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As time goes by, what was expensive high-end technology one or two years ago becomes accessible to more and more people, and digital photography gear is one of the best examples that comes into my mind. Of course that since the hardware becomes used by the masses, software for enthusiasts that don't want to pay for Adobe's flagship product, Photoshop, is also needed. Since there are a lot of choices available, it's not that easy to pick your image processing tool, so today I'll pick one from the pot for you, and its name is Photomatix Pro.


Setup

The Windows version of this program works with Windows 98, Millenium, 2000, XP and even Vista, so there's no need to worry about compatiblity. Last release available is labeled 2.5.3, and while the full program is priced at $99, there's also a limited trial version available.

While the trial version is fully functional and doesn't expire, some of the images you save are going to be watermarked. The good part is that not all images are watermarked, only those obtained using Details Enhancer and H&S Details Auto, Adjust or Intensive being treated this way.

At last, you should know that the setup package has 4.1MB in size, and installing the program was as easy as expected. Since there is nothing else to be mentioned here, let's move on and check the interface and features of this program, shall we?


Interface

Since the task of this program is rather limited, its interface follows the same pattern. All functions can be used via the main menu or the keyboard shortcuts, where available, and there is no toolbar inside the main menu. There are no graphic controls, only text input boxes, standard buttons, sliders and drop down menus. Anyway, once you see the interface and get to try it a little, you'll either love Photomatix Pro or hate it, there's no other way...


Features

I know I didn't give enough details about what this program actually does, so I'll excuse myself for the omission and do it now. The main purpose of this program is to help you create HDR (High Dynamic Range) images from more shots of the same scene, taken at different times of the day or using different exposures. Why this? To make a long story short, no digital camera can see and adapt to wide variations in brightness as the human eye, so to create images that retain highlights and shadows as accurate as possible, more shots need to be combined into a single one.

In my screenshots, you can notice I combined different pictures, and the result is not what the creators of this program had in mind, but you can consider this as a good thing, since you can create some rather strange photo collages with Photomatix Pro...

With this program, you can create HDR images from most common image formats, such as JPEG, TIFF, PSD or PNG, and also RAW images, but this only in batch-processing mode.

There aren't many options that can be used for combining input images into a HDR one, but the good part is that I noticed this program is really fast, even when using large images. Other than that, it's a lot of theory, a little practice in front of the computer, and a lot of practice with your digital camera to get some good shots, so get to work!


The Good

Photomatix Pro has good image format support, batch processing ability and is very fast. The trial version has no time limit, so you can play with it as long as you wish.

The Bad

This program's interface really needs some work, because it can get really confusing here and there, and the price seems to be a bit high, in my opinion.

Conclusion

I know now that virtually all the digital photography amateurs aren't going to use this program to its fullest, but at least they can give it a try. While good HDR images are not that easy to obtain, creating a good one with an average digital camera and a program like Photomatix Pro is an amazing achievement, so all I can do now is keep my fingers crossed and bid you good luck!

Developer: HDRsoft
Price: $99
Trial Link: Download