#AURORA HDR 2018 BACK TO LIGHTROOM SOFTWARE#
#AURORA HDR 2018 BACK TO LIGHTROOM MAC#

The program also has the layer capability so different parts of the image can worked on with different sections. The program has the capability of being used as a plugin in Photoshop which is how this image was created. This is an image I felt could not be used but this program brought it back to life. The detail this program pulled out of just one image was incredible. The image below was also a single RAW image taken at the Argyll Lodging in Sterling, Scotland. Below is a video done show how I created a simple RAW image in Aurora HDR 2018 – the final image below shows what was done once it was taken into Photoshop and a Red Channel Luminosity Curves Adjustment Layer, a Black and White Adjustment Layer set to Luminosity blend mode at 47% layer opacity – both improved contrast in the image – and a layer that ran Luminar 2018 using the Orton Effect and another Image Radiance filter.

#AURORA HDR 2018 BACK TO LIGHTROOM SOFTWARE#

One of the reasons I really like this software is its ability to process just one RAW image and give fantastic results. It also has Dodge and Burn capability and Vignettes can be created where a slider lets you lighten the middle. There are lots of other filters, like the Image Radiance, Polarizing filter to help with over-blue skies, Glow, and Top & Bottom Tuning which is really a Graduated Neutral Density Filter. It works in concert with the HDR Enhance slider. The HDR Structure section contains the other important sliders which could give you that overdone HDR look. It can be seen above how the shadows under the pier are opened up just a bit. There is also a slider called Smart Tones – it does not work on all images, but on some it does a great job of lightening the shadow areas and leaving the highlights alone.

Aurora says this slider increases detail and texture without adding it to water or sky. The HDR Enhancer slider made almost every image opened pop a little. First is the HDR Basic section which is very similar to Lightroom’s (ACR) Basic Panel, except for a couple sliders.

The top filters have more to do with the actual HDR effects. Many of the lower listed filters are the same as those in Luminar. To use this program, just started at the top of the right-hand column of filters and went down the list. In this case the image was mainly processed in the stand-alone program, and with a little finishing up in Photoshop (like my signature and stroke border). I could not get over how the water looks exactly as I remember it – major clear with this yellowy sand base and it was major sunny. The image above is a 5-bracketed image, hand-held, from Spanish Cay in the Outer Banks of the Bahamas – one of the most beautiful, yet desolate places I have ever seen. It does not seem to affect the overall results of your images.

#AURORA HDR 2018 BACK TO LIGHTROOM MAC#

Well it is definitely an excellent HDR editor! Skylum sure has a special way of creating software! And I am really loving this plug-in! It is lacking many details in the interface for us Windows users right now but I am once again under the impression this program will eventually get caught up to match the Mac version. This is another release by Skylum (previously Macphun) for Windows, the same group who brought us Luminar 2018 (also at above link). I seem to be on an HDR quest so this week I took the time to try out Aurora HDR 2018 (for website link, see sidebar at my Tidbits Blog).

Aurora hdr 2018 back to lightroom