The HDR race continues as TrueHDR gets updated

Readers might be misled by the sentence, "...TrueHDR and Pro HDR run on 3G iPhones."

I think it's worth clarifying: both Pro HDR and TrueHDR's descriptions indicate they only install/run on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, so none of these apps is suitable for the original iPhone or iPhone 3G.

"Well, my opinion is more correcter than you're's"

Anyone who's into their photography understands the massive benefits of HDR; not just as a way of technically improving a photo but also making a photo more pleasing/creative to the eye. Of course there are occasions when an HDR image can appear over processed or occasions where HDR images (i.e. the combining of images at different exposures) don't look as nice as the original ... but that's the skill of a true photographer; knowing when and how much to apply. Obviously no one would use an iPhone seriously to discover the wonders of HDR, but as a piece of software on something as humble as a phone, to have this feature is a massive benefit ... providing users understand how it works and where best to apply.

I recommend viewing the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlcLW2nrHaM

Can you PLEASE upload these in high resolution? The gallery just doesn't cut it.

"The only real "result" here is that the Pro HDR one is noticeably poorer than the rest."

I use all three programs and I believe that ProHDR gives you the best images. Remember that these sample images were all taken using the each program's auto mode. ProHDR's images can adjusted afterwards using their Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Warmth and Tint controls.

Since HDR is not appropriate for every photo. I choose to use HDR for those photos that would benefit from this technique. Part of the fun of taking a pic using HDR is that you can use it to recover data from, what would normally be an underexposed or overexposed portion of the picture. Or you could use the post processing controls to create a dramatic image. That backlit photo of the family gets adjusted to make the image look natural. Whereas the pic taken of the the fire engine red bridge at the japanese garden gets the saturation boosted in order to bring out the rich colors. These options are not available with TrueHDR or the Apple HDR.

To my eye, the Apple HDR photo looks the best. In all of the others, the line of rocks is completely blown out and the detail is lost.

I suspect if you think TrueHDR and Apple's build HDR are "so close that it isn't worth arguing over", that maybe you need a new monitor or something.

They are very different in exposure and color values.

Which one is better is subjective, but that fact that they are quite different is not.

I must say I prefer the TrueHDR photo in the examples. It brings out the detail without loosing so much of the darks in the shadows which makes it more vibrant without going a bit unnatural like Pro HDR.

It would be helpful if you could also post a histogram with each picture so you could easily see whether the highlights are blown out or whether to expect any details in the shadows. A Histogram gives you more a more quantitative way to compare the different apps. Of course, that doesn't guarantee that the image you actually like is technically the best.

What keeps me from using the third party HDR apps is that they don't keep EXIF in the photos.