TrueHDR
Easy HDR, but nothing else
£4.99 Developer Pictional, pictional.com
OS OS X 10.8 or later
The high dynamic range craze that saw every image plastered in a weird array of oversaturated tones a few years ago may be over, replaced by fauxvintage filters, but HDR is still with us thanks to iOS 7’s camera app.
HDR merges multiple versions of the same image to ensure correct exposure in the highlights, midtones and shadows. While using three images is traditional, TrueHDR can align and merge up to 100. It’s a completely automatic process; the only option before the merge is whether you want the app to align the images or not. Afterwards, an Edit palette allows tweaks to contrast, exposure, sharpness and the like, along with filters. The app accepts raw files from a DSLR as well as JPEGS, and offers a small range of output formats too, including TIFF and PNG.
The automated nature of the process means it’s a fast and simple app to use. Images can be dragged into the import bin from Finder, and one click sets the app going. Something like Photoshop Elements’ Photomerge offers a great deal more control over the process, but also takes longer, and testing with the same trio of images saw TrueHDR produce a brighter, more vibrant final result. Two minutes in PSE brought its image up to the same level, though. The app hooks in to OS X’s social media sharing, so your images can be sent to Flickr, Twitter and so on with a few clicks. The Share menu was sluggish, taking a few seconds to appear and occasionally resorting to the spinning beachball.
TrueHDR is an app that does one thing, and it does it smoothly. The hard bit of HDR is setting up the multiple exposures to begin with, and TrueHDR doesn’t do anything Photoshop Elements can’t. It works well, but photographers are likely to have the capability already. Ian Evenden Automatic alignment and merging speed up the process, but TrueHDR doesn’t offer anything new.
Completely automatic
Good range of export options
Sluggish at times
Nothing unique here