All programs in the package exchange image data using unix pipes and a simple generic HDR image format – pfs. pfs in not just another format for storing HDR images (and there are already quite a few of them), but is rather an attempt to integrate the existing HDR image formats by providing a simple interface for exchanging data between applications.

pfstools is a base set of tools and more advanced functionality can be found in related packages, such as pfstmo (tone-mapping) or pfscalibration (recovery of camera response curve and merging multi-exposure LDR image). If you are not comfortable with a command line interface or you want to save yourself compilation problems, you may want to check Qtpfsgui, which packages some functionality of pfstmo and pfscalibration in a nice GUI interface.

Home Page: http://pfstools.sourceforge.net/
Project Page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/pfstools/
Language: C++
Platform: Linux, OS X, Windows
License: GNU Library or Lesser General Public License (LGPL)

Like other GUI front-ends, hugin provides an easy-to-use unified point-and-click interface to a whole range of other command-line tools including:

• autopano-sift, autopano-sift-C, panomatic or autopano for automatic creation of control points.
• nona for remapping input images and rendering output images.
• enblend and enfuse for seamless blending of output images.

The Hugin project’s mission is not only to provide a powerful GUI, but also to provide opensource replacements for the small number of closed source components of Panorama tools, especially PTStitcher. A PTStitcher replacement, called nona has been developed, supporting its most important features.

Among the many flexible Hugin workflow options, it is possible to correct exposure, Vignetting and White balance between photos; generate HDR or exposure blended output from bracketed photos; or use 16bit and HDR input data natively.

Home Page: http://hugin.sourceforge.net/
Project Page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/hugin/
Language: C++
Platform: Linux, OS X, Windows
License: GNU General Public License (GPL)

• Multi-Platform
• Playback both image sequences and movie files
• Support for industry standard file formats including Cineon, DPX, OpenEXR, and QuickTime
• Includes command line utilities for batch image processing

Home Page: http://djv.sourceforge.net/
Project Page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/djv/
Language: C++
Platform: Linux, Windows, OS X, Solaris
License: BSD

OpenEXR is used by ILM on all motion pictures currently in production. The first movies to employ OpenEXR were Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Men in Black II, Gangs of New York, and Signs. Since then, OpenEXR has become ILM’s main image file format.

OpenEXR’s features include:

• Higher dynamic range and color precision than existing 8- and 10-bit image file formats.
• Support for 16-bit floating-point, 32-bit floating-point, and 32-bit integer pixels. The 16-bit floating-point format, called “half”, is compatible with the half data type in NVIDIA’s Cg graphics language and is supported natively on their new GeForce FX and Quadro FX 3D graphics solutions.
• Multiple lossless image compression algorithms. Some of the included codecs can achieve 2:1 lossless compression ratios on images with film grain.
• Extensibility. New compression codecs and image types can easily be added by extending the C++ classes included in the OpenEXR software distribution. New image attributes (strings, vectors, integers, etc.) can be added to OpenEXR image headers without affecting backward compatibility with existing OpenEXR applications.

Home Page: http://www.openexr.com/
Project Page: http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/openexr/
Language: C++
Platform: Linux, Windows, OS X, etc
License: Modified BSD
Sponsor: ILM