So what is HDR (High Dynamic Range)?

Put simply it allows you to create images that are more like what the human eye may see. To create HDR images you need to take multiple exposures (over exposed, correctly exposed, under exposed) and combine the images, or take a RAW image and extract the additional shadow and highlight detail from the file.

To do this you will need some HDR or Tone Mapping software and there’s no better software than free software!

FDRTools Basic

• Combine several differently exposed photos of an exposure series into an HDR image
• Prepare your HDR images for display or print with high quality tonal range compression (tone mapping)
• Import the RAW images of your digital camera
• Export and archive the optimised HDR image in a format of your choice

Photomatix Basic

• Automatically blend two differently exposed photos, combine multiple exposures into HDR, and tone map HDR images with a simple tone mapping method.

easyHDR Basic

• EasyHDR is an image processing software that produces high dynamic range (HDR) images from normal, 24-bit, photos taken with a typical digital camera. EasyHDR blends a sequence of photos taken at different exposure times and applies tone mapping in order to create the result. No more overexposed or underexposed photos. With easyHDR you can create images with dynamic range of human vision or even greater.

Qtpfsgui

• Qtpfsgui is a graphical user interface that aims to provide a workflow for HDR imaging. Supported features: Create an HDR file from a set of images (formats: JPEG, TIFF 8bit and 16bit, RAW) of the same scene taken at different exposure setting, Save and load HDR images, Rotate and resize HDR images. Tonemap HDR images.