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.
Sunset in the Badlands
Sunset in the Badlands of South Dakota - another state visited!
I have wanted to visit the Badlands in South Dakota for a really long time. Having seen many pics of the place - and being a huge fan of the Springsteen song, too - I just had to see it and photograph it for myself. So a few weeks ago I took off on a road trip with my daughter. It spanned about 9 days and we covered 3100 miles. It was awesome, but boy did I get a little tired of all the driving. Regardless, we made it and I took some shots that I like, including this one that I am sharing today. Enjoy!
How to Shoot and Edit Handheld HDR in Low Light
Follow along in this video as I show how I shoot and edit an HDR photo taken handheld in low light!
One of my recent videos - this one about capturing HDR images in low light without a tripod. Can you do that? Sure you can! It's easy, as long as you keep a few things in mind. Follow along as I share some tips for taking the photo and walk through an edit of an example photo in Aurora HDR.
The stunning beauty of Vernazza
The stunning beauty of Vernazza, Italy…
Ah, the Cinque Terre! Italy is just so gorgeous!
I almost think I could live in Italy...almost. Maybe I could. It's definitely awesome in so many ways. Take the Cinque Terre area for instance. All these little villages are right on the coast, nestled up next to all these rocks with the ocean slapping against them all day. It's just a tremendous area for photography. This one is from Vernazza, which has sort of a protected harbor area which you see here. I stood in this spot for over an hour, taking all sorts of images and just enjoying life. You have to do that at times, right?
Staring at the sun
Shooting straight into the sun in England - and it came out looking pretty good!
Sometimes it pays to shoot straight into the sun! I don't do it often but I couldn't resist with this view from Scotney Castle in England. I loved that old tree and the ruins, so I went ahead and took the shot. Luckily since I bracketed the exposures I was able to merge them to HDR and get a useable final photo out of it. That's the power of Aurora HDR!
Blue hour at the Tower of London
Blue hour at the Tower of London, and I was working the scene trying to capture all that I could. It’s a gorgeous part of that amazing city!
London is just so photogenic! I love it there.
When I visited London earlier this year, I spent a good amount of time over by the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, taking all sorts of photos. I was especially interested in capturing the area around blue hour, when the lights come on and everything takes on a romantic glow. So one evening I was there firing away and trying to get fun and interesting shots out of it. These two are a couple of my faves from that evening.
Aurora HDR vs Photomatix: What's the Difference?
In this video I compare Aurora HDR to Photomatix for HDR processing. There are some major differences so follow along and let me know if you have any questions!
Here's a recent video in which I compare Photomatix to Aurora HDR. I used Photomatix for 5-6 years to build my HDR photos, but once I started using Aurora HDR, I never went back to Photomatix. I find I can edit my picture completely in Aurora HDR whereas with Photomatix I can build the base HDR and then I pretty much have to go elsewhere for stylizing touches and more. So I find it less efficient and a bit cumbersome, really. Follow along in this video and watch me compare the two. Let me know if you have any questions!
Sunset at the Loop 360 Bridge
A lovely sunset at my favorite sunset spot in Austin…
My favorite sunset spot in Austin!
I love shooting sunset here, I really dig the view and sometimes you get some amazing light, too. I was there recently and it was one of those great nights. The light was gorgeous and my photos came out really nice. I have quite a few I will be sharing but this first one is a 3 exposure HDR taken right after sunset. Enjoy!
Night at Covent Garden
Covent Garden in London under the cover of darkness…
Here's a pair of pics from lovely London, one of my favorite cities anywhere. Covent Garden is a great place to hang out and shoot, although at times the security guards get all fired up about tripods. So you have to be stealthy and quick to get it done! ;-)
The back alleys of London
The Shad Thames in London is well worth a stroll, day or night. It’s an industrial warehouse sort of area but it’s quite interesting and photogenic!
This is an interesting part of London!
When I visited London back in January, I made it a point to visit the area known as Shad Thames on at least a couple of occasions. It's an old industrial warehouse area and in my opinion it is quite awesome! I strolled through here during both daytime and at night and found it equally beautiful both times of day. There are some shops and eateries but mostly it seemed somewhat empty (although that could have been that it was January).
It's right by the Tower Bridge, which everyone visits anyway, so if you are going be sure and swing by here. It's on the south side of the River Thames, just off the bridge. Ask around and you can't miss it - and you will be glad you strolled through here! Oh and bring the camera! :-)
Hallstatt is just beautiful
A view over the lovely and beautiful town of Hallstatt, Austria…
I'm not sure what more I can say about Hallstatt, Austria...
I had wanted to visit Hallstatt for years and when I was in Salzburg, Austria last year I finally had the chance. We rented a car for the day and took off. It was about 2 hours of driving if I recall correctly, but so worth it! I finally got to stand here and fire some shots! In fact, I stood here a few times throughout the day, taking shots and then wandering back into town, only to return later for more shots. What can I say? That's what I do.