Programs are grouped by common tasks and sorted alphabetically. Check the HDRI Handbook 2.0 for more detailed reviews. The book also explains the most interesting programs in practical tutorials. The rating on this page, however, is based on popularity. Flip the switch to add your vote (only one flip per day).
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Viewer and Thumbnail Browsers
Thumbnail browser specifically made for HDR images. Supports all standard HDR formats: can create, analyze, calibrate, crop, rotate and resize HDRIs. Also some basic tonemapping capabilities. Downside: Not very fast and rather unstable with large images.
PC, Mac, Linux | Free | semi-active
Windows extension for system-wide support of OpenEXR files, Radiance HDR, and a flurry of RAW formats. they show up as thumbnails in Explorer and every Microsoft program can display these images. This codec pack is essential for working with HDR files in Windows.
PC | $15 | active
The golden oldie! Lightweight viewer for Radiance(.hdr), floating point TIFF(.tif) and (.pfm) files. Launches immediately, and lets you tap through exposures with +/- keys.
PC | Free | stalled
HDR Thumbnail Browser with display mapping capabilites. The only app supporting every single HDR file format. HDR Combination works with absolute luminance calibration, hence suitable for analytical applications.
Mac | Free | semi-active
Excellent everyday thumbnail browser. Can deal with Radiance and OpenEXR files, althoug not perform any display mapping. But it's packed with tons of general-purpose features. Batch-Renaming, Lossless JPEG transformations and the like.
Mac, PC, Linux | Free | semi-active
HDR Utilities and Tonemappers

30% OFF
with codePC, Mac | $55 | active
Not only easy to use, but also extremely powerful. Intuitive interface, excellent ghost reduction, fine-grained toning settings, batch processing, color management, 360 option. It has everything. EasyHDR holds its ground compared to much more expensive programs.
PC, Mac | Home: $39, Commercial: $55 | active

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with codePC | $70 | stalled

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with codeMac, PC | Basic: Free, Advanced: $72 | active

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with codeMac, PC | $79, students: $29 | stalled

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with codeMac, PC | $99 | active

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with codeMac, PC | $150 | active

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with codeMac, PC | $100 | active

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with codeMac, PC | $130 | stalled
The godfather of all HDR utilities. HDR Combination is very dated, and it does tone mapping only via Plugins. But it has a good amount of editing capabilites, that still make it the swiss army knife in HDR. Development on HDRShop has stalled, though.
PC | v1: Free, v2: $400, v3:$199 | stalled

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with codeMac | $60 | active

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with codePC | $149 | active

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with codeMac, PC | free Trial with watermarking, $99 | active
Free HDR utility, making HDR imaging accessible for everyone. Highly configurable HDR merger and superfast tonemapper. Runs HDRShop plugins and performs basic conversion tasks. Includes open-source SDK for aspiring coders...
PC | Free | active
pfsTools is the equivalent to PanoTools in the HDR world: a powerful suite of commandline utilities. And Luminance (formerly called QTpfsGui) is a user interface for pfsTools. Plenty of tonemappers for free, although not much interactive feedback.
Mac, PC, Linux | Free, Open Source | active

30% OFF
by clicking herePC | $118 | active
Remote control software for shooting with a tethered DSLR (or multiples DSLRs). Smartshooter is scriptable and can extremely wide bracketing sequence. Integrates with Picturenaut to immediately generate HDR images.
Mac, PC | $50 | active
Remote control software, only for the Mac + Nikon combo. Sports a gorgeous interface and direct HDR generation after shooting exposure brackets. See an example video.
Mac | Free | semi-active
Paint Packages
Full package, including Thumbnail Browser and Album Generator and everything. Includes plenty of tone-mappers and can apply them all on the fly as display mapping. Really elaborate featureset, although not everything works reliably in HDR mode.
PC | $55 | active
Formerly known as Film Gimp, and recently reborn as (and in) Glasgow. This one had a tough life already, ever since it split from the GIMP family to become a movie star. Features a very comprehensive color management system, and has a complete set of HDR painting tools.
Mac, Linux | free | stalled
Full 32-bit editing and painting capabilities since 2002, in the latest version 7 even with curve adjustments. Based on a unique workflow, where filters and adjustments are painted on. Includes direct HDR capturing from a tethered camera.
PC, Linux | $399 | stalled
The king. Has gained quite some weight over the time. Since CS5 the HDR Layers and HDR paint tools are no longer exclusive to the Extended edition. Tonemapping is surprisingly crappy, but extendible via Plugins. Leader in stability and handling big files.
Mac, PC | Basic $699, Extended $999 | active
Panorama Software

15% OFF
with codeMac, PC, Linux | $146 | active

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with codeMac, PC, Linux | $294 | active

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with codePC, Mac, Linux | $499 | active
Community-driven stitcher, that carries on the tradition of PanoTools in the Open Source domain. Can stitch HDR segments, supports fisheyes and a huge amount of fun pano projections. Soon to step up to a modern one-step workflow from LDR bracketed segments to HDR panorama.
Mac, PC, Linux | Free, Open Source | active and buzzing
Authoring utility for interactive web pano viewers and VR Tours. Also extremely useful as conversion utility between different panoramic formats. Includes a hand patch mode to fix the nadir and works great with OpenEXR images.
Mac, PC, Linux | $88 | active
Leading PanoTools-Frontend, with reliable automatic control point creation and excellent manual tweakability. Fisheye support is a given, and it already sports HDR pano generation directly from the LDR exposure brackets. Even includes a Tonemapping module.
Mac, PC | $203 | active
Plugins
Open Source Tonemapping plugin for After Effects. Includes 9 common tonemapping methods, each parameter can be animated. Fairly slow but very powerful, especially when used in conjunction with After Effect’s excellent built-in color tools and masks.
Mac | free, open source, donations appreciated | active

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with codeMac, PC | $60 | active

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with codeMac, PC | $299 | active and buzzing
Converting panoramic projections couldn't be easier. Great for retouching HDR panos, and with 150 projection you'll have hours of fun warping and bending your image into crazy perspectives. Or how about printing a cutout globe?
Mac, PC | $54 | active
Tonemapping plugin for After Effects and Premiere Pro. Sports all the detail and tone controls you could wish for, and includes a special mode to postprocess HDR footage taken with a Canon5D and the MagicLantern firmware.
Mac, PC | $149 | active
After Effects plugin for rendering rectangular (normal) views from a spherical panorama. Conveniently uses After Effect's built-in 3D camera, works in 32-bit mode, and integrates very seamlessly. CS6 has such Environment maps built in, but Horizon is still faster. (example).
Mac, PC | $99 | active
Cinema4D plugin for generating light rigs from HDRIs. Can also perform complex mass cloning tasks. Fully compatible with Smart IBL, which is just awesome.
Mac, PC | $39 | active
Photoshop plugin for cinematic look development, processing based on an optical light behavior. Vignetting, Selective Blur, Lens Diffusion, Color Curves, Cross Processing — all together that’s 36 tools, all in full 32-bit mode and super quality. Highly recommended.
Mac, PC | $199 | active
Optional plugin issued by Adobe; enables proper Alpha channel support for EXR files in Photoshop. Instead of applying the Alpha channel as pixel transparency, it will load it as channels. Examples here, and an epic discussion about the problem here. This plugin is not needed in CS6.
Mac, PC | free | stalled

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with codeMac, PC | $95 | active

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with codeMac, PC | $306 | active
An advanced curved motion blur filter, typically used in professional car photography and CGI. The Pro version may be pricey, but can also blur HDR images and spherical panos (very useful to get perfect reflections on CGI car models just right).
Mac, PC | $699 | active