Creaceed (http://www.creaceed.com/) has updated Hydra, a Mac OS X
10.5 ("Leopard") tool for HDR image creation, to version 2.1.2. The
new version is ready for Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard").

Hydra is a software that gives human eye perception to photography by
creating high dynamic range (HDR) images from a series of regular
photographies, either from DSLRs or traditional point-and-shoot
cameras, according to Raphael Sebbe of Creaceed. The software uses a
number of regular photographies with different expositions (darker
and lighter photos) to create a superior one which is much closer to
what one's eye can see, he adds. This image is also known as a high
dynamic range, or HDR, image because a single photography can't
represent the full gamut of light due to physical limitations of the
sensor.

You don't have to use a tripod for Hydra images as is usually the
case with HDR softwares. Hydra uses the same warping algorithm as
Morph Age, which permits the alignment of images with offsets beyond
a few pixels. This is a unique feature that means you can take photos
anywhere without a tripod to later blend them in Hydra, Sebbe says.

Hydra costs US$79.95. Version 2.1.2 is a free update for registered
users of version 2.x.