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Eren-montreal
Eren-montreal
Participating Frequently
February 2, 2026
Question

Exporting HDR from Lightroom classic

  • February 2, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

Adobe has an out of date article on exporting HDR from Lightroom classic. https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/lightroom-classic/help/hdr-output.html.

 

I would like to export from Lightroom classic on Windows to iPhone users while keeping HDR intact. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it best to use AVIF or JPG XL (or something else)?

 

Is there a difference between the color spaces in terms of their HDR support or is that not relevant? 

 

It may also simply not be possible even when the destination for export images is the most recent version of iOS but checking here in case someone knows a way to do it.

    2 replies

    Conrad_C
    Community Expert
    Conrad_CCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2026

    I’m not an HDR expert but that article looks current to me. Its screen shots of the HDR Output options in the Export dialog box are present in Lightroom Classic 15.1.1.

     

    A great source of information about Adobe HDR workflows is Greg Benz’s website and YouTube channel. He has researched, tested, and written about many of these issues, and he uses Windows. These are some of his articles that may be relevant to your question:

    Which software supports display of HDR photos? (gain maps, etc) “Safari / WebKit added extensive HDR support in the MacOS/iOS/iPadOS v26 updates.”

    HDR Setup and Troubleshooting

    Apple Safari now supports HDR photography!

    Safari has the most comprehensive support of any browser for HDR file formats, including:

    JPG (requires gain map – supports ISO as well as the legacy Android / Apple encodings)
    AVIF (with or without ISO gain map)
    JXL (without gain map)
    HEIF (with or without Apple gain map – I did not test ISO gain maps)
    PNG (encoded as PQ – I have not tested PNG gain maps)
    It is notable that all important formats may be used with a gain map (as that is ideal to ensure best results on any display not supporting the full encoding of the HDR image). The support for JXL, HEIF, and PNG is also notable as Safari is the only browser currently offering this.

    The following do not currently appear to be supported as HDR: TIF with gain map, 32-bit TIF (though the TIF will show as SDR), JXL with ISO gain map.

     

    Also, if you haven’t read the Adobe blog article on the current HDR features, it’s definitely recommended reading. The HDR images in the article work fine in Safari on my iPhone. 

    High Dynamic Range Explained

     

    Eren-montreal
    Eren-montrealAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    February 3, 2026

    Thank you, I'll go through all of these and see what the best way is to export. 

    Eren-montreal
    Eren-montrealAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    February 3, 2026

    Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for! Specifically this section:

     

    Notable gaps in HDR photo support:

    • iMessage can share Apple-encoded gain maps as HDR (those captured with your phone), but do not keep HDR when sharing a gain map with the official ISO encoding you would use when exporting any edited image (such as from Lightroom).
    • iCloud sync similarly does not retain ISO gain maps.
    • AirPlay / TvOS Photos app, as of v26. (DolbyVision HDR video is supported().
    • Finder thumbnails do not show HDR for gain maps (TIF and EXR are supported, and QuickLook supports gain maps).
    • custom ICC profiles (as there is no standard yet, see profiling / calibration info).
    D
    dj_paige
    Legend
    February 2, 2026

    Please explain why you say it is out of date. What part is out of date and incorrect? This could be a completely correct article.

     

    iPhones support taking HDR photos, so I can’t imagine that it doesn’t support displaying HDR photos. What happens when you try? Please tell us.

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