The number one resource for information about HDR technology, workflows, tutorials, news and opinion.
“If you come to me tomorrow and you say ‘Hey, I’ve got an HDR project I’d love to grade with you,’ I’ll say ‘Okay cool’, and very early on in the process I’m going to say ‘Let’s set our speed limit in terms of luminance.’ And if you ask me for my take and you... Continue Reading →
On The Cinematography Podcast, DP Adam Newport-Berra laid bare his lighting approach on the Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series The Studio: “I really tried not to be too fussy with the lighting in the show. There’s just no way to specifically light people with the kind of camera moves we were doing in the amount of... Continue Reading →
Evaluation of High Dynamic Range TVs using Actual HDR Content. Sungjin Kim, Yongmin Park, Dongwoo Kang, Jongjin Park, Jangjin Yoo, Jonguk Bae and Sooyoung Yoon. LG Display Co. © 2018, Society for Imaging Science and Technology A couple years ago, the Classy Tech Calibrations YouTube channel used the Spears & Munsil UHD disc to demonstrate... Continue Reading →
The best practice is to enable EDR when there is both HDR content and potential EDR headroom available. Disable EDR when this is not the case. - Ken Greenebaum, Engineering Manager, Apple Apple engineering manager Ken Greenebaum advises developers to enable EDR only when the user will see the difference. EDR stands for extended dynamic... Continue Reading →
Steve Yedlin Wages War On HDR “When it comes to "formats" (i.e. colorspaces) as opposed to hardware, with the exception of one thing (how we use the excessive screen brightness available) which is a trade-off more than an advantage, the things that are actually different about HDR compared to SDR are all detriments, not advantages.... Continue Reading →
A reddit member writes that Samsung is deliberately witholding support to sell new TVS: “Samsung has made it clear on its blog that HDR10+ will only be available on TVs from the 2025 line and that it will be supported in other models in the future (unknown). This means that we can forget about it... Continue Reading →
Picture: Netflix delivery specs. Garcia claims Dolby Vision is Rec.2020, which is a falsehood. YouTuber Patrick-Pierre Garcia intentionally misleads the public into thinking that Dolby Vision is streamed at 12 bits. Dolby Vision is streamed at 10 bits. Also, contrary to the illustration shared in the video, nearly all commercial Dolby Vision content is mastered... Continue Reading →
“If you’re looking out a portal, and it’s 700 nits, that’s a load for your eye to respond to. We found ourselves opening up the shadows somewhat to compensate for people’s sensory reaction, where the pupil closes down due to bright light.” - Shelly Johnson, ASC, explaining how he subdued the contrast in Greyhound (2020)... Continue Reading →
Yet another in our intolerable series “No One Asked But We Answer It Anyway!” 😝 Everyone is aware that 12-bit PQ ST2084 was devised using the Barten ramp to ensure that contouring artefacts in the BT.2020 standard were below the visible threshold. But did you know that PQ as the EOTF is only applicable to... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/Zsqz_s0Br9A?si=y-KjocDsAaqBGBGb Look Development in Documentary Filmmaking, Camerimage. Panelists: James Kersley-Cregeen – Production Technologist, Netflix Ross Baker – Head of Colour, Molinare Jack Jones – Senior Colourist & Co-owner, Roundtable Post Daniele Siragusano – Image Engineer, FilmLight On the hazards of not monitoring in HDR & ACES from the outset James Kersley-Cregeen: “I have one anecdote... Continue Reading →
Annie Chang, VP/Creative Technologies, Universal Pictures, speaking at a SMPTE Hollywood panel discussion in 2023, talked about ‘the shock of HDR’. “I think one of the issues is [that] we still have monitoring issues throughout the live action process, so it's like maybe they have an HDR monitor on set so they can actually see... Continue Reading →
"It’s really all about the aesthetics, so when I grade my movies for HDR, I make sure that I keep the same feel[ing] that the cinematographer and the director had intended for the movie... it could look the same [as the SDR grade] or maybe just one scene could look different... again you can take... Continue Reading →
A Dolby Vision certified colorist whose work has been honored at major festivals, who’s graded movies and TV series for most of the major streaming networks, in order to prove the worthlessness of HDR10, insists he’s never been asked by a studio to deliver in the format. Let’s consider together whether this claim is factual or... Continue Reading →
A patent was granted to Warner Bros. for eliminating scanner noise from the image while maintaining the film grain. Listed as inventors on the patent are Michael D. Smith, Michael Zink and Christopher Nolan. Michael Zink writes over at LinkedIn, “When Chris Nolan was re-mastering seven of his films for the 2017 release of “The... Continue Reading →
**Netflix Ditches HDR After Influencers Convince Public That It Makes Film Look Like Poop** By Freddy Flickster - Feb. 22, 2025 In a bold move to appease disgruntled auteurs, Netflix announced today it will cease all HDR streaming, citing filmmakers’ complaints that high dynamic range made their work “look like unadulterated doggy poop.” Working diligently... Continue Reading →
In an idiotic rant entitled Why Do Movies Look Worse Now?, YouTuber Luke Riether copies Patrick Tomasso's Why Don’t Movies Look Like Movies Anymore? almost word-for-word, blaming HDR for what he perceives as the flat, lifeless look of today's movies. Riether even all but admits to plagiarism, but refuses to take his video down: "Hey... Continue Reading →
“Dolby Vision is a visual technology designed to enhance the viewing experience to unprecedented levels. It empowers visual creatives to infuse their work with unparalleled depth and vibrancy, revolutionizing how we perceive visual content. By leveraging High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, Dolby Vision dynamically optimizes image quality based on the specific service, device, and platform,”... Continue Reading →
According to acclaimed cinematographer Ed Lachman, whose biopic Maria is streaming on Netflix in the USA (but thankfully not in Vietnam), HDR has no aesthetic value worth pursuing. We can’t help but think that Ansel Adams, whose zone system was the inspiration for Lachman’s EL Zone, would have welcomed HDR with open arms. Unfortunately for... Continue Reading →
EDR is a term with four distinct meanings across the display industry: a deprecated content standard (Dolby's 2014 'Extended Dynamic Range'), a cinematic projection standard (Dolby's 'Enhanced Dynamic Range'), a technical implementation (Apple's 'Extended Dynamic Range'), and a perceptual model ('Entertainment Dynamic Range'). This article clarifies these definitions to untangle the confusion. EDR as a... Continue Reading →
THE DESIRE FOR LOWER PRICES The high end of the market has so far been dominated by a handful of ±30” display models with list prices of around 35k EUR. These instruments can be regarded as measurement devices with predictable performance and good consistency in colour reproduction from model to model. Due to their high... Continue Reading →
The Daejeon Chronicles 