Adobe Lightroom Classic and Lightroom include Photo Merge › HDR. You select a bracket, choose Auto Align and a Deghost amount (None, Low, Medium or High), and Lightroom writes a 32-bit floating-point DNG that you then edit like any RAW file. It comes with Adobe’s Photography plan subscription.
The merge is only the first step. Bringing back window views, balancing mixed lighting and setting the overall look is up to you, using Lightroom’s sliders and masks or presets you have built.
| Lightroom HDR Merge | CasaVivid | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Included with an Adobe Photography plan subscription | Free during open beta |
| Runs on | Desktop (Lightroom Classic / Lightroom) | Web browser; processing in the cloud |
| Output of the merge | 32-bit DNG that you then edit | Finished 8-bit JPEG listing photo |
| Batch a whole shoot | You can merge sets without opening the dialog, but each bracket still has to be grouped and the results edited | Yes. Upload a whole shoot and brackets are grouped automatically |
| Window view | Manual, using masks and local adjustments | Automatic window pull (on by default, can be switched off) |
| Perspective | Upright (Auto, Vertical, Guided and more) on any photo | Automatic on interiors only; a single on/off switch, no guided mode |
| Works offline | Yes | No. Photos are uploaded |
When Lightroom is the better choice
Lightroom gives you a bigger lens-profile library, Upright perspective tools that also work on exteriors, and full control of the edit. If you already have a Lightroom preset and masking routine you like, and editing time isn’t the bottleneck, it is hard to beat. The 32-bit DNG also leaves the most room for heavy grading.
When CasaVivid is the better choice
CasaVivid is built for the real-estate case where 30 to 60 brackets per shoot need the same fixes every time: windows pulled, casts removed, rooms brightened. It does those fixes automatically, with no masking. You upload the shoot and download finished photos.
Where CasaVivid fits
CasaVivid is a web app made for real-estate photographers who shoot bracketed interiors and exteriors every day. You upload the whole shoot, RAW or JPEG. It groups the brackets, merges each set, brings back the view through bright windows, evens out colour casts from mixed lighting, and gives you finished listing photos. Staging and AI edits are in the same project.
Perspective correction (straightening leaning walls and converging verticals) runs automatically on interior photos and can be switched off. It is not applied to exteriors or to drone shots, where it was more likely to tilt a good frame than fix it.
It is in open beta and free to use while the beta lasts. It is not a general-purpose HDR tool: there are no tone-mapping operators to choose from, and no 32-bit output for further grading.
FAQ
- Can I keep editing CasaVivid output in Lightroom?
- Yes. Download the merged JPEGs and import them, but there is no 32-bit or RAW output to grade from.