Aurora HDR - Still a Good Option in 2021?
In this video and blog post, I dive back into Aurora HDR. It was the first app that I really got into deeply, and sort of put me on the path I am now on. But I haven’t used it in a while, and was curious if it held up to today’s standards. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
I have used Aurora HDR since the first version came out years ago. But it hasn’t been upgraded in a couple of years. In this video, I dive back into it and see if it still holds up to today’s standards. Enjoy!
Here’s the image from the video. Fully edited in Aurora HDR, and I have to admit I really like the result, even though I have gotten away from processing HDR photos. Interiors like this always look good in HDR, in my opinion.
Back in the “old days” of just a few short years ago, I basically shot brackets every time I went out with the camera, and I edited nearly every single image as an HDR. It was what I loved to do, and I did it. A lot.
But in the last few years, I have drifted away from both shooting brackets and processing images as HDRs. I now mostly shoot single exposures, and am quite happy doing so. But on my recent trip to New England, I ended up shooting a few brackets and thought it would be fun to dive back into Aurora HDR and try my hand at processing some images as HDRs. Now, the image in this video wasn’t actually shot on my trip - it’s an older image from a trip to Dublin, Ireland years ago. It was just the recent trip to New England that inspired me to try HDR again.
And mostly I was curious as to how well Aurora HDR would hold up compared to the sort of things you can do with apps these days. You see, Aurora HDR has long been my favorite HDR processing software, but it has not been upgraded with new features in a couple of years. So I asked Skylum about it, and they said they felt it could still hold its own against other HDR editors.
And while this video is not a feature comparison between Aurora HDR and other HDR editing apps, I do fully edit the image in Aurora HDR here, and check out the various features (many of which I had forgotten about) and see how well I can manage an image here, vs having to start here and finish elsewhere (like in Luminar AI, for instance).
Spoiler Alert: The end result is that I am still impressed with Aurora HDR, and having rediscovered it, I may begin to use it again with other photos. I had forgotten that it support LUTs (something I am really into these days), has Lens Correction and Transform tools (which work great), and although I did not forget that it has a Layers function, it was good to be reminded of that. They can come in really handy!
Hope you enjoy the workflow video and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
If you are interested in a getting a copy of Aurora HDR, you can get it here: https://bit.ly/2N3av7b
Use coupon code JIMNIX to save $10 while you are at it!
Sunrise at Trinity College
A stunning sunrise in Dublin, Ireland…
I first captured, edited and shared this photo several years ago - right after I returned home from the trip that I captured it on. It was one of those that I knew I had to edit right way, because I knew it was going to be pretty good. But sometimes I go back into the archives and edit a photo again. My intent in doing so is to come at it with fresh eyes and (hopefully) much improved photo editing skills. I generally always like my most recent edits the best, but that is probably obvious. Plus my style morphs a little over time and my tastes tend to change quite a bit as well. Regardless, that’s one of the great things about digital photography - you can go back to the well again and again and again, and come up with something different each time.
Oh yeah, this is Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Almost forgot to mention that part. :-)
Sunset at Pennybacker Bridge
A lovely sunset at my favorite sunset spot in Austin…
My favorite sunset spot in Austin, and just a few miles from home. Doesn’t get easier than that! I went up here recently, just to get out and shoot a few. I didn’t bring a bag full of gear. Just one lens on my camera and a tripod. No filters, no video equipment, nothing else. It was incredibly peaceful and relaxing to just stand there, take in the view and shoot. Luckily the sunset sky was cooperative, too!
Sunsets close to home
A lovely sunset that happened while I was out shooting at a local park…
I went over to my favorite local hiking trail the other day to shoot and film a little bit, and upon departing just had to stop for one last shot of the sunset. I was there to shoot that little waterfall, but sometimes when you back up and look at the bigger scene you realize that’s a good shot too!
A night out in London
A night time HDR shot handheld on evening in London…
I have really grown to love shooting at night. It’s taken me a while to really embrace it, but now I love it. I used to always want to quite after sunset and blue hour ended, thinking the good light was all gone. Well, it may be gone by then but in a city there is always something interesting to photograph. While wandering one evening in London, I stopped in my tracks as I approached this scene. It’s not incredible or amazing or anything, but it caught my eye and thought it was well worth a quick stop for!
Over the Top HDR in Aurora HDR 2019
Sometimes you just want to go a bit crazy with your HDR work, and that is totally fine.
Sometimes you just want to push those sliders pretty far to the right!
I think just about everyone starts out on their HDR journey by pushing things past the point of reality, and that’s ok. Everyone does it, and there’s no reason to apologize for it. Many people then taper back their use of HDR as time passes, including me, but there are times when you just want to go a bit crazy. Let’s face it - it can be fun. So when I came across this scene in London, I knew right away that I would be pushing it pretty hard when it came time to process the shot. Follow along in this video while I walk you through my workflow.
Sunset in The Badlands
Sunset in the Badlands of South Dakota…
The Badlands at sunset - done in full color HDR!
I was happy to finally see The Badlands earlier this summer. While South Dakota may not be on the top of your list for vacation destinations, I wanted to go and see this place. It just looks interesting, and now that I have seen it in person, I can say that it really is interesting. And beautiful, in a deserted, empty sort of way.
My daughter and I took a 10 day roadtrip from Texas up to South Dakota and back, with some stops in Colorado and New Mexico along the way. It was a lot of fun and I came home with some photos that I like, such as this one. While I didn’t get any dramatic light on the trip, it was quite fun to bond with my daughter and see new stuff (and take photos of it, of course).
Sunrise in Dublin
Sunrise in lovely Dublin, Ireland…
It’s so rewarding to get up for sunrise and walk the streets in a foreign city. I try and do it at least once on every trip, and I am always rewarded with great photographs.
The thing is that everyone likes to sleep in a bit, so if you are up and out at sunrise you are pretty likely to be able to photograph popular spots when they are empty. That is exactly what happened for me in Dublin, Ireland. I wandered around in the Temple Bar district and had these usually crowded streets all to myself. Sunrise was pretty, too!
Beautiful Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake in western Canada, at sunset…..
Ah, the Canadian Rockies - so gorgeous there!
I love Canada, having been lucky enough to visit many times. My favorite part of course is western Canada, and the town of Banff (and the National Park it sits in). It’s just a landscape paradise that is incredibly beautiful and inspiring. When we visited, I took as many photos as possible, just because I wanted to soak up as much as I could and be able to revisit it in my library again and again. This is one of many from Moraine Lake, which may just be the prettiest part of the whole area. I spent two sunsets here in a row, and both were just off the charts amazing.
Aurora HDR 2019 First Look and Preorders!
Aurora HDR 2019 is open for preorders - get it while it’s hot! And check out my preview video which shows all the cool new stuff!
Skylum Announces Preorders for Aurora HDR 2019!
Preorders begin September 12 and it is released on October 4
Current users can upgrade for $49
New users can purchase for $89
Several great bonuses come with your preorder
Click ***HERE*** to get your preorder!
Jim’s thoughts on the new Aurora HDR 2019
I’ve been using this product for about a week now, and it’s been great fun. It’s really quick and the photos are turning out great. Obviously I’m a fan of HDR, from gentle to extreme looks, but I must say that the new Quantum HDR Engine really does a great job of crafting very subtle and realistic base HDR photos. From there you of course have the option to stylize any way you please. Yes, there is a brand-new HDR engine running underneath all of this, and it is wonderful. Here’s the description of it in their words:
Skylum’s Quantum HDR Engine harnesses the power of AI for a more streamlined editing experience than ever before. It reduces burned-out colors, loss of contrast, noise and unnatural lighting caused by halos and unstable deghosting.
The Quantum HDR Engine has taken three years to create within Skylum’s AI lab, and contains the vast knowledge of the development team paired with artificial intelligence to bring you seamless HDR editing, be it with a single image or multiple bracketed shots.
Skylum’s developers tested thousands of bracketed shots through a neural network, and used the results to develop the technology needed for creating incredible HDR photographs - whether it’s real estate, landscape, cityscape or any other type of HDR photography.
The update to the HDR Enhance filter which now includes the new HDR Smart Structure slider is just awesome. I love that slider and have been using it on every shot. It really does seem intelligent in that it seems to apply structure where I want it (walls, etc) while not creating a lot of noise and artifacts where I don’t want them (skies and water, for example). It’s powerful and smart.
The product also does wonders on single exposures. You don’t have to be out there shooting brackets in order to benefit from the power of Aurora HDR. You can craft a natural-looking photo in Aurora 2019 from a single exposure, or even go more extreme and get a full-on HDR look if you want. It’s flexible, powerful and totally up to you.
Below are some screenshots of photos in the new version, and be sure to check out my First Look video as well. There’s a lot in there! Let me know if you have any questions!
First Look Video - check it out my friends!
Check out these before/after screenshots!
About Aurora HDR 2019:
Skylum’s Quantum HDR Engine harnesses the power of AI for a more streamlined editing experience than ever before. It reduces burned-out colors, loss of contrast, noise and unnatural lighting caused by halos and unstable deghosting.
The Quantum HDR Engine has taken three years to create within Skylum’s AI lab, and contains the vast knowledge of the development team paired with artificial intelligence to bring you seamless HDR editing, be it with a single image or multiple bracketed shots.
Skylum’s developers tested thousands of bracketed shots through a neural network, and used the results to develop the technology needed for creating incredible HDR photographs - whether it’s real estate, landscape, cityscape or any other type of HDR photography.
Here are the big, important changes:
New Quantum HDR Engine
LUTs support with 11 New Integrated LUTs
Photoshop plugins support
New HDR Smart Structure filter for realistic and artefact-free structure (can be found in the new HDR Enhance filter)
Presets are now called ‘Looks’
Improved Adjustable Gradient filter with new sliders for Shadows and Highlights added
Improved HDR Details Boost Effect (the photo is shown in high-resolution while fine-tuning the filter)
Offer Availability:
Aurora HDR 2019 will be available for pre-order on September, 12, and released on October, 4.
Pre-Order Pricing:
• Current users may upgrade at a price of $49 USD ($59 USD MSRP)
• New users can purchase Aurora HDR 2019 at a price of $89 USD ($99 USD MRSP)
Pre-Order Bonuses:
Video Tutorial: Getting the Most from Aurora HDR 2019 by Trey Ratcliff
Landscape Photography Handbook by David Johnston
Burning Moods LUTs by Richard Harrington
Interior Aurora Looks by Richard Harrington
3-Month 500px Pro Membership
$300 off a multi-day Iceland Photo Tour
That’s it folks - thanks for stopping by. Be sure and watch my preview video and let me know if you have any questions!
Sunset at the Mermaid Inn
Sunset at The Mermaid Inn in southern England…
A beautiful little town in England and a historic inn, too!
Back in January when I visited London, my friends convinced me to take a couple of days out of town with them and head south to the coast. So I did, because why not see something new and different? I'm really glad that I did too, because it was a lot of fun and I saw some things I would likely never get to on my own.
One such place was The Mermaid Inn in Rye. It's a small town south of London and the Mermaid Inn is a rather historic hotel there. I love the cobblestone streets and the whole scene. We walked around and shot the town a bit, then headed into the bar there for a pint while we waited on the light to change. When I came back out, sunset was in full swing and luckily I only had to walk a few steps to get this shot. I fired some brackets and went back in. My beer was still cold. :-)
The dying of the light at Bodiam Castle
Sunset at Bodiam Castle in England…so much history and beauty here!
Ah, a castle at sunset? Yes please!
I love castles - LOVE THEM! - and when I had the chance to shoot Bodiam Castle in England I was pretty excited about it. Then, sunset got somewhat beautiful and interesting, which always adds to my enjoyment of a photo outing. So I wandered all around this structure shooting away. By far my favorite view though was this one, straight down the middle in front of the castle.
This photo is a 3 exposure HDR done in Aurora HDR. Thanks and enjoy!
Sunset Over Lake Louise
Sunset at Lake Louise, in Banff National Park - a stunning part of the Canadian Rockies.
Ah, the beauty of Lake Louise! I have a serious thing for landscapes, but sadly I rarely get to photograph them since I am most often in cities. So when given the chance, I jump at it. This was taken during our trip to Banff National Park in Canada about a year ago. I still have a lot of photos to edit from the trip. I'm excited just thinking about them all!
A Stunning Sunrise in Rothenburg
A stunning sunrise in Rothenburg, Germany - a beautiful little medieval village.
I do love to get up and shoot sunrises!
When I visited Rothenburg, I knew I had to get up for sunrise one morning, simply because the town is small and popular. That's essentially a recipe for really crowded, and I don't like to do crowded. So I got up super early, and since I was staying right in the middle of town, it was a quick walk to get into position for sunrise. It's great to have quaint little spots like this all to yourself. It's as if you are the only person in the world, and you get to experience them in what I consider a magical way.
3 Editing Tips for Quick, Beautiful HDR Photos
Follow along on this video while I share some quick tips for beautiful HDR photos!
Here's another HDR tutorial video - in this one I share some quick tips for capturing and processing beautiful HDR images. Follow along and enjoy!