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Daniel38198224rt06
Participant
October 27, 2024
Question

How do I share HDR images from iOS?

  • October 27, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 1250 views

Lightroom for iOS lets me edit in HDR (although I have to use the macOS app if I want to merge bracketed shots). I haven't figured out how to show the results to anyone else on iOS, though:

 

  • AVIF files support HDR, and I can see them properly once exported to Photos, but are sent as non-image files in Messages
  • JXL files support HDR, and I can see them properly in Photos, but they do not seem to survive being sent in Messages: the other user sees a washed out, compressed range rather than an expanded one
  • JPEG with gain maps aren't supported by iOS

 

HDR is a bit of a lonely experience. It is frustrating that the one format properly supported by iOS (HEIC) is not an export format for Lightroom.

 

Does anyone have a reasonable solution to share HDR images with friends?

 

    1 reply

    C
    Charlie.D
    Inspiring
    October 28, 2024

    Hi @Daniel38198224rt06 

    It is still relatively early days for HDR display, in that certain standards must be met by both display hardware and also software.

     

    Please see this help doc: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/using/hdr-output.html 

    Specifically, the section "Other apps" mentioned more recent versions of Chrome (v116 or newer) will support AVIF.  I do not believe that includes Chrome on Mobile yet.  If you look at the help pages index while this page above is loaded, you will see supplemental pages for Lightroom iOS and Android.

    D
    Daniel38198224rt06Author
    Participant
    October 28, 2024

    Thanks for the help page. I've read that, but I was hoping there was something I'd missed. As you said, Chrome on mobile doesn't support HDR, so that's a non-starter. Even if it did, it isn't reasonable to ask most people to install a browser to view an image. 

    C
    Charlie.D
    Inspiring
    October 28, 2024

    Support for any new functionality starts on the platform level.  Adobe continues to work with industry partners to develop and adopt new standards.  

    Recently there are been the following progress:

    • MacOS 15 and iOS 18 support ISO HDR Gain Maps (JPEG, AVIF, HEIF).
    • MacOS 15 supports HDR in the following ways, per Apple's recent Keynote:
      • JXL (JXL files with HDR only, no gain map)
      • JPEG + ISO Gain Map (base = SDR)
      • AVIF + ISO Gain Map (base = SDR)
    • Google Chrome 129 will support ISO HDR Gain Maps (JPEG, AVIF).  It released this month.
    • Android 15 adds ISO 21496-1 Gain Map support for JPEG.

    ...This is not an exhaustive list.  I'm simply sharing what I know, details that I happened to have at hand.

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