HDR-Merge vs Luminance HDR

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.

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.