settings, and an option to enable fusion from a single RAW file. All very cool features. If you can't wait to order Photomatix, click here to get to my Play & Save on Plug-ins page.
To test drive Photomatxi Pro 5, I reprocessed one of my favorite HDR sequences, taken in the Colony Hotel in Delray Beach on my Florida Photo Caravan workshop.
Here's a look at the new interface, and here are a few quick tips: work with the histogram displayed, play with presets, start by adjusting the black and white points to control the shadows and highlights in the scene, use lighting adjustments to eliminate halos - the dead giveaway to a poorly processed HDR image.
You can download Photomatix Pro 5 (and save 15%) from my Play & Save on Plug-ins page. All of my favorite plug-ins are listed on that page.
Explore the light,
Rick