HDR Merge Master vs Photomatix Pro

HDR Merge Master is a free, GPL-3.0 open-source tool that uses Blender’s compositor to combine exposure brackets in batches. It outputs 32-bit OpenEXR or Radiance HDR files and creates tonemapped JPG previews alongside them. Multiple input folders can be added, with optional recursive subfolder processing and JSON batch import or export. Alignment choices include none, Hugin pre-alignment, and MTB alignment, depending on Blender version and mode. A headless command-line mode supports folder processing, JSON input, alignment, thread settings, and cleanup. Camera RAW processing requires RawTherapee, with adjacent PP3 profiles applied automatically. Documented workflows include Blender, RawTherapee, Hugin, Luminance HDR, and PTGui; a script can replace JPG paths with EXR paths in PTGui PTS projects. Blender 4.5 LTS and 5.1 LTS are actively tested, while older versions use a reduced-feature legacy script. The tool does not remove ghosting, so a steady tripod is advised.

Photomatix Pro combines bracketed photos into HDR images, bringing out detail in both dark and bright areas. Version 7 offers six HDR methods, including Tone Mapping and Fusion, with advanced tone-mapping controls. Automatic alignment handles hand-held shots, and ghost-removal tools address movement between frames. Batch processing includes previews; presets and tools are also provided for real estate photography. Lightroom and Capture One plugins let users process photos and return the HDR image to those applications. The trial has no time limit, but trial-mode images carry a watermark. Photomatix Pro 7 costs $99, paid once; its license is a one-time purchase for one user and does not expire. The Pro Plus Bundle costs $129, paid once. PhotomatixCL offers command-line merging, processing, alignment, ghost removal, and JPG, TIFF, or EXR output; its free plan includes 100 credits per month. Photomatix Pro is listed for Windows and macOS, while the CLI runs on Linux and Windows.