HDR help

[i_am_beam]

Hello everyone, I am interested in creating some HDR images. Unfortunately, I only have Photoshop Elements and the old Photoshop 7.0. As far as I have found, CS2 is the first Photoshop program able to produce these images. I have also found a few programs on the web such as Photomatix and software from HDRsoft.com. Both allow for trials but attach watermarks to your pictures. I have been able to create some pretty great images from the HDRsoft program and am considering buying the full version for $55. Can anyone out there give me some advice? Is Photomatix worth the $99 (40 more than HDRsoft)? Is going through these programs worth it or is there a better way to do things, a plug-in perhaps?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[windrider86]

I use Paint Shop Pro for all my needs and hdr merge is included within the program itself. Which is one of the reasons I chose it so I wouldnt have to have a bunch of other programs running around the desktop.
Once upon a time I did use Photomatrix and found the results quite nice, if that helps

[OsmosisStudios]

There is always a way of cloning out watermarks...

[Murtasma]

Give Dynamic-HDR a shot before you commit to anything.