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Welcome to our HDR learning center, produced in partnership with HDRsoft (makers of Photomatix).

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Six tips to improve your beach sunset shots - It is summertime and you are off to the beach. Here are some tips to improve your sunset shots. Bracket Sunset exposures can be tricky. With bracketing, you have a better chance of getting a properly exposed image. Or you may decide to merge images by blending layers or using HDR software such as Aurora […]
Master Photomatix Pro Version 6 — Free HDR Hangout Today - Don’t miss today’s free event! Join us for an in-depth look at all the new features in Photomatix Pro version 6. Photofocus publisher Rich Harrington is joined by professional photographer Ron Pepper. Both have used Photomatix Pro for years, and Ron is an expert who regularly provides support to other photographers. When: TODAY, June 8 […]
Join Us for Our Next HDR Hangout and Learn What’s New in Photomatix Pro Version 6 - Join us for an in-depth look at all the new features in Photomatix Pro version 6. Photofocus publisher Rich Harrington is joined by professional photographer Ron Pepper. Both have used Photomatix Pro for years, and Ron is an expert who regularly provides support to other photographers. When: Thursday, June 8 @ 2 pm ET Where: Watch […]
Cheating Blue Skies in Lightroom - We all know that there’s a right way to do things and a “cheating” way, but it doesn’t matter which one you use as long as the end result is the same, right? A few months ago, I was on Zuma Beach in Malibu for sunset. Even though the dynamic range is incredible on the […]
Photomatix Pro Version 6 is Now Shipping - I’m super excited that a new version of Photomatix Pro is now shipping.  The application is a welcome update that adds a bunch of useful features that make it easier to start and finish your HDR photos.  My favorite aspect is that the application truly focusses on natural looking HDR. What is Photomatix Pro? In case […]
Creating Long Exposure Photography with Expanded Dynamic Range - People are often mesmerized by long exposures. Smooth water, the movement in clouds…it creates an artistic look in photographs that many people desire. About a year ago, I started to take my long exposures to the next level, by using neutral-density (ND) filters during the day. It allowed me to create photographs that had significantly […]
Free Presets & Exclusive Software Bundle for Photofocus Readers - Free Presets We’ve released a bunch of freebies lately to help you get more out of your software.  This post gives you access to all of them in one convenient place. Photofocus LOOKs for Perfectly Clear Complete V3 Inspired Style presets for Macphun Luminar 44 Free Presets for Photomatix Free Presets for OnOne   Super […]
How to Make Distortion Disappear with Lightroom’s Transform Tools - Sometimes you look at a photo and you know something just isn’t right.  If there is one thing that will cause that uneasy feeling, it is unfixed lens distortion in a photo.  Our brain knows buildings have straight lines, faces have certain proportions, and animals don’t lean as they are standing.  Curved trees, crooked buildings, […]
HDR and the Traveling Photographer - Note: To learn more about HDR visit our HDR Learning Center produced in partnership with HDRsoft. I have learned, as a traveling photographer, that no matter how much planning I do to prepare myself for a trip, there will always be unknown factors and surprises, good and bad. Certain factors, such as light, clouds, weather, location, […]
Toning Down the HDR Look with Photomatix Pro - What do you think of when you think of HDR? Over-sharpened, bright photos? The majority of HDR photos I’ve seen — you know, the ones you always see on real estate sites — are over-contrasted, too bright and just unappealing. But there’s a different side to HDR, one that’s more realistic to a natural-looking photograph. […]
HDR 101: Shooting Brackets - Human eyes are incredible for viewing the world and seeing into shadows and highlights all at the same time. The basis of HDR photography is making several exposures at varying brightnesses and combining them in a powerful software app like Photomatix so we can view a photograph the same way we view the real world–into […]
Handholding your Camera for HDR Photography - With proper technique and the right camera, it is possible to get good HDR images even though you aren’t using a tripod or other camera support. Here are ten tips for handholding your camera: Use a camera that has an automatic bracket function, so that when you push the shutter release your camera automatically and quickly […]
The Photofocus InFocus Interview Show | Photofocus Podcast January 21, 2017 - This is the PhotoFocus InFocus Interview Show FOR JAN 21ST, 2017. I’m your Host Rod Harlan. We have an all new quick & condensed, all the stuff with none of the fluff format for 2017, so let’s get started. On today’s show we have: Peter Treadway & David Williams interviewed by Levi Sim – Wedding […]
Photomatix OneShot original and OneShot Photomatix OneShot Makes Photos POP! - There are hundreds of filters and presets available for making photographs into “something else” in Photoshop, Lightroom or with other software packages. One of my favorites comes from from HDRsoft the maker of the outstanding HDR converter Photomatix Pro. Allow me to introduce you to Photomaitx OneShot. HDR effects for single images Traditionally, High Dynamic […]
HDR 101: How To Keep Important Details in HDR’s - Shooting a set of pictures with bracketed exposures and combining them in HDR software is the best way to record all the details in a scene, even in very dark and very bright areas. The software, like Photomatix, does a great job of making all the details visible. However, there are times when the details […]
The Photofocus InFocus Interview Show | Photofocus Podcast December 21, 2016 -   Editor’s Note In remembrance of Jim, we have decided to abandon our usual publication schedule. This podcast honoring Jim will be our only post today. The PhotoFocus InFocus Interview Show FOR DEC 21ST, 2016. I’m your Host Rod Harlan. This month we have a special show honoring the life and wisdom of Master Commercial […]
Using HDR To Augment Your Artistic Vision - Your artistic vision as a photographer is projected through the choices you make in creating your images. These choices include a subject or theme, focal length of lenses, camera settings, composition, framing of subject, adjustments in processing, time of day to shoot and type of lighting. Each of the choices you make have a direct impact on […]
Mini Review: Tonality (Spoilers: It Makes Great Black and Whites) - So many of us started photography with black and white processing and the love of monochrome has stuck with us. Ansel Adams and Edward Weston still haunt my dreams with black skies over Yosemite and pleated peppers. Digital black and white photography is even better because we have more control, far more options, and our […]
New to Photomatix? Start with a Preset - The photo above is the normal exposure of a Waffle House near my studio. Periodically the company remodels one of their restaurants. I saw this one was under what looked more like destruction rather than renovation. I noticed a pair of children with their father standing in front of the remains of a favorite place […]
HDR 101: How Do You Know When To Use HDR? - Like black and white, HDR photography is a terrific tool. It can both save the day technically and also allow us to be creative in unique ways. But how do you know when you might need to use HDR to make you photograph look it’s best? The Name Says It All HDR stands for High Dynamic […]
Get Started With Photomatix - HDR photography is a gift of the digital age. To a one-time film photographer like me, it’s magic. I never imagined that one day I would be blending together bracketed images to create a single photograph with an extended dynamic range. A photograph in which I was able to retain details in the shadows and not blow out highlights. […]
Creating Better Sun-Flared Images with Photomatix Pro - Have you struggled to make a great image when shooting into the sun? Our cameras can’t see the dynamic range in a scene as well as our own eyes can, so we have to shoot a series of bracketed images and merge them into an HDR. In this tutorial, I walk you through exporting to HDR […]
Ten Tips to Improve Your Landscape Photography - Always think of the wind, even when it doesn’t seem like a windy day. Anything affected by even the slightest amount of wind will look blurry. Unless you purposely want a blurred image, you might need to increase your shutter speed. The mightier the wind, the faster the shutter speed. Experiment to see what speed works best. […]
Photographing the South Rim of the Grand Canyon - The Grand Canyon is a window into the geological history of the earth. Some rocks are 1.7 billion years old. Every time I visit, I am awestruck. The canyon hasn’t changed much in my lifetime but due to weather, clouds, and lighting it always looks different. My photographs are never the same. The South Rim of the canyon is […]
Don’t Bring a Wide-Angle Lens, Just Make Panos - Making pictures on a photowalk or hike should be enjoyable and relatively stress-free. One way to reduce your stress is to carry less equipment. A small kit makes your body lighter and helps you keep going longer. Bring a prime lens and stretch your vision by framing with your feet instead of lazily zooming in […]
Realistic HDR with Photomatix Pro Realistic HDR images with Photomatix Pro - HDR photography gets a bad rap. Many believe that HDR means over-contrasted, over-saturated, over-sharpened photos. But in reality, HDR is really just blending multiple images together. And by using the technique effectively, you can enhance your images and create a blended photograph that is both natural-looking and more attractive to the viewer. I was in New York […]
Interior HDR Simple shooting strategy for High Dynamic Range - I’ve been saying it for so long that it’s time to write about it!  What I’m referring to is my often-given advice for capturing bracketed images.  Many people say that we should choose the ‘correct’ exposure, then capture overexposed & underexposed images.  However I recommend to forget the notion of the middle image being the […]
Photographing Waterfalls and Cascades - There is no shortage of waterfalls and cascades in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. So when the days were dull, foggy and rainy on my recent trip to the U.P we photographed waterfalls and nearby cascades. Not only did I come home with lots of images, but new insights on how to improve my images. Every waterfall […]
Essential Steps to Creating an HDR Photo with Lightroom - The way that Lightroom handles HDR images is very different than how tools like Photoshop or even Photomatix handle the HDR images. In fact, it will completely change your workflow inside of Lightroom. So, even if you don’t think of yourself as an HDR photographer, open up your mind a bit, and what you’ll find […]
A Few Bonus Benefits for Photomatix Pro Users - I was digging around the HDRsoft website as well as talking to their team, and I discovered a few extra bonuses for Photomatix Pro users.  These are some great things you should take advantage of.  Some of these work with Photomatix Pro, others need the Photomatix Pro Plus Bundle (a $20 upgrade). Have more than one […]
HDR: Is a Three Step Process - The biggest mistake HDR shooters make is trying to rush 
the process. Some think its as simple as shooting the photos and running them through a merging application. Others try to save even more time and use in-camera HDR solutions. 
While both of these options can make a better photo 
than just a traditional exposure, […]
Should I say “HDR” anymore? - I find myself using the term ‘HDR’ less and less every day. When I started as a panoramic photographer in 2002, I was continually frustrated because almost every 360º scene would have blown-out bright highlights or ‘blocked up’ shadows. Often I would have both of those extremes in the same scene because a camera can only capture […]
44 Free Presets for Photomatix - Free Presets?  You Bet! The team at Photofocus has put together a collection of free presets to help you get the most out of HDRsoft’s Photomatix.  These presets are absolutely FREE, you just need to join our mailing list to get them. Please subscribe to our newsletter using the button below. Once you have confirmed your subscription, you will receive […]
The InFocus Interview Show | Photofocus Podcast July 21st, 2016 - Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Don’t forget to post a review on iTunes. In this episode of the InFocus Interview Show, our guests discuss HDR photography, how they use Photomatix Pro in their workflow, and more! We have four great interviews in today’s episode. They are as follows: 1. Chamira […]
Setting a Self Timer for Bracketing HDR Images on Sony Cameras - Sometimes I forget to pack a remote shutter release when I stumble upon an HDR scene. Luckily I can set up a Sony A7 series camera to shoot a bracketed series of images with a self-timer. Press the Menu button on the upper-left backside of the camera. Navigate to the page 2 of the Image […]
Go Make A Panorama - You should make a lot more panoramic photographs. It’s a great way to capture a larger view of the world, and you don’t need to buy a new lens. In fact, you’ll find that a panorama gives a better view than simply using a wide angle lens because the objects far away are not diminished […]
Presets Make Photomatix Pro Simple to Learn - Once Photomatix Pro 5 opens a set of bracketed images, especially in Tone Compressor, the choices of controls is kind of intimidating. The first question that comes to mind is “Where in the world do I start???” The answer? Presets. Quick start: Photomatix Pro Before jumping into presets, here’s a quick start for opening a […]
Photomatix for Linux! - Most of my friends and acquaintances in the photography world know that I work with HDRsoft who makes Photomatix software.  Photomatix is used to combine and render bracketed images for high dynamic range scenes.  This same company is also a sponsor of Photofocus, just to be clear about that. But for quite a few Linux users […]
Bay Bridge Fusion Don’t Like HDR? Try Exposure Fusion. - There is much mystery and controversy surrounding “HDR” photography and much of it is comes from the infamous fake look that is too easy to attain when tone mapping.  But another method, called Exposure Fusion, makes it simple to get photo-realistic results from the same bracketed set of images. So if you avoid using bracketing to […]
Essential Gear for HDR Photography - To capture great HDR images, you need some essential equipment. Most of it you probably already own, but may not aways bring with you on a shoot. It’s important to think of HDR photography as a tool, not a subject. Here’s what I mean…when you’re a portrait photographer, you go out and shoot photos of […]

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Photomatix Pro and Photomatix Essentials are stand-alone programs running on Windows and Mac OS X.

  • One license for Photomatix Essentials is US$39.
  • One license for Photomatix Pro is US$99.

Photomatix Essentials focuses on simplicity and ease of use. Photomatix Pro offers more options and includes advanced features such as batch processing and selective de-ghosting.

Some of the features of Photomatix are also available as an Edit Plug-in for Aperture. A free Lightroom Plug-in makes it possible to access Photomatix Pro directly from Lightroom, if desired. To download a trial click here.

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