P: Ability to batch process Photo Merge (HDR and panorama)

HDR merge needs a batching ability.
It takes me hours to do what I can setup and walk away from with other hdr batching tools.
I suggest being able to stack and then batch HDR merge all selected stacks.
I also suggest an option to force LR to process one HDR image at a time so that the processor is not slammed and so that I can continue working on other images (perhaps the ones already merged...) while LR keeps batching.

If you are processing 30+ hdr merges it takes ages using what we have now.

So I LOVE the natural results of the latest Lightroom's HDR, but IT IS LIGHTROOM!!! WHY didn't you create a batch process for the HDR? I am wasting so much time doing bracketed set by bracketed set! Lightroom is all about streamlining workflow, so Why wouldn't there be a batch process for the HDR? PLEASE, look into this, and see what can be done to add this feature!!! You will make my YEAR, as I love the HDR results better than ANY other program that does HDR!!

I really like the DNG output file that Lightroom CC's new Photo Merge HDR generates but there are some improvements I would love to see added to the tool in order to make it a more viable solution than the LR/Enfuse Plugin.

For context, on any given day I will retouch 100 - 300+ high quality real estate & architecture photos per day and although quality is my highest priority, efficiency is extremely important to me and I've come across a few challenges with the new tool with what I think would be simple solutions. I have been testing the Photo Merge Tools since the day it has come out, I have been timing myself and comparing end products. After all this time I have gathered my feedback and I hope it proves valuable to the developers.

1. There's no batch mode. In LR/Enfuse all you have to do is select all of your stacks, hit Enfuse and it will automatically run through all of the stacks in the background. This is the number 1 feature I desperately want in Photo Merge's HDR. With a batch mode it allows me to open another property to prep the files or be working in Photoshop on other images while the batch is running.

2. The auto-align feature doesn't make sense. From what I've seen, the auto-align seems to average the pixels when the images have shifted. Because this new HDR feature and every other fusion app/plugin seems to slightly over-compensate I almost always selectively layer back the base exposure in Photoshop to bring back a more natural flow of light. With LR/Enfuse, the auto-align always aligns the exposures to the primary image in the stack. This makes re-layering possible without any ghosting or the need to manually align the spares once more.

3. Preview is slow and unnecessary. I don't understand why I have to wait an unreasonable amount of time to see the preview before I can click on the merge button. I do not know if this is the same for everyone's computer but mine takes an equal amount of time to generate the preview as it does to make the file. Essentially this doubles the amount of time I have to wait when I could be doing something productive. I do not find the preview to be necessary unless I am toggling the de-ghosting but otherwise I would like an option to just toggle preview on and off to avoid the extra waiting time.
**POST EDIT: I saw in another thread that holding down Shift will skip the preview step**

All in all, I love working with the DNG compared to a flattened 16bit TIFF that the other applications output. With some minor additions to Photo Merge HDR I would say that this will be one of the best blending applications out there for retouching real estate & architecture images. Batch mode! Please make a batch mode! 🙂

I began using HDR back in 2009, specifically Photomatix. I have used HDR as part or all of my workflow for architectural and interior photography. I have tried every HDR merging product out there and have always gone back to Photomatix... until Lightroom HDR.

The new Lightroom HDR creates the most accurate, realistic blends I have ever seen. The results are amazingly accurate, especially because the merged file is a .dng and not a .tif. The control I have over the blended image is phenominal. I still have access to the color profiles and can white balance more accurately. I use it mainly for Interior photography and Twilight.

But even with the power the new Lightroom HDR possesses, on low budget Real Estate jobs, I find myself going back to Photomatix because I can batch process photography and not have to sit around to individually initiate each image blend!
In a crunch situation, Lightroom HDR takes way too to process.

Please add batching to this incredible new function of Lightroom. I have specific workflow ideas and would be happy to provide feedback.

+1 for Batch HDR Merging - it's essential for Timelapse shooters!

Batch HDR please. Tks.

I'm in the same camp as everyone here - especially Alex Hale, as my photography is in the same field. I'll end up babysitting my computer all day SHIFT+ALT+M, then deleting the NEF files and moving on each time I'm 'allowed' to.

It would be so much better if these were placed in a queue so that I could set it up and let it go without interaction.

I've been doing this, and it helps (SHIFT+ALT+M); however, I cannot seem to run more than 2 merges at a time and they run together -- not queued. If ACR/LR would allow this same action to happen in a proper queue, it would be perfect.

Batch processes HDRs would greatly help speed up my workflow.
shooting realestate and business interiors I often shot 20 hdrs or more. so being able to merge them in a batch would be great.
Fingers crossed

HDR Merge - It would be great to be able to stack similar images and run a process that merges all scripts automatically. There's too much wait time. I don't always have the same number of images to merge. If I could stack images I want to use and then use a script that says, "Find stacks", Merge all stacks in selection. I'd love to be able to walk away while that's running or multi-task.