Help with HDR Output

Report · Nov 22, 2023

Tried using HDR for the first time in LR Version 7.0. If I toggle HDR, it really improves some high exposure clouds. Why can't I output the image with HDR toggled on. Image reverts back to non-HDR (SDR ?) upon export. Help please !! Using on a Mac with OS Sonoma 14.1.1. in case it matters.

Report · Nov 22, 2023

Sharing HDR Output requires a couple of things:

Using a compatible format (Which are you using?)
Viewing the exported image in compatible software (What software are you using?)
3. Viewing the exported image on an HDR-capable screen (Are you?)

Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org

Report · Nov 22, 2023

Rikk, thanks for the response. My file is DNG. I don't use any specific software to view my images. Mostly its the Mac viewer, sometimes I move an image to Photos - My 14" MBP is definitely capable of showing HDR output as I'm viewing HDR in LR just fine.

Right now, I need to send an image for a Canvas print - Will the image print same as the HDR image inside LR? I can figure out the HDR viewing issue on my Mac later, but I'd like to print the HDR image as seen inside LR.

Report · Nov 23, 2023

Rikk, thanks for the response. My file is DNG. I don't use any specific software to view my images. Mostly its the Mac viewer, sometimes I move an image to Photos - My 14" MBP is definitely capable of showing HDR output as I'm viewing HDR in LR just fine.

Right now, I need to send an image for a Canvas print - Will the image print same as the HDR image inside LR? I can figure out the HDR viewing issue on my Mac later, but I'd like to print the HDR image as seen inside LR.

By @Serv

If you look at an DNG file outside of a compatible app such as Lightroom or Camera Raw, then you will be looking at a preview, not the raw data with HDR edits applied to them. Previews are SDR, not HDR.

You cannot print an HDR image and expect the print to be HDR. HDR makes highlights brighter than paper white. Prints can never be brighter than the paper they are printed on, so prints are SDR by definition.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

Report · Nov 22, 2023

There are no programs on Mac OS that can correctly show HDR output files except Lightroom (with the correct preference set to automatically show HDR files in HDR in Develop), Photoshop (with the same preference set in Camera Raw and the accurate color management for HDR toggle turned on in the technology preview settings, and Chrome. So to see the HDR in the output drag them into Chrome. Preview will not show the correct colors nor will Safari. This really is an Apple problem (Microsoft also hasn't built this support by the way). They support avif for example, but not HDR avif. Even when they support HDR such as in tiff files, the display is completely wrong.

So except if you really know what you are doing and have control over how people are viewing, it's better to not count on HDR being visible anywhere. It is a neat new feature but support is very spotty and very few people can see the result. You should check out this page for more info (only works correctly in Chrome!) https://gregbenzphotography.com/hdr/

Report · Nov 22, 2023

Thanks Jao. My main concern is printing this file at the moment. Will the HDR file export print with HDR colors? I'll have to figure out the viewing on screen issue later.

Report · Nov 23, 2023

If your destination is print, you REALLY do not want to mess with HDR. Edit only in SDR and if you're on Classic, use the proofing system to understand what will happen when printed. print cannot reproduce any of this. It has an even smaller dynamic range than SDR screens. It can in some ways reproduce more saturated colors than some screens but this is very different from what you can see on a HDR screen. The ONLY point of doing HDR is if your destination is HDR displays. Unfortunately that is currently very limited as it really only shows correctly in Chrome based browsers on desktop operating systems. It won't work on HDR TVs and it won't work on mobile platforms, so the utility of HDR is extremely limited right now. It shows off what is technically possible on HDR based displays (NOT print!) but there is very little support yet.