Free HDR creation tool

[raj29]

Are there any free tools available for creating HDR photo? Is it possible to create HDR with Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, if Yes then how? Any helpful advice will be greatly appreciated.

[NilsRagnar]

If you're using Windows or MAC you may want to take a look at FDRTools Basic, a well working free HDR tool. If you're using GIMP, there is a free HDR Python-Fu plugin available, at least if you're running Ubuntu OS.

[ericalynnea]

Photomatix Pro lets you download the whole program for free as a trial, all it does is put watermarks on your image. Sucks, but it's free /shrug

[RLucas]

Here is another open source tool. I have used it a couple of times with mixed results.
About Luminance HDR

[GreggObst]

Nik HDR Efex Pro also has a free 15 day trial with no watermarking.

Nik Software, Inc. | HDR Efex Pro

I have used both HDR Efex Pro and Photomatix Pro extensively and would recommend HDR Efex Pro in all situations except where you have moving elements within your bracket sequence. Things like wind blown branches, water with waves, flags waving in the breeze, etc. For those I would go with Photomatix Pro version 4 on up. Photomatix 4 added a neat feature where you can replace the area that was moving with a single bracket from your bracketed sequence (usually the one perfectly exposed or 0EV) prior to the actual tone mapping step.