Exposure Blending in Photoshop or HDR Software?

There’s no doubt that technology has evolved a lot during the last years. The quality of cameras have improved drastically, new softwares have entered the market and new techniques are constantly being developed. The term HDR is at times frowned upon and it’s been characterized by over-saturated images.

What many tend to forget is that HDR is more than just over-saturated images processed in a software such as Photomatix. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range which in simple words mean that an image has rich details in both the highlights and shadows.

Recommended Reading: Photography Terms and Expressions Every Beginner Should Know

HDR Softwares Dead
This is not considered a typical HDR even though it consists of more than one image

As technology continues to evolve we are gradually introduced to new techniques of processing our images. A popular technique among many photographers is exposure blending in Photoshop, which in many ways is similar to blending images in an HDR software.

7 Reasons Why Exposure Blending is More Important than HDR

Jimmy McIntyre asks in a recent video the simple but important question: are HDR softwares dead?

HDR isn’t what it once was. Retaining high quality in your image was nearly impossible with traditional HDR software but this has changed. Exposure blending in Adobe Photoshop is the new and improved method of blending images but unlike many other softwares, you’ll still keep the high quality of an image.

In this video, Jimmy gives 7 reasons why exposure blending in Photoshop is superior to HDR software. The video also explains shares some simple ways on how you can blend multiple images for better dynamic range.

Jimmy is also the creator of the Raya Pro Panel. I’ve been using the panel since its release and it’s been a great way of being more efficient with my post processing. You can find my review of the panel here.