Aurora HDR, the Mac App Store Editors’ Choice-winning high-dynamic range (HDR) photography tool, is receiving significant updates ahead of the holidays. Released last month by Macphun and leading HDR photographer Trey Ratcliff, Aurora HDR automatically and intelligently merges multiple exposures of an image together, radically expanding details in light, shadowed, and colorful portions of the photo. It comes in basic (regularly $49.99) and Pro ($99) versions, the latter with a free trial.
Working directly with Apple, Macphun is adding OS X Photos plug-in support to version 1.1.1 of the app, enabling multiple images to be grabbed directly from the Photos library. Also added since the initial 1.0 release are new “realistic” HDR presets, a “super smooth” control that provides “extreme noise reduction,” and a faster, superior tone-mapping algorithm. Users of the Pro app can access many of the new features in version 1.1.0, out now, while the Mac App Store version will receive the update over the next week or so.
Aurora HDR’s Mac App Store version is currently discounted from $49.99 to $39.99, while the Pro version is offered directly through Macphun for $99. The Pro version currently includes a free bonus package worth $135, including the impressive noise reduction app Noiseless CK (reviewed here). Additionally, Macphun’s superb $150 six-app photo editing bundle, Creative Kit 2016 (reviewed here), is currently available at a discounted price of $99.99, including a collection of exclusive holiday gifts.
