HDR Merge Master vs SNS-HDR
HDR Merge Master
github.comSNS-HDR
sns-hdr.comSide by side
| Figure | HDR Merge Master | SNS-HDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | €30/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 5 |
| Spec score · HDR Software | 7.5 (#14) | 7.8 (#8) |
| Maker | The repository owner is Greg Zaal, whose GitHub profile lists South Africa. | The site copyright identifies Sebastian Nibisz as the maker and provides [email protected] as a contact address. |
| Output formats | Merged output can be 32-bit OpenEXR or Radiance HDR, and the app also creates tonemapped JPG previews. | The homepage lists JPEG and TIFF output, and HEIC output on macOS. |
| Purpose | HDR Merge Master uses Blender's compositor to merge exposure brackets in bulk into 32-bit EXR files. | SNS-HDR processes images with HDR techniques, creating HDR images from photo sequences and processing single images. |
Plans
SNS-HDR
- SNS-HDR Home€30 a month
- SNS-HDR Professional€85 a month
- SNS-HDR LiteFree
- SNS-HDR Home€30, paid once
- SNS-HDR Professional€85, paid once
In their own words
HDR Merge Master
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.
SNS-HDR
SNS-HDR processes photo sequences into HDR images and can also process single images. It reads JPEG, TIFF, RAW files including DNG, OpenEXR, and Radiance HDR. For sequences, it can align source exposures and reduce ghosting and chromatic aberration. Editing tools include masks, presets, project saving and restoration, and batch processing; the software also supports 360° panorama processing. Its controls and presets are intended to produce natural-looking results. Listed outputs include JPEG, TIFF, TIFF-8, TIFF-16, SNSX, HEIC, and HEIC-10, with HEIC output available on macOS. It runs on Windows and macOS, requiring Windows 10 64-bit or newer, or macOS 14 or newer on Apple Silicon. It integrates with Adobe Lightroom Classic as a plug-in or external editor, but not cloud-based Lightroom. SNS-HDR Lite is freeware with a commercial license. Home costs €30 a month for a non-commercial license; Professional costs €85 a month for a commercial license. The Home Lightroom plug-in handles one series at a time, while Professional adds series splitting and quiet mode; batch processing is a Pro feature. A Pro demo is available to try before purchase.