Are the HDR Lite shots you are showing taken from a series of RAWs or one RAW processed with different exposures?
Short answer: one RAW conversion tiff image adjusted for simulated RGB multiple exposures is my preference.
Long answer [also perhaps a partial response to Cliff's request, see (1)-->(4) below], i.e.,
Thoughts on a PWP -- SNS-HDR Lite workflow:
Because spontaneous nature/landscape images tend to have handheld camera and/or subject movements, I prefer to use a single RAW conversion image file [16-bit, 48-bit color tiff] where:
(1) the initial Raw File Settings are: gamma 2.20; contrast Medium Expansion; profile None; camera WB; color sRGB; and interpolation AHD;
(2) the Raw file is converted in the Raw Dialog with essentially no HSV/HSL edits other than Gray tab exposure shift to the right with the Histogram set to high resolution to avoid highlight clipping remembering that this is a HSV-V histogram so shift to only 98% rather than 100%. Leave the contrast and gamma settings "as is". I will sometimes do a USM Local Contrast Enhancement sharpening with settings: Amount 15 to 20; Radius 40; and Threshold 0. Click OK, then...
(3) ...use a RGB BrightnessCurve with a highlight protection Mask and High Histogram Resolution to set the white, black points, and shadow/midtone contrasts/brightnesses on the resulting(2) image.
[note: this step ensures that the maximum amount of image data is retained and that no R, G, or B channel clipping occurs]
(4) The resulting(3) image is the base image from which two other images are created: one with a RGB BrightnesCurve gamma curve = [0,0], [22,50], [100,100] applied and one with a RGB BrightnessCurve gamma curve = [0,0], [50,22], [100,100] applied.
[note: the suggested curves effectively double 2.20 gamma expands and linearizes the base image]
(5) Take the three image icons of (4): base; base+gamma; and base-gamma; and drop them on the SNS-HDR Lite application icon where the icon Target Properties are: "C:\Program Files\SNS-HDR Lite\SNS-HDR.exe" -da -dd -srgb -default -tiff16 ...
[note: the program's alignment and de-ghosting functions are disabled to prevent 1:1 registration errors that can sometimes occur when using multiple versions of the same image]
(6) The resulting(5) image choices:
....
(a) Composite-Blend with the base image to a preference Amount perhaps limited to the mid-tones by a tone range Mask;
....
(b) Extract the HSV-V channel of the resulting(5) image and Combine it with the Extract-ed base image's HSV-H and HSV-S channels;
....
(c) apply a preference Amount of Hi-Impact sRGB ColorCorrection or ElieD's Velvia ColorCorrection to the resulting(5) image [ref:
http://www.dl-c.com/discus/messages/2/11025.html];
....
(d) if the resulting(5) image has too much noise due to SNS-HDR Lite's micro-contrast processing in large low contrast image areas, try reducing it with the BilateralSharpen transform with a preference Amount; BlurRadius = 5; BlurThreshold = 5; SharpenFactor = 20; and SharpenThreshold = 1; and an image area Mask; or
....
(e) leave "as is".
(7) perform a 'crop for composition'.
(8) perform preference final tone/color adjustments [perhaps Color Balance of black point, mid-tones (add a warming or cooling color cast), and white point.].
(9) perform preference 'Creative' Sharpening.
