Photomatix

<p>I just download the trial version of the Photomatix pro software and it works great with color negative. I tested it on a shot of a couple cutting a cake in their wedding. The cake was overexposed but it's easy enough for me to make scan that show good details in the cake but the couple which was correctly exposed is too dark. The background (which is underexposed) is completely dark. I make 3 scans. One show the details of the cake, One the show the couple in the correct brightness and one to get some decent details out of the background. Put the 3 scans in Photmatix and the result is great. Since I never move the negative while doing the 3 scans the alignment is perfect. </p>

Cool. I should try this.

<p>I started using Photomatix a few months ago. This program provides more control of tone mapping than I can achieve with Photoshop and Lightroom. It is easy to overdo the effects. I consider half of the preset options too outlandish to ever use. With those caveats, I'm using it routinely for landscape shots. I often use HDR processing. In Photoshop, it was hard to control. I sometimes gave up on HDR combinations because I wasn't getting a pleasing result. With Photomatix, I can control the degree of ghost elimination and the degree of tone compression. I can get more subtle effects when I want. </p>

<p>The attached example compares a 4 shot panorama with curve adjustments and vibrance enhancement in Photoshop to a 12 shot HDR panorama tone mapped with Photomatic Pro with additional curve and vibrance adjustments in Photoshop. </p><div></div>

<p>The second one now looks like you have installed portable lighting in the ruin. I guess it works if that is the look you were going for, but I prefer the untouched one, as it looks more natural to me.</p>

I have to agree with Robin. In the HDR there is too much light inside of what looks like an enclosed structure. The second photo looks like there is no roof on the structure or light is shining through from the other end.

 

I would sometimes match a flash exposure to a natural light exposure for a subject sitting indoors next to a window. If the outdoor exposure called for 1/60 sec @f/8 I would set the flash to 1/60 sec (my Minolta sync speed) and f/8. The results looked artificial, like there was no ceiling or roof above the subject or he was next to a bare wall and window set up outside.