This article consists of 2 parts. This is part 2 of 2.

You’ll find part 1 of this article here.

In this 2 part article, I’m going to show you how you can enhance a single image in Aurora 2019. I’m using RAW photographs from my Inspire 2 X5S camera shot in DNG RAW. One of the challenges with the DJI DNG RAW is that it can take a lot more work to create a good looking photograph from it. I was very interested to see how Aurora 2019 handled this challenge. Let’s take a look.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of Aurora HDR 2019 for review purposes. As always, I am giving you my honest evaluation and experience of the software.

Aurora HDR 2019 is available now with a bonus bundle of additional video training, free Looks, and LUTs for Photofocus readers.

Watch the video

Before and after

 

Summary

Aurora HDR 2019 did an outstanding job with the DJI DNG RAW file. The landscape presets that I worked with were excellent starting places and of course, you can do it all from scratch if you want to. The control that Aurora gives you is pretty amazing. With this software, you can span the gamut from realistic to fantastical.

While the manual and I can tell you what the filters do, my experience is that until I actually work with them on different photographs, I don’t really learn what they are capable of. I’m going to encourage you to explore each preset and filter that you find appealing. What happens when you tweak the setting? What does each setting within a filter do? How does it affect the final image?

What I like:
  • The software is fast
  • The ability to use it on a single image with such great results
  • The ability to roundtrip with Luminar 2018 and come right back into Aurora HDR 2019
  • The new HDR Smart Structure in HDR Enhance with its ability to bring out more detail without additional noise
  • The ability to use HDR Enhance, HDR Microstructure and control the amount of detail that is revealed
  • The Looks are great starting places for creating photographs from my DJI Drone
  • The software gives me a lot of control over the image with lots of flexible filters
  • The ability to apply a LUT
  • It helps me produce beautiful images

What I’d like to see improved:

  • A LUT gallery where I could view a miniature of the photo with the LUTs applied to assist in the faster selection of a LUT
  • Even Faster processing and updates
  • More Luminar 2018 style filters available right inside Aurora

You’ll find Aurora HDR 2019 trial here along with a bundle of free goodies and more training.