should i use hdr or photoshop masking>??

[Phtoo]

when combing multiple exposures for interior and exterior architecture shots, my method has been to import each exposure onto multiple photoshop layers then mask in areas from each exposure. it seems to give results, but is hdr a better/ industry standard way to approach this?

 

[Judobreaker]

Technically speaking you should be able to do the same with masking as you can with HDR. An HDR tool however is usually better as it is built for this purpose and is able to combine the correct data automatically.

 

[skieur]

HDR is faster but a fine touch with adjustments is necessary in order to avoid the "over-cooked" look.

 

[jaguaraz]

I would agree. A quality HDR program can speed up your workflow. I have not used the HDR module in CS6 but have heard it is a big improvement over earlier versions. I use Photomatix but often import the result into PS along with single images to tweak parts.

 

[CA_]

if your images are at all out of alignment, the HDR programs generally have pretty sophisticated algorithms for correcting it, and doing a lot of other otherwise time consuming tasks very quickly.