P: (Desktop) Please add Merge to HDR

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It looks like the new version of Lightroom CC no longer has the ability to merge photos into an HDR.  Are there any plans of adding this back in, or is this a push to use Photoshop CC to perform the merges instead?

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

Lightroom Classic is the updated version of Lightroom that still has all the old features, including merge.

The new Lightroom CC app is only at 1.0, but I'd be very surprised if it didn't gain merge in a future update. It just would have taken 10 years to ship if they added every Lightroom feature!

[joshuabury]

You are correct that the new version of Lightroom CC does not currently include Merge functionality (HDR and Pano) at this time. However, the same merge operations that are in Lightroom Classic CC are also in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

First, you will need to save your originals out so that you can get them into ACR using "Save To..." in the File menu in Lightroom CC. At that point, the easiest way to get the images into ACR is to navigate to your exported photos in Bridge CC, select the images you want to merge, then choose "Open in Camera Raw" from the File menu. Once in ACR, select the images you want to merge, then right-click on one of the thumbnails and choose "Merge to HDR..." or "Merge to Panorama...".

Josh

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Thank you for the workaround Joshua!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

How are you supposed to merge panorama pics if all you have is Lightroom?  Clearly these functionalities have been in the product before, and a panorama is an incredibly important feature.  Do I have to locate and install Lightroom Classic?

[JohanElzenga]

If you can download Lightroom Classic, then you have the Photographers Plan that includes Photoshop. If you have the Lightroom CC plan (only Lightroom CC and 1 TB storage) then you can't use Lightroom Classic either (except as trial for a short period).

[trevor98712893]

Add the HDR and Pano merge features from the other version of LR. This feature is unique to LR and its the reason some people stay with LR. RAW HDR and merge tools don't seem to exist elsewhere.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Hi Josh,

I'm a new user to Lightroom CC As this was my first foray into the Lightroom product line I was very surprised to find that I'm not able to merge HDR photos with the software as this was one of the features that I was expecting from Lightroom. 

I've tried the workaround that you suggested above, however I get the following error: Camera Raw editing is not enabled. Camera Raw editing requires that a qualifying product has been launched at least once to enable this feature. 

I have the following Adobe software installed on my computer: Elements, Lightroom CC and Premier Pro CC. 

Please let me know hoe I can either access this Camera Raw program or otherwise process HRD merging.

Thanks,

Rod

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

No, that's not possible if you don't have Photoshop or similar. The trial of Lightroom Classic might be able to do it though. It's not an ideal workflow, however, and hopefully it won't take too long for HDR merge to be added to CC.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Please Please Please add this.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

been using LR cc now for 3months but, some of the options on my LR is not functioning, like if I want to merge photos or doing panoramas, please help me fix this thanks

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Any news on the HDR and Pano features? eagerly waiting.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Same here... 

[lba294]

Here too!

[blueveek]

I would be extremely happy with a merge to HDR in CC as well! It’s less of an issue now with the amazing color profiles, where if I +2EV an image’s exposure in Lighroom it looks completely identical to a photo I took 2 stops over exposed (at least on Nikon bodies). This makes manual exposure blending a breeze, but I’d still prefer it if it was done automatically 🙂

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

To enable Camera Raw editing in Bridge, you need an active subscription of Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC. 

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

The help files all show how to merge photos but LR cc that I've downloaded do not have the function.  Please point that out in the help file.  I really hope you will include that shortly in the package.

[ssprengel]

There are now two products, a desktop version called LR Classic CC that is the old LR CC, and a new LR CC where the images are in the cloud and it's functionality isn't all there, yet.

If you want the Merge to HDR function you should be using the LR Classic CC version.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Thank you, can I change from LR CC to LR Classic CC or must I add the Classic version?

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

You can switch to the Photography Plan to move to Classic - talk to customer services and they can switch you over.

[miked76040984]

I know there are HDR workarounds (either using Classic or Raw) available, but it would be helpful if the ability to open multiple images for editing simultaneously in Photoshop directly from CC was made available, at least until such functionality is added to CC. (That was my preferred method of doing HDR merges in the old version anyway, rather than the internal one.)

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Check out the just-released version 2.2 with Merge to Panorama and HDR!  https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/using/whats-new.html

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Great!