MACPHUN AURORA HDR 2018
Is this software a must-have, or is it way too powerful to produce realistic shots?
On paper, High Dynamic Range can improve the contrast and detail in your photography to create largerthan-life, cinematic versions of your existing shots. Despite this though, HDR has a very mixed reputation among photographers, many of whom prefer more natural, less caricaturist approaches to their shots.
Aurora HDR 2018 is a program that aims not only to please those who enjoy HDR, but tries to win over those who remain unconvinced by the technique. Macphun is a company that specialises in control when it comes to editing – its Creative Kit pack of apps focuses on just about every editing tool you could think of – so while you can really dial up the intensity in Aurora, Macphun has also catered to naturalness too. Take the new Tone Mapping feature; it reduces noise and creates more realistic-looking finishes with natural results.
Aurora is, for the first time, available on Windows, but that’s not all that’s new to the party. The Dodge and Burn and HDR Enhance filters can help improve clarity, but these are disciplined tools capable of subtle edits. The RAW handling is significantly quicker than the 2017 version and the Lens Correction feature is a welcome addition. This is easily the most complete version of Aurora, with many niggles from previous years ironed out.
If you love HDR, you’ll love Aurora, but it’s worth giving a chance even if you don’t. This is a powerful program packed with some exciting features, but that doesn’t mean it can’t handle subtlety.
SRP: $99 ($59 for existing Aurora users) OS: Windows 7 or later, OS X 10.11.5 or later