AKVIS HDRFactory vs Luminance HDR

AKVIS HDRFactory is paid HDR software for Windows, macOS and Linux. It provides both listed HDR merge modes, multiple tone-mapping controls, RAW-file support and batch processing for groups of images. Finished HDR images can be saved as TIFF, BMP, JPEG, WEBP or PNG files. The product has no free plan but includes a 10-day trial. Home Plugin and Home Standalone each cost $69 as a one-time purchase for a lifetime license covering two computers and non-commercial use. Home Deluxe costs $99, paid once with the same lifetime, two-computer and non-commercial terms. Business costs $154, paid once for a lifetime license covering two computers, with commercial use allowed. AKVIS was founded in 2004. The editions differ by format, feature grouping and permitted use, while every listed plan specifies the same computer count and lifetime term.

Luminance HDR is a graphical application for creating and editing high dynamic range images on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It can merge JPEG, TIFF, or RAW photos of the same scene taken at different exposures. Supported HDR formats include OpenEXR, Radiance RGBE, 16-bit and 32-bit TIFF, RAW, and PFS; it also handles JPEG, PNG, PPM, PBM, TIFF, and FITS.

The workflow includes loading and saving HDR files, rotation, resizing, tone mapping, projective transformations, and copying EXIF data between image sets. RAW processing uses the LibRAW library. Other listed features include multiple tone-mapping operators, batch HDR merging, batch tone mapping, a command-line interface, and color management. The software is free and distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. Prebuilt installation options are documented for all three desktop platforms. Building from source can require dependencies including Qt5, Exiv2, Little CMS, and LibRaw.