highdynamicrange

High Dynamic Range (HDR) refers to imaging techniques and displays that preserve greater detail in both bright highlights and dark shadows than standard dynamic range imaging. HDR expands the perceived luminance range and color information, enabling more faithful reproduction of real scenes as seen by the human eye.

Its implementation spans capture, processing, and display. In photography and videography, HDR typically combines multiple exposures or uses sensors with higher native dynamic range, followed by tone mapping or exposure fusion to produce a single image with preserved highlight and shadow detail. In displays, HDR requires higher peak brightness, a wider color gamut, and increased bit depth to minimize artifacts.

Standardized HDR formats include HDR10, which uses static metadata and the PQ transfer function; HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, which add dynamic metadata to adapt tone mapping per scene; and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), designed for broadcast and backward compatibility. Content is commonly encoded with wide color gamuts such as Rec. 2020 or DCI-P3.

HDR offers more realistic contrast and texture on capable devices but depends on compatible content, cameras, and displays. It can demand higher bandwidth for streaming and may require careful tone mapping to avoid oversaturation or haloing. When the full pipeline supports HDR, the result is a more vivid and nuanced image.