Easily create HDR images,
i.e. images which are closer to what your eyes actually see
Hydra is about mixing a number of under- and overexposed shots to get a natural sight of a scene. It provides human eye-like perception to your photographs by allowing you to create high dynamic range (HDR) images from a series of regular photographs, either from DSLRs or traditional point-and-shoot cameras.
Want to see some HDR examples made with Hydra? Have a look at this page.
No Tripod — Theory of Operation
Hydra uses a number of regular photographs (up to ten) with different exposures (darker and lighter) to create a superior one which is much closer to what one's eye actually sees. This is because a single photograph cannot represent the full gamut of light because of physical limitations in the sensor. This process is also known as a high dynamic range, or HDR, imaging. See the screencast tutorials for more information on how to acquire such images with your camera.
First image is burnt (sky), second under-exposed (buildings). Their combination is fine.
The output produced by Hydra is much closer to what your eye actually sees. You don't have to choose whether to have a beautiful sky or buildings, take 2 photos (or more) with perfect parameters for each of them, and then combine them with Hydra.
The images that Hydra uses are not required to be taken with a tripod, as it is usually the case with HDR software. Hydra uses the same warping algorithm as Morph Age, which permits the alignment of images with offsets above a few pixels. This is a unique feature that means you can take photos anywhere without a tripod to later merge them in Hydra. This will change your way of making HDRs.
Only with Hydra: Aperture Plug-in
Hydra talks with Aperture. You can directly import images from Aperture, or export them to Aperture (and the same for iPhoto of course).
But there's more. Hydra is the only HDR application which is also available as an Aperture Plug-In. You can now create HDR images right from within Aperture.
But there's more. Hydra is the only HDR application which is also available as an Aperture Plug-In. You can now create HDR images right from within Aperture.
Improved and Blazingly Fast Image Processing Pipeline
Hydra uses an advanced image processing pipeline that first aligns the imported images and then merges them in a smart way to preserve the interesting inputs of each image. This method has been entirely implemented on the GPU to provide interactive previewing. This allows you to finely tune all parameters (matching, merging) in real-time while observing the changing result until you are satisfied, and then render the full resolution image (resolutions above 20 Mega Pixels supported) in less than a minute.
1st Step: Importing Images
Hydra supports any image file formats: JPG, TIFF, PEF, DNG and RAW. Hydra internally converts the imported images to a high quality 32-bit representation.A full list of supported cameras can be found there.
If your camera is not supported, you can use DNG Converter from Adobe, Inc., which will convert your images to the digital negative format that can then be imported into Hydra.
If your camera is not supported, you can use DNG Converter from Adobe, Inc., which will convert your images to the digital negative format that can then be imported into Hydra.
2nd Step: Aligning Images
Image matching (or alignment) consists of identifying corresponding points in each image.
This can be performed either automatically by Hydra, or manually to accurately specify these correspondences with visual feedback on full-resolution images.
This can be performed either automatically by Hydra, or manually to accurately specify these correspondences with visual feedback on full-resolution images.
New in version 2.0: Homography alignment method
Next to the free form alignment method (a.k.a. unconstrained warping), a new alignment method is now available in Hydra 2.0: the homography alignment method.It does a very good job for little distortions. When you move a reference point, it warps the whole image. You can already have very good results with only 4 reference points.
New in version 2.0: Loupe Tool
The loupe enables you to see full quality (1:1 zoom) details as they will appear in the rendered image. When changing settings in the Info panel, the loupe will typically recompute its content in the background.
When you are aligning points, you can also navigate in the image and quickly show the point location in the loupe by double clicking the point in the document window or in the Alignment panel.
3rd Step: Merging Images
Hydra preserves the interesting inputs of each image and merging is easily achieved through an automated process. However, you can acces merging parameters so that you can tune the desired output, by changing the overal influence of individual images, soft or hard transitions, as well as other mixing coefficients.
Let Hydra do it, or tune it yourself with full control. You choose.
Let Hydra do it, or tune it yourself with full control. You choose.
New in version 2.0: Perceptive Tone Mapper
To see something that looks like what human eyes see, you have to use Tone Mapping. It converts a 32-bit image to 8-bit per component JPG or TIFF. You should use Tone Mapping to put your photos on the web, send them by mail, or print them.3 Tone Mapping techniques are now available in Hydra 2.0: Highlights Compression, Local Adaptation and Perceptive.
Perceptive is the Tone Mapping technique used by default in Hydra 2.0. It will mimic human perception. This tone mapper typically gives the most interesting results even if it takes more time to compute an image.
New in version 2.0: More Pro Options
Last but not least, Hydra 2.0 introduces many new pro options for people who want to tune import, alignment and merging parameters. Thanks to these pro options, you can preprocess and postprocess your photographs and get the result you are looking for.Elegant and Intuitive User Experience
Drag and drop your photos in the main window, adjust matching, merging. Screen cluttered? Move to fullscreen. Hydra was built with that streamlined process in mind from the ground up.
Definitely Mac, iLife friendly
Import images directly from iPhoto, build an HDR, and re-export it directly to your photo repository in iPhoto and do as you usually do to share with family, friends through mail, prints or any other means. Hydra is part of the chain.
Leopard and Snow Leopard only
Hydra uses the latest core technologies provided in Leopard: Core Animation, the latest enhancements in OpenGL, CoreImage and Quartz Composer, parallelized image importing on multi-core architecture, QuickLook, etc. It will put your Mac through its paces, for sure.
New with Snow Leopard! 64-bit Support
Have you already upgraded to Snow Leopard? If you did, you are going to see a big difference. Hydra is the only HDR application for the Mac currently supporting 64-bit architectures. Here is an example of what it actually means for Hydra's users: when using the graphic card, rendering an HDR image under 64-bit Snow Leopard is up to 2.5 times faster than under 32-bit Leopard.Download Hydra and judge by yourself.
