Work HDR magic with contrast alone

Contrast control over a digital photo is a powerful tool. If you don't believe that, take a gander at ContrastMaster. The plug-in, which works in a variety of image editors--such as Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop Elements, and others--and platforms--both PCs and Macintoshes--gives imagesmiths amazing control over the details in a photo, and with that control, the ability to create some eye-popping pictures. It's even possible, according to the program's authors, to produce High Dynamic Range effects without the HDR overhead. The application is designed with six skill levels to accommodate a gamut of knowledge from novice to professional. The program costs $69.95, but demo versions of the software for both Windows and OS X can be downloaded from the Plugin Site.