Automating HDR Photo Creation in Adobe Lightroom

Have you ever taken a photo of a breathtaking sunset, only to find the sky blown out or the foreground lost in shadows? This is a common limitation of digital photography — but HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography offers a powerful solution.

In this blog post, we’ll explore:

• What HDR photography is and how it works
• When HDR is helpful — and when it’s not
• The challenges of processing HDR images for large photo collections
• And finally, a method to automate HDR merging in Adobe Lightroom to simplify your workflow

If you’d prefer to skip straight to the automation solution, feel free to jump to the section: “The Automated Process for Merging HDR Photos in Adobe Lightroom”.

To set the stage, let’s first explore the core principles.

What is HDR?

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, a photographic technique designed to overcome the limitations of digital sensors. It allows you to capture a wider range of brightness levels than a single exposure can.

Why is this necessary?

A typical camera sensor can’t handle extreme contrasts — like the bright sun and dark shadows in the same shot. As a result:

• Highlights may get blown out (completely white)
• Shadows may lose all detail (completely black)

In contrast, the human eye is dynamic — it constantly adjusts to different light levels, letting us see both shadows and highlights with clarity. HDR photography aims to mimic this ability.

A Glimpse into History

The quest to overcome the limitations of photographic technology isn’t new. In the mid-19th century, Gustave Le Gray, a visionary French photographer, faced the challenge of capturing seascapes where both the sky and sea were correctly exposed.

To address this, Le Gray ingeniously combined two negatives: one exposed for the sky and another for the sea. He then merged them to create a single, harmonious image. One of his most celebrated works, Brig upon the Water (1856), exemplifies this technique.

Fast forward to the 20th century, Ansel Adams, renowned for his breathtaking landscapes, employed darkroom techniques to enhance the tonal range of his photographs. His iconic image, The Tetons and the Snake River (1942), showcases his mastery in balancing light and shadow to reflect the scene’s grandeur.

How does HDR work?

There are different techniques available for modern HDR photography, but typically it is achieved through a process called exposure bracketing, which involves:

• Taking multiple photos of the same scene at different exposure levels (underexposed, correctly exposed, and overexposed)
• Merging these images into one, so that details from both shadows and highlights are preserved

✅ Tip: Modern smartphones, like iPhones, apply HDR automatically in high-contrast scenes. This happens seamlessly — multiple exposures are taken and merged “behind the scenes” into a single photo.

How to capture HDR photos with cameras

Most mirrorless and DSLR cameras support two HDR modes:

1. In-camera Auto HDR Mode
   • The camera takes several exposures and merges them automatically
   • Typically only JPEG output is supported (not RAW)
2. Exposure Bracketing Mode
   • The camera captures a set of exposures (e.g. -2, 0, +2 EV)
   • You retain all files (often in RAW format)
   • You later merge them using dedicated HDR software for more precise control

🔧 How to enable this (on Sony RX100VII camera as an example):

To bracket exposures, select Drive Mode of the control wheel and select bracket shooting mode. You can then choose how many frames to capture and the EV step (e.g. ±1, ±2 stops). See help page for more details.

For Auto HDR, go to Menu → Camera Settings → DRO/Auto HDR → Auto HDR and select the desired settings. Keep in mind this function is only available when shooting in JPEG file format. See help page for more details.

When to Use HDR Photos

HDR isn’t just about dramatic, “gritty” images — in fact, some of the best HDR photos look completely natural. The power of HDR lies in its ability to expand the tonal range of a photo, helping you capture both shadow detail and highlights that would otherwise be lost.

The key is using HDR where it actually makes a difference. Here are the types of scenes where HDR truly shines:

✅ Ideal Situations for HDR

• Landscape photography. Wide-open scenes with bright skies and darker foregrounds often exceed the dynamic range of your camera. HDR helps retain cloud texture and shadow detail, all in one image.
• Cityscapes and architecture. Buildings often have both reflective surfaces and deep shadows. HDR balances these extremes, preserving texture without overexposing the sky.
• Interior photography. Taking a photo inside with bright windows? HDR allows you to reveal interior details while still showing the scene outside the window.
• Backlit or spotlighted subjects. When a subject is strongly backlit or illuminated by a spotlight (natural or artificial), HDR can recover facial features or detail without washing out the highlights.
• Small bright areas in dark surroundings. Like a single sunbeam breaking through trees, or a candlelit room with a bright window. These “bright spots” are where HDR helps avoid blown-out highlights.

Examples:

Below is an HDR photo taken at Warner Bros. Studio’s Harry Potter Tour. It captures the vibrant Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes shop, but at the same time retains the details of the dim atmosphere of Diagon Alley.

Another example is this photo of a church interior taken with an iPhone. The phone automatically applied HDR because of the high contrast between the bright windows and the dim interior.

❌ When Not to Use HDR

HDR isn’t always the right choice. Here are scenarios where it may work poorly:

• Scenes with movement. HDR combines multiple exposures. If anything moves between shots — people, cars, leaves — you may get ghosting (a double-exposure-like effect). While Lightroom offers a Deghosting option, it only works well for small movements. Larger movements will still ruin the merge.
• Low-contrast scenes. If your scene is evenly lit, HDR adds little benefit and can actually make your photo look flat or over-processed.
• Portraits. HDR can exaggerate skin texture and create an unnatural look. While some artistic portraits may use it creatively, it’s best avoided for natural skin tones.

Common Issues with HDR

Even when used in the right scenarios, HDR processing introduces its own challenges. These usually appear during tone mapping, which is the step where software compresses the wide dynamic range into something viewable on screens.

⚠️ Typical HDR Artifacts:

• Halos: Bright or dark fringes around edges, caused by too much local contrast.
• Ghosting: Semi-transparent overlaps from moving objects during bracketing.
• Noise: HDR can amplify noise in dark areas, especially from smaller sensors or high ISOs.
• Artificial look: Overdone tone mapping can lead to unnatural colors, exaggerated textures, and surreal microcontrast.

Many HDR tools — like Lightroom and Photomatix — offer controls to manage these issues, including ghost removal, contrast smoothing, and highlight/shadow compression.

Examples:

The photo below, captured with a point-and-shoot camera and processed as HDR, successfully recovers details on the brightly lit Goblin’s face. However, it appears flat, lacking clear separation between the foreground and background.

Here’s another photo from the same camera. There is noise in darker areas that became more visible after the HDR merge.

📸 Tip: When in Doubt, Bracket

It’s not always obvious whether HDR will improve your photo. A good practice is to shoot with exposure bracketing when you’re unsure. This gives you the option to merge later on your computer — and compare results — without missing the shot.

Merging HDR Photos in Adobe Lightroom

To create HDR images, you’ll need to merge multiple bracketed exposures into a single photo. Several tools are available for this purpose, including Photomatix, LR/Enfuse, and others. However, Adobe Lightroom provides a built-in and relatively streamlined way to do this — especially if you’re already using it as part of your workflow.

Using Lightroom (Cloud Version)

Personally, I use the cloud-based version of Lightroom (not Lightroom Classic). It comes with 1TB of cloud storage, making my photo library accessible from any device — including the desktop app, iPad app, and even the web. All edits and metadata are automatically synchronized, allowing me to start editing on my computer and seamlessly continue on my iPad while traveling.

The actual HDR merging process in Lightroom is fairly manual:

1. Identify Exposure Bracketed Groups. I don’t use exposure bracketing for every shot — only when the scene has high dynamic range and could benefit from HDR. As a result, my photo library is a mix of single exposures and bracketed sequences. To find bracketed groups, I visually scan for similar-looking photos taken seconds apart, and use the Info panel to confirm that their capture times are very close.
2. Merge to HDR. Once a group is identified, I select the images and choose Photo Merge → HDR (or press Ctrl + H). Lightroom then displays the HDR Merge dialog, where I can preview the result and adjust settings like Deghost Amount (used to correct motion between frames). Clicking Merge adds the task to a background queue, and Lightroom creates a new DNG file for the merged HDR image.

This process works well, but has several limitations:

• Manual group detection. Lightroom (cloud version) does not automatically detect exposure brackets. There’s no way to view exposure compensation values, so I must rely on visual cues and timestamps.
• No batch merging. Each group must be manually selected and merged. This becomes tedious when dealing with large sets of bracketed images, especially after a trip.
• Bracket count is not detected. Lightroom doesn’t indicate how many exposures are in each bracketed group (e.g., 3, 5, or 7), so you need to remember or check manually.

Automating HDR Merge in Lightroom Classic

If you’re using Lightroom Classic, there are more advanced options for automating the process.

One useful feature is Auto-Stack by Capture Time, which groups photos shot within a specified time interval. Since exposure-bracketed images are taken in rapid succession, this can help group them correctly.

You can access this via: Photo → Stacking → Auto-Stack by Capture Time…

This opens a dialog where you can specify the time gap (e.g., 2 seconds) to define stack boundaries. In theory, this should group all bracketed sequences automatically. In practice, however, I’ve found this method can be unreliable - especially when multiple sequences were shot close together or when the number of exposures per bracket varies.

💡 Tip: Some recommend leaving small gaps between shooting brackets to help Lightroom auto-stack more reliably. However, this isn’t always practical when you’re shooting on location, and doesn’t help if you’re working with existing photos.

Once the stacks are created, you can select all stacks and apply the HDR Merge command in batch mode. Lightroom Classic will process each stack as a separate HDR job. This allows you to queue up multiple merges and step away from your computer while they complete.

⚠️ Note: This batch merging feature is not available in the cloud-based Lightroom. If you select multiple bracketed groups and run HDR Merge there, only the last selected group will be merged.

A good walkthrough of this workflow is available in the video: 📺 “Automate HDR Image Merging in Adobe Lightroom | Automate Your Exposure Bracketing Photo Workflow”

Automating HDR Merging with a Custom Lightroom Plugin

To address the limitations in Lightroom’s manual HDR merging workflow, I developed a small tool: the Bracket Stacker Plugin for Lightroom Classic. As the name suggests, the plugin automates the first crucial step - detecting groups of exposure-bracketed photos and stacking them automatically.

Unlike Lightroom’s built-in Auto-Stack by Capture Time feature, which relies on time gaps between shots, my plugin analyzes EXIF metadata embedded in each image file to group photos that were taken as part of an exposure bracket sequence. I found this method to be more reliable, because it works even when timing between shots is inconsistent.

A Quick Introduction to EXIF Metadata

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data is metadata stored within image files that describes how and when a photo was taken. It includes standard tags such as exposure time, aperture, ISO, and timestamp, along with many camera-specific details.

To inspect EXIF metadata, I use ExifTool — a powerful command-line utility that extracts metadata from a wide range of image formats.

Analyzing Metadata from a Sony Camera

Let’s take a look at an example of four RAW files shot with a Sony camera:

SourceFile	DSC02107.ARW	DSC02108.ARW	DSC02109.ARW	DSC02110.ARW
EXIF:DateTimeOriginal	2025:03:15 17:35:41	2025:03:15 17:36:56	2025:03:15 17:36:56	2025:03:15 17:36:56
EXIF:ExposureMode	0	2	2	2
EXIF:ExposureCompensation	0.3	0.3	-0.7	1.3
MakerNotes:ReleaseMode	0	5	5	5
MakerNotes:SequenceImageNumber	1	1	2	3
MakerNotes:SequenceLength	1	3	3	3

• DSC02107.ARW was taken as a single exposure.
• DSC02108.ARW–DSC02110.ARW form a 3-image exposure-bracketed sequence.

Key Metadata Fields Explained

Here’s how the plugin uses specific EXIF and MakerNotes fields to detect exposure-bracketed groups:

• EXIF:ExposureMode. This helps differentiate between standard and special shooting modes.
  • 0 = Auto Exposure
  • 2 = Auto Bracket
• MakerNotes:ReleaseMode (Sony-specific). When the value is 5, it indicates that the shot is part of a bracketed sequence.
  • 0 = Normal
  • 5 = Exposure Bracketing
• MakerNotes:SequenceLength and MakerNotes:SequenceImageNumber. These indicate the total number of images in the sequence and the position of each image within it.
  • For a single photo: SequenceLength = 1
  • For a 3-image bracket: SequenceLength = 3, with SequenceImageNumber = 1, 2, 3
• EXIF:ExposureCompensation. In bracketed sequences, the compensation changes per shot. For example, with a base exposure compensation of 0.3 and a ±1.0 EV bracket:
  • First image: 0.3 (base)
  • Second image: -0.7 (0.3 - 1.0)
  • Third image: 1.3 (0.3 + 1.0)

These patterns are used by the plugin to reliably identify bracketed groups - something that is not feasible using timestamps alone.

📌 Note: Camera-specific MakerNotes fields vary between manufacturers. The plugin supports several camera brands, with different levels of testing. See the camera support documentation for the current status.

The Automated Process for Merging HDR Photos in Adobe Lightroom

This section outlines the workflow for using Bracket Stacker to automatically identify exposure brackets, import them as stacks, and batch-merge them into HDR images in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

🧩 Installation Instructions

1. Download the plugin.

   Download the latest bracket-stacker.zip release from the plugin GitHub page and unzip it. The archive contains the bracket-stacker.lrplugin folder with ExifTool already included.

2. Add the plugin to Lightroom Classic.

   • Launch Adobe Lightroom Classic.
   • Open File → Plug-in Manager.
   • Click Add.
   • Select the bracket-stacker.lrplugin folder.
   • Make sure the plugin is enabled.

⚙️ Usage Instructions

1. Import and automatically stack bracketed images.

   All Bracket Stacker commands are available under Library → Plug-in Extras.

   Choose one of:

   • Import Only Bracketed Photos, as Stacks… — imports only the bracketed sequences found in a folder, with each sequence as a separate stack. This is useful when Lightroom Classic is being used mainly for HDR merging.
   • Import Entire Folder, Brackets as Stacks… — imports all photos in the folder, while automatically stacking the detected bracketed sequences.

   Select the folder containing the photos. Subfolders are included.

   The plugin examines the camera metadata using the bundled ExifTool, shows what it found, and asks for confirmation before importing. Photos that are already in the Lightroom catalog are skipped. A bracketed sequence is skipped if any of its photos is already in the catalog, because Lightroom only allows the plugin to create the stack while importing the photos.

   Exposure brackets receive the keyword Exposure bracket under Bracket Stacker. Focus brackets receive Focus bracket, making it possible to distinguish the two types using Lightroom’s Library filters.

   If focus brackets are detected, the confirmation dialog also allows them to be excluded or, when importing the entire folder, imported without stacking.

2. Batch-create HDR images.

   • Choose Photo → Stacking → Collapse All Stacks.
   • If focus brackets were imported, filter the Library by the Exposure bracket keyword first, so that focus stacks are not sent to the HDR merge.
   • Select the stacks.
   • Choose Photo → Photo Merge → HDR….
   • Lightroom will process the selected stacks in turn using the HDR settings you last used, such as Deghost Amount.

   On macOS, the shortcuts are Control+H for HDR merge with the dialog and Control+Shift+H to merge without showing the dialog.

   In the HDR dialog, enable Create Stack if you want each resulting HDR image to remain stacked with its source photos.

   Merging a large number of stacks can take some time, but once complete, the HDR images can be compared directly with their original exposures while culling.

3. Optionally combine focus brackets.

   Lightroom does not provide focus stacking. For focus brackets, select the photos in a focus stack and choose Photo → Edit In → Open as Layers in Photoshop. In Photoshop, use Edit → Auto-Align Layers, followed by Edit → Auto-Blend Layers with Stack Images selected.

   Dedicated focus-stacking applications such as Helicon Focus can also be used from a Lightroom selection.

4. Find the HDR images.

   Lightroom saves the generated HDR images next to the source photos. Their filenames end in -HDR.dng.

   To find them, filter the Library by file type DNG. If you use the cloud-based version of Lightroom for editing, export or copy the generated HDR files from Lightroom Classic.

5. Optionally remove the extra exposures.

   After HDR merging, you can use Reject Extra Exposures After HDR Merge… under Library → Plug-in Extras.

   The command flags the over- and under-exposed source photos in merged stacks as rejected while keeping the base exposure. Alternatively, you can choose to flag all source photos.

   Stacks without an HDR image are left untouched.

   Afterwards, use Photo → Delete Rejected Photos. Remove removes the photos from the Lightroom catalog, while Delete from Disk also moves the corresponding files to the Trash.

Note: Earlier version of this plugin required preprocessing with Python scripts as a separate step, but this is no longer required.

📸 Real-World Workflow

When I return from a photo walk, I use this plugin to automatically detect and merge all HDR image sets. While the process is largely hands-free, it does take a few minutes to run — especially for larger shoots. Once HDR images are generated, I import both the original files and the HDR files into Lightroom Cloud storage (which allows to sync across devices).

This pre-processing step has become a useful part of my workflow. It allows me to review all HDR and original exposures side-by-side during the culling phase, which I can do either on my desktop or directly on my iPad. HDR isn’t always the better version. Sometimes I keep the HDR, sometimes I prefer one of the original exposures. Having all options upfront saves time and helps me make a better and quicker decision.

If I notice artifacts like ghosting or poor tone mapping, I can always manually re-merge specific brackets using different Lightroom settings. But having most of the work done automatically up front is a huge time saver.

Final Thoughts

HDR photography can elevate your images — when used thoughtfully. But the merging process can quickly become a bottleneck, especially when dealing with dozens or hundreds of exposures. This plugin is designed to streamline that step, using camera metadata to detect exposure brackets with higher reliability than timestamp-based methods.

By automating the HDR merge workflow, this tool helps me focus more on the creative side of photography, rather than on the repetitive tasks. I hope it can do the same for you.

You can find the source code, instructions, and more details here:

👉 Bracket Stacker Plugin for Lightroom Classic

If you find it useful, I’d love to hear your experience, and any suggestions for improvement or wider camera support.

References

1. Bracket Stacker Plugin for Lightroom Classic
2. Michael Freeman – Mastering HDR Photography, Ilex, 2008
3. The Ultimate Guide to Exposure Bracketing
4. HDR Photography is NOT DEAD!
5. YouTube video “Automate HDR Image Merging in Adobe Lightroom | Automate Your Exposure Bracketing Photo Workflow”
6. Photomatrix
7. LR/Enfuse
8. ExifTool

History

1. 4 Oct 2026

   Rewritten for Bracket Stacker, the plugin’s successor: everything now happens inside Lightroom, with no Python step.

   • The plugin was renamed and moved to a new repository; all links point there.
   • Installation is a zip download with ExifTool bundled, replacing the clone-and-pip setup.
   • Import, stacking, focus-bracket handling and rejecting extra exposures are now menu commands.
   • Camera support is no longer Sony-only.
2. 2 Apr 2025

   First published.