gregzaal
Possibility to export the result as HDR instead of EXR
I'm trying to test the workflow of creating the HDRI using the HDR Merger.
However, I find challenging the size of the exported images.
- The base Raw file (.CR2) after shooting is around 20mb
- After editing them using Rawtherapee is 100mb each (16-bit .TIF)
- And then the Tiff has to be merged using this tool. After the merge I notice the file is around 200mb.
I observed that the file format used is in .EXR. As far as I know .HDR files would be the same and would be less heavy.
Could it be possible to add the option to export the result as .HDR alternatively?
Also, it would be great to know how you can handle this large files. 100mb per each shot as tiff is way too much. I'm testing using 8-bit tifs instead
Regards, saludos Pablo
EXR is the superior format when it comes to storing data for HDRIs.
The Radiance HDR format (.hdr) is really an 8-bit RGB image with a 4th exponent channel (also 8-bit). EXR is true 32-bits per channel (in this case, though the format supports many options). It's true that visually there's not much difference, and personally I don't mind using HDR in a render, but I would always recommend using 32-bit while stitching to ensure minimal loss of information.
On even my old system with a 2nd Gen i7 this was not really an issue, as the tonemapped JPGs are intended to be used for stitching, and then swapped out for the EXRs before final export (see my workflow here). As you say, the uncompressed TIFFs are more of a pain the butt.
Personally, I don't have any use for adding an HDR option in this tool, but if someone would like to make a PR which implements it, that'd be fine by me.
