Easily Create HDR Images with Hydra 2.1

James Fritz

Less than two months after releasing version 2.0, and based on the outpouring of feedback since then, Creaceed has come out with an update to its software for High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography.
What’s New in Version 2.1?
New: Source image thumbs can now be clicked for smooth overlay. This makes it easier to compare the tone mapping output with any source image, or to compare source images together.
New: Accurate dual histogram display (LDR/HDR). The HDR histogram represents the merged, 32-bit image before tone mapping in a logarithmic scale (EV). The LDR histogram represents the currently displayed preview, it is a regular 8-bit histogram with a 0-255 scale. Histograms are computed in a separate thread to keep overall interactivity.
Improved: Faster rendering pipeline when previewing (up to 5x), especially true for RAW input images.
Improved: Incremental rendering as tiles is implemented.
Improved: Faster window resizing.
Improved: The sharpen filter is now scale invariant, meaning that the preview rendering accurately demonstrates the effect as it appears in the full resolution output.
Improved: Automatic update is now signed for improved security.
Improved: Import progress sheet for images is displayed.
Aperture Plug-In: Smart Aperture projects do not cause a hang anymore, option to save to the Pictures folder when project is read only.
Aperture Plug-In: 16-bit TIFF rendering is now supported, 32-bit removed (use stand alone Hydra if OpenEXR format is needed).
Aperture Plug-In: Shift key can be used to import modified versions of images into Hydra. This way, any modification in color temperature, contrast, etc. is made available to Hydra Plug-in. This remains an optional behavior as it has an impact on rendered image, and it can make the initial import process longer.
Aperture Plug-In: Auto updating of the Plug-in when a new version is posted.
Another major enhancement is the fact that you can from now on download either the stand-alone version of Hydra or the Aperture plug-in separately. Everyone can therefore select right from the start which version they would like to install.
For more information, go to the Web site.