Gain map exported by ACR is incompatible with Google Photos gain map requirements

Report · Oct 15, 2023

Update: this bug has been fixed!

I'm not sure if this should be considered a bug in ACR or a bug in Google Photos, but it looks like google photos expects gain map exif data to be defined like this: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media/platform/hdr-image-format#GContainer_details

Yet ACR does it differently. JPGs with gain maps exported by ACR work in Chrome, but they don't work in Google Photos. While the example photos provided by google that can be found here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/New-Google-Ultra-HDR-image-format-demonstrated-as-future-of-photograph...

and they do work with both Chrome and Google Photos, and they are also seen as valid and indistingishable from the ones exported by ACR when using Adobe Gain Map Demo App to inspect them.

This makes it seem as if this issue could be addressed by Adobe, by fixing how ACR writes the exif, such that it's compatible with Google Photos. Presumably it could also be addressed by Google, if they made Google Photos compatible with ACR-style exif, but somebody has to do something about it.

Report · Oct 16, 2023

We're looking into the issue. Thanks for reporting it.

Report · Oct 17, 2023

Hello, can you describe a bit more how you tested the sample photos in Google Photos, in terms of the mechanics?

For instance, did you download the photos on a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, add the photos to Google Photos (on the phone), and view them on the device?

Or, did you upload to Google Photos via a web browser?

Or some other method?

Report · Oct 21, 2023

Thank you for looking into it!

I downloaded the sample photo from the link provided above, the exact url of the photo is: https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/Ultra_HDR_Samples_Originals_09.jpg

Then I uploaded it to Google Photos using Windows and Google Chrome by drag and dropping the file into it. Here is that same photo, with functional gain map HDR in my Google Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pimUFwFwWk3j3DQr6

Report · Jan 04, 2024

Hello @EagleshadowCT,

You've updated your initial post as fixed. However, for me it is still not working - neither with my own HDRs developed and exported from LRC nor with the picture you shared from your Google fotos. Is there a chance to track down why? Did you do something to fix it? If not, could you tell me which version of Google photos you're on? Maybe Google isn't delivering photos app with HDR support to my test devices (Galaxy S23 and Pixel6a).

Report · Jan 04, 2024

Oliver, my understanding is that neither S23 nor Pixel 6a support Ultra HDR.

Cheers,

Eric