PSP X4 HDR

[MikeFromMesa]

I have just purchased the X4 version of PSP. I have been playing around with the HDR functionality (which seems very nice), but ran into a question.

Since my color sense is not the best I saved my intermediate HDR settings with the Create HDR File button. I expected that after I had worked with a file and saved it I could reload the hdr file and adjust the settings to see how the files compared. I was able to save the hdr file and reload it, but when I reloaded the file all of my settings when I saved it (that is, the Temperature, Contrast, Highlights, Midtone, Shadows, etc) were gone. The files reloaded with everything set back to 0 so I had no idea where they were when I saved it.

I assume that perhaps there is some setup setting that I am missing, but don't know what it is. Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

[teknisyan]

If you want to save the settings and use them on your next project, you may want to SAVE THE PRESETS. You can see that just below the PREVIEW RESULTS option.

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[MikeFromMesa]

I had seen that I could create a preset, save it and use it if I needed. But using a preset for each photo setting seems like overkill. If I have 10 or 15 HDR photos that I am working with, and if I wish to revisit them later, creating 10 or 15 presets, just for those photos, seems like a bit much. I thought of presets as general purpose settings.

What I expected, and what I would like to do, is to have a saved hdr photo contain its current settings so, if I reload it, I will find it as I saved it. Otherwise I fail to see the purpose of creating them at all. I could just select the original images, load them and pretty much be in the same place as the hdr file. Is this not possible?

Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

[arkitekt878]

I have done some tests with other HDR software I own and it does look like that when you save an HDR file any settings are ignored and all you get is the result of the basic merge. So maybe there is nothing wrong with the HDR Engine in PSP

[MikeFromMesa]

Perhaps you are right. I don't have enough HDR software to tell.

My SNS-HDR does not allow the saving of an intermediate version, so all I get is the final jpg or tif file. I tried Photomatix and do not remember it offering the ability to save the intermediate version. I also tried HDR-Express and also do not remember the ability to save the intermediate form of the file.

But it does seem disappointing to me that X4 does not allow it. After spending 5 or 10 minutes to create a version a think is near what I want I cannot save those settings and return to them later unless I create a preset for it. Since I often come back from a trip with dozens of HDR shot combinations the idea of creating a preset for each one seems silly. I would soon have hundreds of presets whose only purpose was to restore one specific photo rather than create a starting point for a general look. The software could easily enough create a "sidecar" for each set of files and that would contain the settings.

Out of curiosity what HDR software do you have that saves intermediate file formats?

[arkitekt878]

I just did a check of SNS-HDR which is one of the best HDR programs for natural looking HDR's. I'm using the Pro Version and although it applies the tone-mapping you are then left to adjust the sliders as you see fit. I've never used the ability to save as an .sns file but that does save and open the file with wherever I have set the sliders.

HDR Photo Pro allows you to save a file in .hdr or.exr format. These can be used with other HDR Software such as Photomatix, even Corel's HDR Program

Dynamic Photo HDR will allow you to save a file in .hdr format before tone-mapping. Once you tone-map you have the usual file options, JPEG, TIFF, etc

Fhotoroom HDR (formerly Artizen HDR) will allow you to save an .hdr file after tone-mapping

Through taking part in beta tests over the years and writing about them in my blog I'm lucky in that I have a good few HDR programs I can call on. Each has their own way of working and differs in what can be achieved as a final output but that does give me a lot of leeway.

[MikeFromMesa]

I've never used the ability to save as an .sns file but that does save and open the file with wherever I have set the sliders.

I have the Home version of SNS-HDR and, unfortunately, it has no such option although I do agree that it is a very nice piece of software. It seems to do a better job of aligning the photos although the X4 HDR functionality, once they are aligned, is also very good.

Based on the rest of your post it appears that the ability to save and then re-use images along with their settings is more the norm than not. That only makes it more surprising that X4 does not have that functionality.

[df]

I've used FDRTools.exe and saving as a .hdr file saves the curves and sliders where I saved them at. I've used this software a lot and it gives decent control in the free version. http://www.fdrtools.com/front_e.php