What HDRsoft does

HDRsoft Ltd is a privately held, founder-owned software company founded in February 2003 and headquartered in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, with a distributed remote team across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The company develops the Photomatix family of High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography software, originally pioneered as the world's first consumer HDR application and used by hundreds of thousands of photographers worldwide over its 22-year history. Its products merge bracketed exposures into HDR images using proprietary rendering styles (Exposure Fusion, Details Enhancer, Contrast Optimizer, Tone Compressor, Tone Balancer) with features including automatic alignment, selective deghosting, batch processing with previews, and 32-bit file output (DNG, OpenEXR, TIFF, Radiance RGBE).

The product portfolio centers on Photomatix Pro ($99 perpetual desktop license for Windows/Mac), Photomatix Essentials, the HDR Merge Batch Plugin for Adobe Lightroom ($69), Photomatix for Linux ($49), a Tone Mapping Plugin for Adobe Photoshop, and the PhotomatixCL command-line tool. Distribution is multi-channel: direct e-commerce from hdrsoft.com, authorized resellers including B&H Photo, third-party e-commerce platforms FastSpring and BlueSnap, the Apple App Store for mobile, and deep integrations into Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One. In February 2025 the company launched a developer-facing Photomatix API & CLI with subscription pricing from $19/month, introducing its first recurring-revenue stream alongside the dominant one-time license model.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time perpetual software licenses supplemented by academic discounts, mobile in-app purchases (Photomatix Real Estate Camera iPhone app), and the new API subscription. Primary customer segments are real estate photographers (the lead vertical, supported by specialized presets for interior window exposure), landscape and architectural photographers, professional and hobbyist photographers, and DIY real estate agents. HDRsoft operates as a bootstrapped entity with no disclosed external funding, no acquisitions, and no parent company; it continues to release regular product updates across desktop, plugin, mobile, and API surfaces.

Name

HDRsoft

Legal name

HDRsoft Ltd

Website

https://hdrsoft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HDRsoft is a privately held, founder-owned UK software company that develops the Photomatix family of HDR photography tools — desktop applications, Lightroom and Capture One plugins, mobile apps, and a 2025-launched developer API — serving real estate, architectural, and landscape photographers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HDR Photo Editing Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Color Management & Imaging for VFX (ACES, HDR, Plates/DI Interop) (MPAHABAI)

Keywords

• HDR photo editing
• Bracketed exposure merging
• Real estate photography software
• Photography plugin tools
• Image processing software

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: One-time perpetual license purchases for desktop applications including Photomatix Pro ($99), HDR Batch Plugin for Lightroom ($69), and Photomatix for Linux ($49)
2. API Subscription: Monthly subscription starting at $19/month for programmatic HDR merge API access for developers
3. Mobile App Purchase: In-app purchase for Photomatix Real Estate Camera app ($9.99 to remove watermark)
4. Academic Licensing: Discounted academic pricing including 60% discount for standard academic, 75% for photography students, and complimentary licenses for photography teachers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HDRsoft develops and sells HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography software under the Photomatix brand, enabling photographers to merge multiple bracketed exposures into a single HDR image that retains detail in both shadows and highlights. The portfolio includes desktop applications for Windows, Mac, and Linux; plugins for Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One; a command-line tool; a developer API; and iOS mobile apps for real estate photography and exposure calculation.

Product overview

HDRsoft offers a portfolio of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography software products centered around the Photomatix brand. The core product is Photomatix Pro ($99 one-time purchase), a standalone Windows/Mac application for merging bracketed exposures into HDR images with multiple rendering styles and batch processing. Supporting products include HDR Merge Batch Plugin for Lightroom ($69), Tone Mapping Plugin for Photoshop, Photomatix for Linux ($49), and PhotomatixCL command line tool. Developer access is available via Photomatix API & CLI at $19/month subscription. Mobile offerings include Photomatix Real Estate Camera iPhone app (free with $9.99 watermark removal) and HDR Exposures Calculator iOS app. All products leverage HDR photography techniques to capture detail in high contrast scenes where standard photography fails.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Photomatix Pro: Flagship HDR software for Windows & Mac with full suite of HDR tools and batch processing capabilities.
• Photomatix Essentials
• HDR Merge Batch Plugin
• Photomatix Real Estate Camera
• Photomatix for Linux
• PhotomatixCL
• HDR Exposures Calculator

Products and services

• Photomatix Pro Flagship HDR software for Windows and Mac that merges bracketed photos into HDR images capturing detail in both shadows and highlights. Includes batch processing with preview, selective deghosting, over 40 professional presets, real estate photography presets, six HDR rendering styles, and native M1 support. Sold as a $99 one-time perpetual license.
• HDR Merge Batch Plugin for Lightroom Export plugin for Adobe Lightroom that exports bracketed photos to Photomatix Pro for HDR merging and automatically reimports the processed HDR image. Supports 32-bit DNG, TIFF, and OpenEXR output. Sold as a $69 one-time purchase.
• Photomatix for Linux Linux version of the Photomatix HDR software, including a batch single photos tool and advanced preset options. Version 3 adds a Flatpak installation option. Sold as a $49 one-time license.
• Photomatix Essentials Entry-level HDR software aimed at photographers new to HDR photography. Limited to merging up to 5 images, includes realistic-looking Tone Mapping and Finishing Touch options.
• Tone Mapping Plugin for Photoshop Plugin for Adobe Photoshop CC that brings Photomatix HDR tone mapping capabilities directly into the Photoshop workflow.
• PhotomatixCL (Command Line) Command-line tool for HDR merging and processing, enabling automated HDR workflows. Version 8 added support for HDR merging from image URLs.
• Photomatix API & CLI Online API and CLI providing programmatic access to Photomatix HDR merging and processing capabilities. Targeted at developers and businesses needing automated HDR processing. Subscription-based pricing starting at $19/month.
• Photomatix Real Estate Camera iPhone app for capturing high-quality real estate photos without photography expertise. Uses HDR technology optimized for real estate interiors with lighting presets, brightness/contrast adjustments, crop tool for MLS ratios, and straightening. Free to download; $9.99 in-app purchase removes watermark.
• HDR Exposures Calculator iOS app and web tool that calculates optimal exposures for photographing high contrast scenes based on two metering readings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 photos processed in less than an hour with complete color and lighting accuracy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• StripeminorOthersPayment processing partner for credit card transactions. HDRsoft contributes 1% of Stripe-processed sales to CO2 removal via climate.stripe.com.
• AdobecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership with Adobe Lightroom (via HDR Merge Batch Plugin) and Capture One. Plugin allows export of bracketed photos to Photomatix Pro for HDR processing with automatic reimport.
• PayPalminorOthersAlternative payment processing option for software purchases with separate privacy policy coverage.
• B&H PhotocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized reseller for Photomatix Pro 7 and Photomatix Essentials 4 digital downloads.
• FastSpringminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE-commerce reseller for international purchase processing and tax compliance.
• BlueSnapminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE-commerce reseller for international purchase processing with separate privacy policy coverage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• B&H Photo: B&H Photo is a key authorized reseller of Photomatix Pro and Essentials. As a distribution partner rather than a competitor, B&H is included as a strategic channel peer relevant to HDRsoft's go-to-market.

Direct peers

• ON1: ON1 Photo RAW is a non-destructive photo editor with HDR merging and tone mapping capabilities, sold via perpetual license similar to Photomatix Pro. Targets the same enthusiast/professional photographer segment with feature overlap in batch processing and presets.
• ACDSee: ACDSee Photo Studio is a long-standing photo editing and asset management suite with HDR merging capabilities, sold as perpetual licenses. Comparable positioning to Photomatix Pro in the enthusiast/prosumer photography market.
• Skylum: Skylum develops Luminar Neo and previously Aurora HDR, the most direct HDR-merging competitor to Photomatix Pro. Both target enthusiast and professional photographers with similar one-time and subscription pricing and overlapping rendering-style capabilities.
• CyberLink: CyberLink PhotoDirector includes HDR effects and tone mapping aimed at enthusiast photographers. Comparable consumer-grade pricing and feature set create overlap with Photomatix Essentials in the hobbyist segment.
• Affinity (Canva): Affinity Photo offers professional photo editing with HDR merge and tone mapping at a one-time license price. Its aggressive pricing and Serif/Canva distribution make it a meaningful alternative for Photomatix's enthusiast customer base.
• Topaz Labs: Topaz Labs sells AI-driven photo enhancement suites (DeNoise, Sharpen, Gigapixel, Photo AI) that increasingly overlap with HDRsoft's adjustment and enhancement workflows. Both serve enthusiast and professional photographers with perpetual licenses and similar price points.
• DxO: DxO PhotoLab and the Nik Collection include HDR-style tone mapping and image processing aimed at enthusiast and professional photographers. Comparable perpetual licensing model and integration with Lightroom create direct workflow overlap with Photomatix.

Broad incumbents

• Capture One (Phase One): Capture One is a professional raw processor and HDR-aware editing platform. It is both an HDRsoft integration partner (via the Capture One plugin) and a broader competitor for the high-end photographer workflow.
• Adobe: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop bundle HDR merge and tone mapping into a broader creative cloud ecosystem. While a strategic partner via the HDR Merge Batch Plugin, Adobe is also the largest competitive threat because its HDR functionality is included in millions of subscriptions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hdrsoft
• Facebookfacebook.com/HDRsoft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hdrsoft-sarl
• Xx.com/hdrsoft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HDRsoft