Ginger HDR

Hi! Welcome to the download page for Ginger HDR. Ginger HDR is a tonemapping plugin for After Effects and Premiere. You can download a 30-day trial today to try it out. If you like it, the full version is $199 USD, but it is ON SALE for $129 USD to early adopters who purchase it by March 31, 2012. We are in the process of activating the payments system and we should have it set up in a few days. A paid license gives you the right to have one user use Ginger HDR on up to 3 computers.

In addition to the After Effects/Premiere plugin, we have a program called the Merger which is offered as freeware. With the Merger, you can batch convert a sequence of stills from your camera into an EXR sequence. Also, for those of you using the Magic Lantern Firmware, the Merger uses optical flow to merge the underexposed and overexposed tracks into an HDR image. Alternatively, you can use optical flow but leave the two tracks separate for those of you who still want to blend the two tracks manually. Either way, the Merger is a freeware option for you.

How do I buy it?

Just purchase it from our Ginger HDR Store. You will receive your serial number shortly after your purchase.

HDR Tonemapping In After Effects

We're currently in the process of making new tutorial videos. These videos are a bit out of date and we'll have new ones for you shortly. But many of the concepts are the same so they can still help you get started with Ginger HDR.

  1. Film Curve Settings
  2. Color Adjustments
  3. Two Level Merge
  4. Local Adaptation
As a bonus, here is one more video that shows why we went backwards when we transitioned from film to digital. Ginger HDR: Filmic Curve Basics

HDR Timelapse Workflow

There's no video for this yet but the workflow is pretty dead simple. Just open the Merger and select Batch Merge RAW Timelapse. Then select the first file, the last file, the output directory, and how many shots you have in each bracketed set.

Magic Lantern HDR Workflow

Here is some information on the Magic Lantern workflow. You just specify your clips and your output directory and the Merger will convert the movie file to an EXR sequence. And for those of you who prefer direct blending you can do that too.

  1. Magic Lantern HDR: Merge to HDR
  2. Magic Lantern HDR: Direct Blending

Installation Instructions

For Mac and Windows the installation is mostly the same. For the Merger, all you have to do is unzip the folder and run it. To use the Ginger HDR plugin, you first have to run the LicenseManager which will let you start the trial or enter a serial number. Then you have to copy the plugin files into the correct After Effects/Premiere directory and you should be up and running.

No Internet Access?

Since some of you do not have internet access on your work machines (or IT blocks certain ports), there is going to be a web form that allows you to start trials and enter serial numbers. We are cleaning up some server configuration issues and it should be up and running in a few days.

Purchasing Terms and Licensing

Please be aware of the following terms before placing your order:

  1. When you purchase a serial number, you are entitled to have one user install Ginger HDR on up to 3 computers.
  2. You can get updated versions of Ginger HDR for up to one year following the purchase of your serial number.
  3. There is no Operating System restriction on the licenses. So you can install Ginger HDR on 3 Mac machines, 3 Windows machines, or a combination of both.
  4. We accept returns within 30 days of purchase. If you wish to make a return, please contact us directly via email.
  5. Unique computers are identified by their MAC address, so you will have to register the serial number with each computer's MAC address. This process is handled automatically by the LicenseManager, or you can do it manually via the web form (that is not up yet).
  6. Licenses can not be revoked or transferred, so make sure that you only activate your serial number for machines that you plan to use long-term.
  7. When you activate a serial number for the first time you are given a 60-day temporary license. After 40 days you can then get a permanent license. If you use the LicenseManager to automatically generate a license from your serial number then your license will be automatically transitioned to a permanent one. The reason why we do not give you a permanent license right away is to allow returns as well as to protect against fraud.

End-User License Agreement

By downloading Ginger HDR you are agreeing to the terms of the following End-User License Agreement: Ginger-HDR-EULA.pdf.

By the terms of hte EULA, The Ginger HDR plugin is a Trial Version when first downloaded and becomes a Standard Version when you successfully activate a serial number for a given computer. The Merger and associated files (Merger-win32, Merger-win64, Merger-mac32, Merger-mac64, and GingerQTServer-dont-run-me) are a Freeware Version.

If you agree to those terms, you can download the latest version here:

Windows: Ginger-HDR-Win-2012-03-18.zip

Mac: Ginger-HDR-Mac-2012-03-18.zip