HDR-Merge vs HDR Merge Master

HDR-Merge is a web platform for AI HDR photo enhancement and 360° stitching. It detects exposure sets, combines bracketed images, and applies tone mapping automatically. Each HDR merge accepts three to nine exposures, and the service supports both RAW and JPEG files. Optional AI processing adjusts color, contrast, and detail. HDR images can be stitched into 360° panoramas in the cloud. HDR-Merge also describes bulk processing for hundreds of bracketed sets, with batches of 1,000 or more images. The browser-based service requires no installation or GPU and works on any device with a browser. AI-enhanced outputs are listed at 4K or 2K. Plans start at $27 a month, with no free plan but a free trial. Starter includes 150 credits monthly; Pro includes 400 and bulk processing; Agency includes 1,800, unlimited bulk processing, and 24/7 phone and email support.

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.