Photomatix Essentials 4

Photomatix Essentials is particularly easy to use and intended for photographers new to HDR.
Photomatix Pro offers more options and includes advanced features such as batch processing and selective deghosting, as well as a Plug-in for Adobe Lightroom

Photomatix Essentials and Pro share the same internal HDR processing engines. However, their interfaces differ. Photomatix Essentials focuses on simplicity, providing an easy-to-use introduction to HDR.

Have you ever photographed a high contrast scene? If so, you know that even the best exposure gives you blown out highlights, flat shadows, or both. The solution is High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing:

Take multiple photographs at varying exposure levels (brackets)
Merge the photos into an HDR image
Choose a style, from natural to painterly or surreal, and adjust settings to get the look you want

Easy-to-use standalone program to create HDR photos and adjust them to the look you want, from natural to artistic.

Merge to HDR, Tone Mapping and Exposure Fusion
Automatic Alignment of hand-held photos
Automatic Ghost Removal
Simplified interface for an easy introduction to HDR Photography

New in version 4

New Tone Mapping method designed to give realistic looking results while preserving details in highlight and shadow. It is called Contrast Optimizer and adds the ‘Balanced’ and ‘Vibrant’ Presets.
Finishing Touch step to add Contrast or Sharpening before saving.
Back button to return to the Adjust & Preview step and apply other settings.
Preview checkbox in the Adjust & Preview step to toggle between the original and the image with settings applied.
Option in Preferences to refresh the Preview continuously as slider moves (not available in Win 32-bit version).