DynaRaw 2.0 has been thoroughly revamped. Existing features have been refined and expanded: for example, you can now choose how strongly to apply Apple’s default preset, from 0 to 100%. The biggest addition is Tonal Blending: a different way to balance shadows, midtones and highlights.
Three exposures, one RAW file
When there is a large difference between light and dark, capturing every detail in a single photograph can be difficult. Our eyes constantly adapt to the lighting conditions. A camera captures an image using a single combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. As a result, highlights may be blown out, or shadows may contain too little information. Brightening dark areas also often reveals noise.
Conventional RAW converters let you adjust exposure, shadows and highlights from a single base rendition. How these corrections interact is not always clear. An adjustment can therefore also affect tones you want to preserve.
Tonal Blending in DynaRaw 2.0 takes a different approach. You combine three exposure versions of the same RAW file. First, you set the base exposure for the main subject. Then you adjust separate versions for the shadows and highlights. Adjustable masks let you blend these into a single image.
This gives you control over how much each version contributes and how strongly the surrounding tones are affected. The result can resemble HDR, without requiring multiple shots.
Getting the exposure right when taking the photograph remains essential. Tonal Blending can reveal existing detail, but it cannot recover information that was never captured. Particularly in high-contrast scenes, DynaRaw gives you greater control over the balance between light and dark.
Less noise, a smoother workflow
For users with Apple Silicon, DynaRaw 2.0 adds AI noise reduction, primarily targeting noise in shadow areas.
Integration with other software has also been improved. You can export directly to Photoshop or Affinity, with your choice of colour space. Presets let you save your favourite settings for reuse. The 16-bit output preserves subtle tonal transitions and provides flexibility for further editing.
DynaRaw 2.0 is now available on the Mac App Store.