Quote - Photoshop handles HDRs just fine these days. No special tools required.

At several hundred pounds for a copy, you could argue that Photoshop itself is a special tool ... HDR support isn't found in many cheaper alternatives.

Quote - You'll always get artifacts and noise when playing with a tiny jpeg downloaded from the web, though.

It's not the resolution so much as the lack of dynamic range, which affects high resolution images in jpeg format too.

Postworking GC is fine if you have the tools and the skill and the time. Render GC is pretty good for those who don't.

Oh, and David's point is valid too: while the GC'd versions are clearly more accurate, the non-GC'd original does have a certain eerie and slightly ominous artistic impact ...

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