# Skylum Software’s Aurora HDR 2019 Now Available



## Canon Rumors Guy (Oct 5, 2018)

> Skylum’s Software’s Aurora HDR 2019 is now available for purchase and download.
> Skylum’s Quantum HDR Engine harnesses the power of AI for a more streamlined editing experience than ever before. It reduces burned-out colors, loss of contrast, noise and unnatural lighting caused by halos and unstabledeghosting.
> The Quantum HDR Engine has taken three years to create within Skylum’s AI lab, and contains the vast knowledge of the development team paired with artificial intelligence to bring you seamless HDR editing, be it with a single image or multiple bracketed shots.
> 
> ...



Continue reading...


----------



## magarity (Oct 5, 2018)

Is anyone else totally burned out on the term "AI" in every piece of software?


----------



## TomDibble (Oct 5, 2018)

Sick of it or not, "AI" is a term with meaning, and Skylum is using it correctly here. I'd prefer "ML" as it is more descriptive ("Machine Learning" is a subset of the larger "Artificial Intelligence" field), but "AI" doesn't mean what Stephen Spielberg shows it as, and as a term of art has been around since at least the 1950s. Specific to Skylum's efforts, it appears they used a machine learning system to determine the best parameters for their HDR engine. Machine learning is not just a fancy name for something ordinary; that is really complex software and algorithms at play. That said, AI/ML systems are off-the-shelf components now; the bit that Skylum did was to think to apply that technology to HDR processing. And, of course, using ML to craft those parameters doesn't necessarily mean they did it perfectly well, or even better than someone who did not use ML.

Eventually, we'll just assume that AI/ML went into the production of every major piece of software. It will be "table stakes" if you are putting out a new application in many spaces, and won't be a buzzword on the marketing sheet any more. But we're not there, because most people are not using AI/ML yet, and using it here isn't a completely obvious application of it.

Think of it this way: through the 1990s all sorts of physical gadgets and doodads would proudly claim they were "CAD Engineered!" or similar. CAD doesn't mean they are necessarily better; it means the product designers gave their engineers some really useful toys to play with. Today you don't see mention of CAD. It is assumed that if there is a machined part, it was designed using CAD.


----------



## snoke (Oct 6, 2018)

Good HDR. Like Adobe but cheaper. Maybe better. Do trial to see.


----------



## LCarter879 (Feb 14, 2019)

I’ve been using Luminar since October of 2018 and recently updated to Luminar 3 and started using Aurora HDR.
I’ll be honest, I lost interest in HDR photography a few years ago. When I started reading reviews about Aurora HDR I took a chance. Needless to say Aurora HDR is by far the best (in my opinion) HDR Software I have come across. I’ve gone back to some of my earlier attempts at HDR and have liked the results that Aurora HDR has given me.
The Skylum software is definitely a great tool for both beginners all the way up to professionals. One of the best benefits, especially for the more advanced to professional photographers, is that Skylum Software can be used as a Photoshop or Lightroom plugin.
Being able to download a free trial is always a plus. Skylum also has a 60-day money back guarantee if you aren’t happy with the product.
The support staff is always there ready to help if you need. They also have webinars, educational resources, and a youtube page to help you as you learn the program or provide you with new ways to edit your photography.
All-in-all its a great software package that is worth the price!


----------

