SNS-HDR allows you to process images consisting of a single exposure as well as images composed of multiple, differently exposed shots (HDR). The supported source image formats are JPEG, TIFF, RAW file formats, and the OpenEXR and Radiance HDR formats.

Single exposures

It is recommended to load single images into SNS-HDR in the RAW format, as SNS-HDR is optimized for processing this format. However, if the RAW image needs to be converted in another program due to better conversion quality, it is recommended to save the converted image in the TIFF-16 format and load it into SNS-HDR in this format.

Multiple exposures

When the photographed scene has very high contrast (with deep shadows and very bright highlights), it is recommended to take several shots of the scene with different exposure compensation values. The maximum positive exposure compensation should be set at a level at which the shadows in the brightest shot are well exposed. The maximum negative compensation should be set so that the highlights in the darkest shot are not blown out. The exposure step should not be too large; it is best to choose a value between 1 and 2 EV.

It is recommended to save the source images in the camera in the RAW format. However, since multiple exposures preserve more information about the captured scene than a single exposure, the source images can also be saved in the TIFF-8 or JPEG formats. These formats do not offer as good quality as the RAW and TIFF-16 formats, but with multiple exposures the loss of quality may be invisible in the final image.

Images in the OpenEXR and Radiance HDR formats

The OpenEXR and Radiance HDR formats can store images with a wider dynamic range than the JPEG, TIFF or RAW formats. These formats are used to store raw HDR images (not yet tone mapped), obtained by merging multiple, differently exposed shots into a single image. It is recommended that images saved in the OpenEXR and HDR formats have an average brightness close to the one you want to achieve in the final HDR image. This ensures optimal image processing in SNS-HDR.