System Requirements

Hardware

  • Mac with 64-bit Intel Processor
  • Not Supported: Intel GMA and ATI X1600 Graphic Cards

Operating System

  • OS X 10.7.3 Lion or later
  • 64-bit Architectures only

Memory

  • Minimum: 256 MB of VRAM (GPU)
  • Recommended: 512 MB of VRAM (GPU)

File Formats

Input

  • TIFF, JPEG, PNG, PSD, DNG, and Most Other Image File Formats
  • Most RAW Formats:
    • .CRW and .CR2 from Canon
    • .NEF from Nikon
    • .ARW, .MRW and .SRF from Sony-Minolta
    • .ORF from Olympus
    • .RW2 from Panasonic
    • .RAF from Fuji
    • .PEF from Pentax
    • All Other RAW Formats Supported by Mac OS X

Output

  • Hydra Documents (.hydradoc)
  • JPEG Images (8-bit)
  • TIFF (8-bit and 16-bit)
  • Radiance .hdr (32-bit) - not available in the Plug-ins
  • OpenEXR (32-bit) - not available in the Plug-ins

Input Options

  • Import up to 3 Pictures (Hydra Express), and up to 7 Pictures (Hydra Pro)
  • Exposure Value Calculator
  • Input Filters: RAW Sharpening, Color Temperature
  • Browsing of iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom Libraries

Output Options

  • Document Saving (Choice of File Name and Directory)
  • Set Copyright Information in EXIF Data
  • Export to iPhoto Library and Aperture Projects
  • Export to Lightroom
  • Export to Flickr
  • Export to Facebook
  • Export to Twitter
  • Export to Mail

User Experience

  • Elegant and Intuitive Interface
  • Zoom and Navigation for Images
  • 1:1 Full Size Previewing
  • Display of Image Information
  • Fullscreen Mode
  • Autosaving and Versioning
  • Automatic Termination and Restart
  • Multitouch Zoom in/out
  • User-created Setting Snapshots for Easy Comparison
  • Burnt and Underexposed Area Flashing for Easier Identification
  • Sandboxing for Improved Security

Alignment

  • Advanced Automatic Image Matching Technique (Homography-based)
  • Multi-core Acceleration
  • Manual Matching with Visual Feedback
  • Real-time Previewing
  • X-Ray-based Editing for Accurate Positioning

Ghost Handling

  • Automatic Estimated Ghost Removal
  • or User-controlled Zone-based Ghost Removal
  • Selectable per Image Contribution for Each Zone
  • Zone Smoothness Control

Fusion & Tone Mapping

  • Ultra-fast GPU Accelerated HDR Image Merging
  • 32-bit EV Histogram and 8-bit Tone-mapped Histogram
  • Output Filters: Details, Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation
  • Real-time Previewing
  • Navigation in Exposure Range
  • Scope-based Image Editing
  • Custom Scope Selection with Probes (Pro only)

Tone Mapping Presets

  • Photorealistic
  • Artistic Black & White
  • Contrasted Surrealism
  • Soft Surrealism
  • Arabesque Silhouettes
  • Crispy Clouds
  • Tinted Sky
  • Reds Only
  • Sepia Tones
  • Retro
  • Cyanotype

Post-processing

  • Crop
  • Glow
  • Vignetting
  • White Frame

Batch Processing (Pro only)

  • Automatic Import of Folders and Splitting into Image Sets
  • Image Set Editing (Split, Merge, Delete)
  • Sets can be Independently Configured with Various Settings (Alignment, Ghost Handling, Tone mapping...)
  • Create Final Image or Hydra Project for User Tuning

Aperture Support

  • Import from Aperture Library
  • Export to Aperture Projects
  • Plug-In for Aperture 3

Lightroom Support

  • Import from Lightroom Library
  • Export to Lightroom
  • Plug-In for Lightroom 3 & 4