When I start the Aperture plug-in, I get the message that I am still in demo mode. However, I have already registered Hydra.
Hydra keeps asking me to connect to the Internet in order to register. I checked my connection several times. What am I doing wrong?
Entering the registration code did not activate Hydra. I tried downloading a fresh copy, but this did not help. When I restart I get the message that Hydra is not registered.
What is the difference between the demo version and the registered version?
I installed Hydra's update but I still have the Aperture plug-in's former version. Whay should I do?
There is a ghost-like effect around contours in the output.
Why are reference points moving so slowly?
What exactly is the difference between 8-bit Blending and HDR Merging?
It seems that Hydra does not recognize my files. What can I do?
What exactly is affected when you move the sliders A, B and C in 8-bit Blending?
I can't import images from Aperture into Hydra because the Aperture icon is faded.
I processed 3 files to HDR successfully. On my second try, I tried 5 images and got only a black, blank image in Hydra. What might be the problem?
All the images created with Hydra look much darker and less saturated when viewed in Windows or even in Firefox or Opera on a Mac.
How can I get a .jpeg or a .Tiff file at the completion of a picture instead of .hydra?

When I start the Aperture plug-in, I get the message that I am still in demo mode. However, I have already registered Hydra.

You have to register Hydra as a stand-alone application and as a plug-in for Aperture. You have already registered the stand-alone application properly but you still need to register Hydra as a plug-in for Aperture. Here is how to do it:

1. Open Aperture.
2. Open the plug-in window by clicking right and choosing Edit with Hydra HDR Processing.
3. There's a message about the application not being registered. Click OK.
4. Click the button left to Cancel (in the bottom right corner of the window).
5. Click Register...
6. Copy and paste your license key (the same as for the stand-alone application).

Hydra keeps asking me to connect to the Internet in order to register. I checked my connection several times. What am I doing wrong?

This usually occurs when you type something wrong in the license key (e.g. problem with the case, missing number or letter or a blank too much). Try again to copy and paste your license key because it is case sensitive.

Entering the registration code did not activate Hydra. I tried downloading a fresh copy, but this did not help. When I restart I get the message that Hydra is not registered.

Please try again. As the registration code is case sensitive, it is usually better to copy/paste it. Please be careful not to enter leading or trailing spaces.

What is the difference between the demo version and the registered version?

Only one little thing: "Unregistered copy" is written in white on the output image made with the demo version.
We don't want you to buy a pig in a poke. That's why the demo version enables you to try the application before actually buying it.
Moreover, there's neither use limit nor time limit for trying the demo version.

I installed Hydra's update but I still have the Aperture plug-in's former version. Whay should I do?

Hydra's stand-alone version automatically warns you when an update is available for download. It is however not possible in the Aperture plug-in.
What you should do is to download and install Hydra's latest version you find on our website. By doing so, your plug-in will be up to date.

There is a ghost-like effect around contours in the output.

This usually happens for 2 reasons:

• The objects or people moved between the shots.
  It is a limitation of the HDR process. The image content should be the same between shots. You can improve this by using a camera with bracketing, as this allows to reduce time between shots.


• One shot is blurry, the others are not.
  This typically occurs for the brightest image (longer exposure time). Increasing ISO and/or aperture settings will make shorter exposure time, and will therefore reduce motion blur.

Why are reference points moving so slowly?

Your Mac is probably not powerful enough for the current preview quality in Hydra. Go to the Preferences window and decrease that setting in order to better match the computing capacity of your Mac.

What exactly is the difference between 8-bit Blending and HDR Merging?

8-bit Blending takes 8-bit jpegs as input and outputs an 8-bit image.
HDR Merging takes 8- or 16-bit images (RAW) and builds a 32-bit image. From that HDR image, you can output a 32-bit Open EXR or a 8-bit tone mapped image (JPG or TIFF).
Open EXR is a floating point format, carrying much more information than even 16-bit RAW images. Every single bit of dynamics is preserved with this process.

It seems that Hydra does not recognize my files. What can I do?

Hydra supports the cameras supported by Aperture. However, there's a solution for non supported cameras. Use Adobe DNG Converter (a free application) which will convert your images to the digital negative format that can then be imported into Hydra. Raw information will be kept.

What exactly is affected when you move the sliders A, B and C in 8-bit Blending?

Moving the sliders in 8-bit Blending changes the relative importance of the imported images. It basically tells whether you want more of A, B, or C in the output.

I can't import images from Aperture into Hydra because the Aperture icon is faded.

Hydra tries to locate Aperture in the Applications folder. If it is not the place where you have installed it, Hydra won't be able to find it. Just create an alias of Aperture in the Applications folder.

I processed 3 files to HDR successfully. On my second try, I tried 5 images and got only a black, blank image in Hydra. What might be the problem?

The middle image is used as a reference for image alignment. If the brightest or the darkest image is too different from the reference (details not recognizable), alignment may fail and produce a black image. If this occurs, the best you can do is to align the images manually by moving existing reference points.

All the images created with Hydra look much darker and less saturated when viewed in Windows or even in Firefox or Opera on a Mac.

Open these images in Preview, choose the option Match to Profile (choosing Adobe RGB for instance, or any other), then save them as a new JPEG. That way, it should be fine on most browsers.

How can I get a .jpeg or a .Tiff file at the completion of a picture instead of .hydra?

In the document window, you can choose either jpg, tiff or OpenEXR and then you click the Render button (in the bottom right corner of the window).
Then, you can export the file to your desktop with the corresponding button in the output window.