Aperture & HDR & Photostitching

Hi
I use Aperture, and am quite keen to get into HDR & stitching photo's for Panoramic shots. I know that there is the Hydra plug-in for Aperture, I have downloaded the trial version, its not bad but seems basic.
I have read about PTGui & Autopano Pro and was wondering if anyone already using these applications, or any other dedicated software would care to comment on what they are like, or any other brand for that matter...
Also do the above applications interact with Aperture, and is it possible to edit with them, from within Aperture.
Any comments would be appreciated and helpful...
Thanks..... W

I'm currently using Autopan Pro, and Photoshop for creating pans. I find them both to be excellent, with a slight edge to Photoshop for alignment and ghosting. I also use Photomatix Pro and Photoshop for HDR. My experiments give Photoshop an edge once again for alignment and ghosting, but control of the HDR image is almost non-existent. Also, tonemapping is a manual process, and I'm not smart enough to deal with it. Therefore, unless there are major problems with movement during bracketing, I use Photomatix Pro most of the time. If I create the HDR with Photoshop, I save it as an open exr file and tonemap in Photomatix Pro. There is an excellent tutorial on HDR at http://stuckincustoms.com/2006/06/06/548/. Take a look, the author uses multiple applications in the creation of his final picture example.
I am currently researching how well Aperture fits in the HDR workflow since it seems to pack all image files into its own filesystem or library where the individual files lose their identity and accessibility through the Mac filesystem. I don't know this to necessarily be true, but right now I believe it to be. If so, I believe it rules-out Aperture for me. There are many things I like about it, but I need to be able to easily bounce image files around to many different applications and the Aperture interface/filesystem seems to make the task too cumbersome. Also, from reading this forum I believe that when you import RAW files into Aperture they are automatically manipulated. Something I need to understand more about also.
I hope this helps.
Hal

Similar Messages

Aperture HDR presets?

I could have titled this a number of ways

I could have titled this a number of ways: "Where is Aperture 4?"; "Will Adobe force LR into the cloud as well?"; but when it comes down to it this is kind of what I want to know - does anyone have / know of any good presets for Aperture that recreate the HDR look without doing HDR? I've got the Nik plug-ins so I can do real HDR whenever I want, but sometimes I just want to add some oomph to a photo and I've found in LR4 that it can be done with some presets - in particular some I got from Trey Ratcliffe (the HDR king) who sometimes just tweaks a photos with his HDR-like presets in LR4.
I've looked on the web but apart from www.aperture-presets.org which costs a whopping $35 for a set of 10 presets I can't see any that might do the business. So, can anyone enlighten me please? Am I being slow, web-blind or is it one of the limitations of Aperture 3 that it can't recreate what LR4 can do in it's develop module?
Thanks all, James

Aperture constantly crashing - esp. with HDR Efex Pro

I'm running Aperture 3.1.1 and OS 10.6.6. I've deleted the Aperture prefs, rebuilt the photo library, reinstalled Aperture, reinstalled OS 10.6.6, run all of the tests and repairs in Disk Utility and Onyx, and Aperture still crashes at frequent intervals whenever I'm editing - usually when painting something in or out with brushes. By far the most consistent crash is whenever I try to edit a photo with the HDR Efex Pro plug-in. I also get the spinning ball a lot, at fairly random intervals. The funny thing is that the HDR Efex Pro plug-in seems to work fine if I open Aperture in another user account although unfortunately my photo library is in my standard account and I'm reluctant to relocate it just to get a working version of Aperture. I've done everything suggested in Nik's FAQs (eg. deleting duplicate fonts), but nothing works. The Nik people have said I have a corruption in my user file which is beyond the scope of their support. I'm running a 24" 2.8GHz iMac with 4GB of RAM and about 20GB of free hard disk space. Aperture hasn't encountered many problems before recently, so my setup seems to have enough power. I have about 15,000 photos in the library (after importing my iPhoto library recently - by reference only) and the Aperture library is about 140Gb in size. If anyone has any suggestions for a fix, I'd be very grateful as I've run out of ideas. Thanks

Hi, I am no expert in Aperture 3 However just like you I had many issues and crashes of A3. My system is almost identical to yours and my A3 problems were the same as you. Like you, I tried all the fixes but still no luck. Yesterday, I went into my A3 Pref's / Previews & I changed the setting for "share with ilife and iwork" to never.
I haven't had a problem since but only time will tell if this is a total fix.
Good luck,
Art

Tiffs Created by Photomatix HDR Plug-in in Aperture cannot be opened due to Unrecognized Format error

Can anyone help or advise ? Photomatix say that the problem is a generic problem with Aperture when it cannot handle a file. After one makes a HDR photo from say five photos and one saves it successfully as a TIFF (the default for the program) one cannot open it or see a preview as it is blacked out with the horrible Unrecognized Format Icon. Solutions or similar experiences please ???

There might be a work-around posted here:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/24023826#24023826

How can I save an HDR image from CS5 back to aperture as a tiff

I cant seem to get the hdr image to save back to aperture from CS5 . The save as box keeps coming up .

I am exporting 3 raw images to PS CS5 , merging in ps hdr pro ( mode 16 BIT , local adaptation ), then doing all the HDR adjustments. When adjustments are done in HDR PRO I click o.k. & it goes back to PS where I do more editing. When I try to save from here , I can not save back to aperture. I have to use save as & save to desk top & then drag bacxk in to aperture

Can Aperture do Panoramas and HDR ?

Hi
I Would like to buy Aperture, however I can nowhere find relevant information considering wheter Aperture relly can stich photography together to create a panorama. or HDR. I found it to be the very basic of function in photography editing software, yet iPhoto canot do them so if Aperture is to be "professional aplication" I think that it ought to do this.

No, Aperture does not support HDR or panorama stitching.
Aperture does different things - develope and enhance (raw) images to perfection and organize your photo library for efficient storage and easy retrieval of your photos.
For graphics compositing - layers, panoramo stitching - you can extend the functionalilty by installing one of the many plug-ins that are available, or set up other tools as external editors.
I use Panorama Maker for panorama stitching, but you may want to check out the free
Hugin.
-- Léonie

Making an HDR document Aperture-Photoshop workflow experiment, any takers?

Howdy, Fellow Photographers
I tried this recently but failed and I'm trying to figure it out.
So, is anyone interested in a 32-bit HDR test using Aperture and Photoshop CS2? I think this feature is revolutionary in Photoshop CS2 and hope Aperture will have something like it in a future update/upgrade.
The takers will have to have Aperture (duh) and Photoshop CS2 (duh).
1. Take an image in Aperture.
2. Make about 8 versions of the image.
3. Make 4 that are incrementally over-exposed,
4. Now make 4 that are incrementally under-exposed.
To achieve this:
Make 8 identical Versions.
Select each image (version) and open the Adjustments Inspector , select Exposure and click up into the + range and then select the next image and do the same but up a notch to a higher over-exposed level, continue this until each image is slightly over-exposed from the previous image.
Now select the next 4 and under-expose them into the - range using the same methodology as described above.
At the end you'll have 8 images (versions) that have a wide exposure value. Utilizing the same Master image with different versions having individually different exposure values. Some very dark to some very light.
Export each version as a "PSD - Original Size (16-bit)" file and "Include Metadata" checked into a folder on your Desktop or other hard drive.
(According to this Apple document
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302943
the only way to export and maintain the EXIF metadata the version has to be PSD and not a TIFF.)
In order for this to work Photoshop has to see and recognize the EXIF data. Open Photoshop CS2 and make a new HDR document, browse Photoshop to the folder with the images from Aperture. Make the new 32-bit HDR document.
Did Photoshop make a new 32 bit HDR document?
Let me know if this worked for you.
Many thanks
love & peace,
victor

Good Morning,
Thank you, joshua, Denny, jrg_uk and Ian
Yes, me too, I was getting the same error message about not having enough dynamic range or as you say joshua it sees the same EXIF settings for all of the shots.
Nevertheless, what I want to do is bracket the exposure levels (f-stop/aperture) and leave the shutter speed alone the way it is done with a camera and tripod but instead do the bracketing within Aperture (the application) and then send the photos (Versions) to the HDR feature in Photoshop CS2.
Thank you for your help!
Back to the drawing board...
love & peace,
victor

32 bit HDR from CS5 not opening in Aperture 3

Hello All,
I shoot in RAW and utilize Aperture 3 to do basic edits and archive my photos. When utilizing HDR, I first import to Aperture and then open the raw files in CS5 as PSD files. After running them through HDR Pro and getting either a PSD or TIFF file I then try to import the product back to Aperture 3 where it will not open properly. It is displayed as either a grey thumbnail or what looks like a noisy television screen. I have no clue what is causing this. When I run the PSD files through HDR Pro as 16 bit I have no problem importing it back to Aperture 3. Aperture is currently running in 64 bit mode on my computer. Hope there is something simple I'm overlooking. Thanks in advance!
-Adam

Jim, the point where the file becomes 32bit is not on export from LR, but once you're in the "Merge to HDR Pro" tool inside of PS. Your LR prefs are fine.
When all the images are open and merged, and you're looking at the HDR tool inside of PS, look for the dropdown menu called "Mode" on the upper right. Pull this down and set it to 32bit. All of your tone-mapping tools will vanish, but this is simply because a 32bit file doesn't need to be re-mapped -- it contains all the data anyway. You'll be able to perform all the edits you need back in LR, which will treat this 32bit file somewhat like a real RAW file.
Here's the part where Victoria's advice kicks in. You have to save the resulting file as a 32bit TIFF, or LR won't read it. My computer automatically makes it a TIFF anyway, so it should be pretty easy from here.

Improve HDR images in Aperture

Hi,
I've recently been trying HDR photography, and so far the results have been pretty poor. I'm currently using the Photomatix HDR Tone Mapping plug-in for Aperture 2.0.
Every time I produce an image, they come out very cartoony, and not at all like the beautiful landscaped examples you see on the net. I've also had a bash with Photoshop's HDR tool, with similar unsatisfactory results.
Can anyone give me some thoughts as to where I may be going wrong? Is there a limitation to this particular plug-in? Or is there a problem with my technique. (At present I'm only using 3 exposures. Would going to 7 produce more natural looking final images)?
So far, I've found that shooting raw and adjusting highs and lows carefully is producing better results than HDR for me.
I have a job coming up which is for a bar in a skyscraper and I want to produce some really spectacular shots, with good range in the interior and exterior areas.
Any help or thoughts would be fantastic.
Thank you.
Richard

Most times when HDR images come out cartoonish the fault is in trying to do to much. The results are usually better if the HDR effect is kept to a minimum.
Another thing to keep in mind is that not all scenes lend themselves to an HDR interpertation. And the correct exposure series can have a huge effect on the final result. While the software will make creating an HDR image easy the final result, as you are finding out, is still in the hands of the photographer.
You might also want to chack out NIK Software's HDR plug-in. They have a free trial. They also have a number of free online seminars and instructional videos. See Nik Software

Can I perform masking & layers for HDR image in Aperture 2 _RAW images

Hello
I own Aperture 2.
Can I do post processing such as masking & layers like one do to to create HDR image.
If so...
I generally take in RAW format. In Photoshop or Photomatix the HDR post processing is done in JPG. [I do not own Photoshop or Photomatix]. Do I have to save it as JPG or take my photos in JPG to get the above done in Aperture 2?
Will Aperture 2 handle JPG to create HDR image?
Regards

yo,
i only very recently paid for photomatix (pmx) and started to use it....... i like it
eish, paid $129 from their website.......... see it (essentials?) is 29$ from app store
"real" hdr multiple exposures are possible with pmx as well as single image "tone mapped" files
aperture 2 or 3 do not offer hdr post processing, i think, photoshop *** compared to pmx (more tweaking possible)
if you use pmx one can use raw or jpg files, i do not think it makes a difference to the outcome
i use it as a stand alone app, BUT i think it could be used as a plug in... why bother?
one can save pmx files as tiff or jpg
you decide
let me know
ps- do not destroy the original files!, it's easy enough to re-convert them to hdr/anything again later
pps- you can download pmx as a try out for free, but they post a watermark on the final result, it's worth the experiment, at least you know what you are dealing with.... (available from their website), but it looks like the app store option is cool!... check out both

HT1338 I purchased Aperture, downloaded plug in HDR Fex Pro, and upgraded to Lion and when I use the plug in it crashes Aperture

I purchased Aperture then downloaded a trial plug in HDR Fex Pro, it worked fine that I upgraded to the Lion Operating system and now when I use the plug in it crashes the Aperture??? Please help

You don't need a Help line!
OS 10.6 Snow Leopard is once again available for $19.99 from the Apple Store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
and in the UK:
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

Aperture 2, scripting and "HDR"

Good morning,
Unfortunately, I am not aware of an HDR plug-in for Aperture, and creating HDR photos is a bit of a hassle. I've been thinking about ways to make it a little easier. In this context, I recently read that one of the nice improvements of Aperture 2 is that it is scriptable. I have zero experience with scripting, but I am wondering whether the following would be possible:
- Take a photo in Aperture, after it has been color-corrected, cropped etc. and make two new version of this photo, one with exposure set to +1 and one with exposure set to -1,
- export all three into a folder,
- delete the two version with exposures +1/-1.
So essentially the idea is to export three different versions of a photo. These can then be used to generate an "HDR" picture (not a real HDR, since it would be based on a single photo, but for most purposes it would do). Right now I am doing this manually, but ideally, generating and exporting different versions would be done with a single click of a mouse or keyboard shortcut.
Has anyone ever written such a script, or something similar (that I could take as starting point)?
Many thanks,
PM

PMaier wrote:
I recently read that one of the nice improvements of Aperture 2 is that it is scriptable.
Aperture has always been scriptable. It's just that each version adds a few more scriptable features...
- Take a photo in Aperture, after it has been color-corrected, cropped etc. and make two new version of this photo, one with exposure set to +1 and one with exposure set to -1,
- export all three into a folder,
- delete the two version with exposures +1/-1.
Adjustments are one of the bits which aren't scriptable. Creating and deleting Versions isn't too easy, either.
So essentially the idea is to export three different versions of a photo. These can then be used to generate an "HDR" picture (not a real HDR, since it would be based on a single photo, but for most purposes it would do). Right now I am doing this manually, but ideally, generating and exporting different versions would be done with a single click of a mouse or keyboard shortcut.
To be honest, you won't get a lot out of this approach that you couldn't get from careful use of the Highlights & Shadows and levels adjustments. I know, I've been doing 'medium' DR imaging for 4-5 years now.
Ian

My Aperture Keeps Crashing on Importing Photos and when Using Nik software HDR Pro

My Aperture has been Crashing everytime I import any Photos from Camera and when Using Nikk Software HDR Effects Pro...Sort This Out Please!

The exact steps I am taking are:
1. Start Aperture...wait till it loads and then connect USB to Nikon D300... Go to import...name project or image info.
2. Click Import all Selected and then Aperture comes up with Crash notification.
3. Send Error Report to Apple.
4. I have tried Belkin Card Reader...does the same.
5. I have used this Camera multiple times...and also a Nkon D7000 without any issues.
6. Both Cameras use Sandisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards...one uses Compact Flash and the other uses twin SD Cards.
7. I installed Nik Softwares HDR Effects...haven't been able to run it successfully as yet.
8. Nik Software support sent me details on Duplicate Arial Fonts...removed them as well.
9. I am running a NEW model iMac with i7 3.4Ghz with 16GB Memory with 256GB SSD... With a 2TB Internal Secondary Drive as well.Running OSX Lion 10.7 and I constantly check for and do all Updates as notified......is absolutely Frustrating.....just need to find a Solution.

I use Nik soft ware plugins the HDR Efex Pro2 when i save the photo to aperture i have to close aperture and reopen it befor i can view the photo works fine after that

I use Nik soft ware plugins the HDR Efex Pro2 when i save the photo to aperture i have to close aperture and reopen it befor i can view the photo works fine after that. Any help would be great thanks

I have the same problem with NIK Color Efex Pro 4

Does Aperture 3 include a merge HDR editing tool?

Does Apeeture 3 include a "merge HDR editig" tool?

No, it does not. Aperture's adjustments are to make individual photographs as good as possible. Combining photographs in any way (compositing) must be done with an external editor. Many use Aperture to group, stack, prepare, and export shots for HDR (and focus stacking, etc.), and then import the resulting file into Aperture and place it with the Stack. In this way you save your source material as well as your result, and you can use Aperture to administer (and prepare for publication) your HDR picture.

Aperture & HDR & Photostitching

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for