We have an HDR crusade!
Hi folks. If you haven't read the post below and you're into HDR photography then make sure you check it out. Now, I've known about the plug-in for a couple of weeks, but blog reader Larry Lohrman pointed me to a post on the Photography for Real Estate website. In a nutshell, he wrote Photomatix to ask that the exported image be re-imported back into Lightroom (kinda like Photoshop does automatically when you save). Now, HDRsoft did respond (which is great) but their Lightroom correspondent felt:
"they do not like to have their processed image in the same location as their RAW file, and do not think this is a good thing. They systematically separate both, and thus prefer the ability (as implemented in Photomatix Pro 3.1beta with the option on the Save dialog) to import the final processed image in Lightroom the way they want".
I don't know about you but I don't want to "systematically" have to do anything. I want the software to do it for me. It just makes sense that if we went somewhere from within Lightroom, we want to be right back there automatically when we're done. It's the only way to make using plug-ins with Lightroom feel seamless. I think we do indeed want the images back in our catalog so we can manage the processed HDRs with the rest of them (isn't that why we use Lightroom). I know, I can do this with a checkbox (in Photomatix 3.1 beta) but then it opens the Import dialog and it doesn't automatically save my image in the right folder, and well, the whole process felt clunky to me.
So here's what I propose. A crusade if you will, to let the folks at HDRsoft know what we want. I've actually talked to them and they're very nice people with a great product. I think they just need to hear from you that this is the way you want it. Now you could always go to their website and send an email but I'll make it one step easier. Leave a comment here telling how you feel about the need to automatically re-import the HDR processed image. If there's enough demand, then early next week, I'll copy all the comments into an email and send it their way to let them know how we feel. Sound like a deal? Thanks!
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October 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Hello Matt,
I totally agree, I always store the HDR files in the same location as the raw files. So I hope Photomatix will implement the option for having HDR photos from Photomatix directly back to Lightroom.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Hallo Matt,
I agree!
I think that allLightroom plugins should work the same way Photoshop works when it comes to reimporting images we worked on!
October 12th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Matt, I agree. Isn’t that what a plug-in typically supposed to do, bring you back to where you were. Sign me up.
October 12th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Matt;
Right on Matt… HDRsoft needs to realize that more steps is not better.
They got a great product which I would use more offen if the was seemlist
I vote for it !! Come’on HDRsoft !!!
October 12th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I totally agree with you, Matt. Back into Lightroom is very important to do a good and fast Workflow.
The time is gold!, we haven´t got to lose it.
October 12th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
HDR,
I’m a big fan of your product and a heavy user of LR. It would be great if the two were fully integrated.
Bill
October 12th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I think that the folks at HDRsoft have it backwards. Most people would obviously rather have this be a seamless experience and that makes so much more sense. I would suggest to them that they make their backward approach an option one and that there be a permanent selection that gets the user whichever work flow they want. Obviously all of the pieces are pretty much in place to do this, they will need to do some refinement on the final product.
HDRSoft - don’t take this badly, this is why you do beta’s! To get user feedback and refine the product!!
October 12th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I have Photomatix and I would use HDR a lot more if it was properly integrated. Count me in!
October 13th, 2008 at 1:05 am
please make it loop back automatically. I don’t want to do it manually.
October 13th, 2008 at 2:56 am
Yes, I agree. The pictures belong together.
October 13th, 2008 at 3:16 am
Yep, add me to the list as well
October 13th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Hi everyone!
Count me in. I think the automatic re-import should be an option! Come on HDRSoft, let’s do it!
October 13th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Makes total sense to me, why stop with the LR plugin. Finish the job shove it back into to Photomatix.
Please do it HDRSoft.
October 13th, 2008 at 8:17 am
I’ve played with the PM demo and use LR extensively for my workflow and processing. I haven’t used PM that much only because it’s not as integrated as I would like. What Matt is suggesting would convince me to purchase PM.
October 13th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Matt:
I totally agree—without the round-trip option, this is WAY to clunky. Here’s hoping HDRSoft responds to this feedback with a round-trip option in a free update.
-Scott Kelby
FOM
October 13th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Hey, Matt,
If I wanted to end up with a “stand-alone” end photo, why would I bother to buy the Lightroom plug-in?
It makes absolutely no sense to isolate me from Lightroom after the finished product is created. When I get to it from Lightroom, I want to be back in Lightroom when I’m done and have access to the new image via my regular Lightroom folder and catalog.
I’m with you, Matt.
Photomatix folks… please develop your Lightroom plug-in so it actually works within Lightroom.
When you do, I’ll be in line to buy your program.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Hi Matt:
Add me to the list of those wanting Photomatix to create the ability to re-import HDRs from Photomatix back to Lightroom. I love Lightroom and use it daily, and I hear Photomatix is terrific, but I really want software that will make my life easier. Many thanks.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I guess I don’t quite get it. I can see using an export plugin if I don’t want to come back into Lightroom or if I want to have the output in a different folder. However, if I want to process an image in an external program - Photoshop, Photomatix, whatever - and have the result stored in the same folder, shouldn’t I be using the “Edit In …” process? That’s what would seem natural to me. It doesn’t feel right to use Export if I want the result to stay in Lightroom.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:03 am
I like Lightroom for its seamless workflow… that’s why I would prefer if any 3rd-party programs like photomatix integrate as seamless as possible…
Matt, thanks for your initiative
Cheers, Tomi
October 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Count me in on your HDR crusade. Currently a Photomatix 3.0 Pro customer who is unhappy with the work flow. We need to have a Lightroom plug-in which works seamlessly by putting the new images in the catalog in the same folder which contained the source images. As stated above if they want to have an option to put it elsewhere, that’s fine, but I want to be able to configure a seamless way to go from Lightroom, to Photomatix and back to Lightroom without extra dialogs, and I want to see my new image in the same folder/catalog where the original images are.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:02 am
Shall I say, ME TOO! Don’t like saving one place and then having to re-find file in another app. Would very much like to have an automatic return to Lightroom after tone mapping. Count me in!
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
yeah.. what these other million people said….
Photomatix… don’t make me come over there!
love your product.. give us the love back…
October 24th, 2008 at 8:02 am
It makes sense to me, if I’m in Lightroom and want to process my images in Photomatix, that when finishing the HDR process I am returned to where I left off with the processed image in the catalog. I can then make further adjustments, or edit in Photoshop if I want to.
Makes the workflow seemless and efficient.
Come on HDRsoft listen to the people who PAY for your product, it’s what they want. So give it to them!
October 25th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Interesting that you put the blame on the plugins or external editors.
Originally, on export LR only allowed saving an export file to the same folder or a save as. It has since added the capability to save to a user-named subfolder of the source folder. If LR added this capability to the plugins, etc. it would solve the needs of most anyone’s orginization setup…..and could be made seamless.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
It is a MUST to have seamless integration not a systematic painful process to work with or even remember.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:58 am
I agree with you. And also, I would like to have a french version of the plug-in… I would be so grateful !
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:27 am
I think it should just get saved back into lightroom seamlessly with as little interaction as possible. The way CS3 does it works for me. Thanks for the help in getting this feature fine tuned Matt.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I recently purchased Photomatix Pro 3.1 and am new to the HDR scene. I have one problem…I’m not sure if Lightroom is creating the problem, If I’m causing the problem or if Photomatix is causing the problem. Wherever there are color changes on a wall (two different colors of paint with a perfect line) or with wood trim I get very thin blue lines along those edges. The guys over at hdrsoft say that they have never heard of this before…Has anyone here? If so, how do I fix it?
Thanks
November 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
We would like to automatically re-import the HDR processed image back into LR2 making the whole process seamless with less to remember!
November 18th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I agree. I use Lightroom for all my art and naturally look for plugins that keep my workflow simple and unnoticeable. It would be a sure winner if we had the image come back into Lightroom like it does with photoshop. It is just one less thing to worry about and Lord knows there is plenty to worry about.