Today’s Question: Is there a way to batch process several images for an HDR [high dynamic range] merge in Lightroom Classic?
Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can batch process bracketed photos into high dynamic range (HDR) images by first stacking the images and collapsing the stacks.
More Detail: I think it is well known that you can assemble HDR images in Lightroom Classic. However, it is a bit of a “hidden feature” that you can process HDR images in batch as well. This can obviously provide some workflow efficiency, and can also be very helpful for being better able to review the images to find your favorites without having to try to interpret the original bracketed exposures.
Batch processing for HDR is only supported for stacks of images, so you’ll first need to group the bracketed exposures into stacks. You can do this manually by selecting the images for a stack, right-clicking on one of the selected images, and choosing Stacking > Group into Stack from the popup menu. You can also potentially stack the images automatically by using the menu command Photo > Stacking > Auto-Stack by Capture Time.
You also need to collapse the stacks, which can be done by choosing Photo > Stacking > Collapse All Stacks from the menu. Then select the stacsk, and initiate the batch HDR processing by choosing Photo > Photo Merge > HDR from the menu.
Note that the processing for the selected stacks will be handled automatically, with no option to adjust the settings for the batch processing. The Auto-Align feature will be enabled for all images, but the Deghost option will be disabled. The Adobe DNG files for the assembled HDR images will be added to the top of each stack that was processed.
And for those wondering, in anticipation of a follow-up question, yes, you can perform the same batch processing for panoramic images using the exact same steps above in conjunction with the menu command Photo > Photo Merge > Panorama.
