HDR merge in Photoshop within layers (not open files)

Is there a way to merge HDR photos in Photoshop while all photos are in layers in one open file? Or is there a plugin for this? I prefer to do my own HDR merge in Photoshop with layer masks and actions since I never thought the built in merging is good enough. However, I feel like the teqnique nowadays for HDR merging should be pretty good to start from, and combine the AI merge with my own merge action should make the best result. 

I want to open all brackets for one photo in layers in Photoshop and then play an action that can make an HDR merge of all those photos, but at the same time keep the originals so that I have full control of what to merge myself. 

I've tried the HDR merge in Lightroom, but theres a lot of extra time and work to merge them there - then open them in Photoshop to do my own merge with layermasks for full control of whats in the image - rather than do it all at once in one acton in Photoshop. 

Please let me know your tricks! 😄