My workflow is way too dependent on the shoot. Exterior, Landscape, Interior, etc... Honestly it would take me way too long to detail why I use certain apps for certain shots. In short though...


Raw through ACR and I "DO" make adjustments here. Export to 16 bit TIFFs and off to one of two tonemappers. If I am doing landscapes and want that extra pop in saturation then I use Photomatix. But for more photo real looking images I ONLY use Essentials HDR.


Essentials HDR is hands down the most realistic looking tonemapping app as of today. I couldn't do what I do without it. It takes me a fraction of the time in Essentials HDR than it does farting around with sliders in Photomatix to get a more realistic image.


And Essentials has a "Fast Toner" and a "Details" version. You can actually switch between the two on the fly. And you can view images "two up" either horizontally or vertically and make changes to each to toy with looks. This is a huge benefit to me because it really speeds up my workflow.


The Details Enhancer though is insane. It creates a micro contrast in a different way than photomatix and the resulting images out of Essentials HDR are wicked sharp, whereas I always need to sharpen up stuff out of Photomatix.


Once I export out a tonemapped image I then take it back to Photoshop for detail work and other tweaks.


Essentials HDR is here:


http://www.imagingluminary.com/


-Michael James