Automatic bracket detection
MergeHDR watches your library for exposure-bracket sets shot seconds apart, spotting 3-, 5- and 7-frame AEB groups by their EXIF signature — no manual sorting, no missed brackets.
Merge HDR photos automatically — right from your library
MergeHDR watches your photo library, finds your exposure brackets, and offers the merge — you just approve.
Detect. Merge. Export.
01
Detect
MergeHDR quietly scans new photos in your library for exposure-bracket sets — 3, 5 or 7 frames shot seconds apart at different EVs — and flags every one it finds.
02
Merge
Review the set, choose alignment, a deghosting level and a tone-mapping style, then merge — every pixel processed right there on your Mac, iPhone or iPad.
03
Export
Save the full HDR result, or compress it straight to HEIC with the RAWtoHEIC (opens in a new tab) pipeline — ready for your library in seconds.
Why one exposure isn't enough
A bright midday sky and a shaded foreground can span more dynamic range than any camera sensor captures in a single frame. Expose for the sky and the foreground goes black; expose for the foreground and the sky burns out to white. That's why so many photographers shoot auto exposure bracketing — three, five or seven frames at different EVs, from two stops under to two stops over — capturing the shadows in one shot and the highlights in another. The catch is what happens next: combining bracketed exposures into one natural-looking image means hunting through your library for the frames that belong together, then merging them by hand in a separate app. MergeHDR skips the hunting. It finds every bracket set on its own and hands you a finished HDR image to approve.
Everything the merge needs
From finding the bracket set to shrinking the finished file, MergeHDR handles the whole chain — detection, alignment, deghosting, tone-mapping and export — so the only decision left to you is which look you like best.
Deghosting
Four deghosting sensitivity levels catch moving subjects, rippling water and windblown leaves, so a shifting scene between exposures merges cleanly instead of leaving ghostly outlines behind.
Alignment
Handheld brackets are welcome. MergeHDR aligns frames automatically, correcting the small shifts between shots — no tripod, no manual nudging, no wasted brackets.
Tone-mapping styles
Pick natural, vivid or dramatic tone-mapping, and switch styles after the merge is done — without reprocessing the whole bracket set from scratch.
HEIC export via the RAWtoHEIC pipeline
Export the full merged result, or compress it straight to HEIC using the same pipeline that already powers RAWtoHEIC (opens in a new tab) — smaller exports, same detail.
On-device privacy
Every merge runs on your Mac, iPhone or iPad. Nothing uploads, nothing syncs through a server — your photos never leave your device.
See the difference
One exposure vs. the merged result — drag the handle to compare, or use the arrow keys once it's focused.
Your photos never leave your device.
No cloud, no accounts, no uploads. Every merge — detection, alignment, deghosting and tone-mapping — runs locally on your Mac, iPhone or iPad. It works on a plane with no signal, and nobody but you ever sees the originals or the merged result. There's no server to breach, because there's no server involved: your bracket sets stay exactly where you shot them. The App Store privacy label reads what it should: Data Not Collected.
Questions, answered.
Does MergeHDR upload my photos?
No. Detection, merging and export all run on your device — Mac, iPhone or iPad. Nothing is uploaded, and there's no account or server involved.
How does automatic bracket detection work?
MergeHDR reads EXIF data as photos are added to your library, groups frames shot seconds apart at different exposure values, and flags 3-, 5- or 7-frame sets as brackets ready to merge.
What's the RAWtoHEIC connection?
MergeHDR shares its export pipeline with our other app, RAWtoHEIC (opens in a new tab), so a merged HDR result can be compressed straight to a space-saving HEIC file on export.
Merge your first bracket set today.
Free to try, on-device by design — unlimited saves are $19.99 once or $9.99/year on iPhone, iPad and Mac.