HDR in Practice: Separating Technical Reality from Cinematic Mythology
Persistent misconceptions about High Dynamic Range imaging—from exposure dogma to creative workflows—continue to undermine its potential. This critique dismantles a dozen pervasive fallacies using empirical research and industry evidence. Practically each myth violates fundamental vision science, a theme that will be developed further in our upcoming HDR Creator’s Companion. 🎉
I. Production Misconceptions
High Dynamic Range means capturing ‘x’ number of stops of DR on set
Reality: It’s not about counting stops; it’s about spatial contrast. Our eyes don’t see pixels; they see relationships.
Relying on production monitor to spot highlight clipping
Only trust proper exposure tools. Waveform monitor illiteracy is a real thing. See: “A Case for Graph Literacy”.
Expose for middle gray, let the rest roll off
Reality: Exposing for middle gray all but guarantees highlight clipping. Highlights should always be protected. Clipping highlights destroys spatial contrast. Visit: HDR: The Number One Rule to pay your respects to the casualties of exposing for middle gray.
Lighting & Exposure Irrelevant
Quote:
“There is no such thing as proper exposure, there is no such thing as proper lighting.” – Erik Messerschmidt, ASC
Reality: Messerschmidt’s statement contradicts the entire foundation of cinematography. Rejecting “proper exposure” rejects cinematography itself.
HDR = SDR + brighter highlights
Reality: Treating highlights as merely a “ceiling” underutilizes HDR as a creative medium.
Excessive diffusion or halation
Reconsider diffusion: Mist/filters artificially blur highlights, destroying precise luminance relationships – HDR’s core strength.
HDR clipping = SDR clipping
Quote:
“Clipped highlights are a creative choice. They always have been. There are numerous examples throughout cinema.” – Erik Messerschmidt, ASC
Reality: It is a near-universal principle that HDR highlight clipping is unsightly, adds burden in post-production, increases costs and ought to be avoided. (see above)
“Headshots” Doctrine
Quote:
“Hitting people in the head with a tremendous amount of light is an unappreciated advantage of HDR” – Erik Messerschmidt, ASC
Reality: Retinal assault = viewer discomfort.
Avoid Bright Windows
Quote:
“I would advise not placing actors in front of windows as the extra brightness might make the actor appear less visible.”- Asa Shoul, Sr. Colorist
Reality: During his anti-HDR rant earlier this year, cinematographer Steve Yedlin remarked how raising the brightness of a window made the talent’s features less visible. His window-brightness demo proved HDR’s strength: real-world contrast ratios. Yet he framed it as a flaw!
Critiquing low contrast and highlight clipping is a matter of personal taste
Quote:
“Confusing your personal taste with a technical standard lowers your credibility as a commentator.” – Erik Messerschmidt, ASC
Reality: Flat video undermines one of HDR’s chief advantages- spatial contrast. A YouTube video that blames HDR for the “grey, sludgy” look of many of today’s movies has received over 4M views in just five months, spawning a number of ‘copycats’ amplifying the message: Viewers crave contrasty images. Isn’t it time filmmakers and studios took notice?
II. Post-Production Practices, Fallacies
Merging SDR/HDR
Reality: Convergence butchers HDR.
HDR is all about shadow detail
Reality: If so, why is it that so many who parrot this counter-factual talking point lift shadows to legacy CRT-era ranges in post? Lifting shadows obliterates contrast, destroying immersiveness. See: Is Shadow Detail Really HDR’s Greatest Advantage? for a thorough debunking of this dangerous lie that all but assures creative stagnation.
Setting an arbitrary “speed limit” for projects
Quote:
“I’m going to suggest that we set a speed limit of around 250 nits because I don’t want to see an image brighter than that.” Cullen Kelly, Sr. Colorist
Reality: Establishing highlight roll-off early on is the single most important decision for HDR grading: Kelly’s 250-nit cap objectively neuters HDR’s potential.
HDR is just a grading style. It doesn’t concern the cinematographer at all
Reality: HDR is an end-to-end process, from capture and post-production to storage, distribution and display. In order to be successful, the color, contrast and highlight and shadow detail, as well as the compositional choices that make effective use of HDR need to be evaluated on set, thereby ensuring that the look/emotional impact travels through all the way to the final deliverable.
Bad HDR isn’t “ugly”—it’s physiologically incoherent.
Supplement To “HDR Myths” Post
The Daejeon Chronicles 