How to Convert HDR to SDR [5 Easy Methods]

What is HDR and SDR Content?

What is HDR?

HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology enhances videos with greater contrast, wider color ranges, and improved brightness levels. HDR formats include HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG, offering a richer visual experience compared to SDR content.

What is SDR Content?

SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) is the traditional video format with a more limited range of colors and contrast. SDR videos are widely compatible with most screens and devices, making them more accessible. Converting HDR to SDR ensures that videos can be viewed without compatibility issues.

Imagine taking a photo of a bright sunny landscape.

• With an SDR camera: The bright sky might appear completely white, and the shadows under trees might be completely black. You lose a lot of detail in both the very bright and very dark areas.
• With an HDR camera, the sky would still be bright, but you'd be able to see the clouds and the sun clearly. The shadows under the trees would have detail, too, showing the shapes of leaves and the ground.

Why Convert HDR to SDR?

HDR offers stunning visuals with vibrant colors and high contrast, but not all devices or platforms support it. Converting HDR video to nomal ensures your videos can be properly viewed across a wider range of devices. Here are some reasons why you might need to do the conversion:

• Better Compatibility: Not all devices support HDR playback, and some platforms, such as social media, require SDR formats.
• Avoid Overexposure Issues: SDR screens may display HDR content incorrectly, leading to washed-out colors or excessive brightness.
• Easier Editing & Sharing: SDR videos work better with most video editing software and streaming services.

HDR to SDR Conversion makes your content more accessible, ensuring better compatibility and viewing on different devices and platforms.

Best Methods for HDR to SDR Conversion

Popular methods to convert HDR to SDRinclude Tone Mapping, Color Gamut, and Hybrid Conversion. Let's briefly understand them. 

1. Tone Mapping 

Tone mapping is a popular technique for compressing the dynamic range of HDR images to make them compatible with SDR displays. This technique maps the content's brightest and darkest parts to be in sync with the dynamic range of the SDR display. In the end, you get beautiful and detailed SDR content that is as good as the source (HDR content) file. 

2. Color Grading 

Color grading is used to adjust and match the color space of HDR content with SDR content. It uses a color look-up table to modify the color reproduction of HDR content to match with the SDR content. The end result of the SDR content colors is as beautiful and natural as the source file. 

3. Hybrid Conversion 

Hybrid conversion combines the Tone mapping and Color grading techniques by adjusting the dynamic range and color space of the HDR content so it is in sync with the SDR content. In the end, the SDR content not only has maximum details but also a natural color reproduction that gives a better viewing experience on the SDR display. 

HDR to SDR Converter Tools: Overview

Here are the five best methods to convert HDR to SDR for different platforms, including Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.

How to Convert HDR to SDR on PC?

UniFab Video Converter (Recommended)

UniFab Video Converter is a versatile tool that simplifies HDR to SDR conversion while maintaining high video quality. It allows you to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and white balance, ensuring a more natural look on SDR displays. Additionally, it supports over 1000 video formats, enabling seamless conversion, compression, and editing for playback on any device. With lossless compression and customizable output settings, it's an excellent choice for enhancing video quality before sharing on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and more.

Price: 30-day free trial. Lifetime license at $59.99

Compatible OS: Windows & macOS

Key Features

✅ Supports 1000+ video formats for playback on any device.

✅ Compress videos while preserving the original quality.

✅ GPU acceleration technologies enable 50x faster speed.

✅ Enables to edit multiple videos with batch processing.

✅ Fine-tuning parameters, including resolution, sample rate, bit rate, frame rate, Encoding method, subtitles.

✅ It offers a comprehensive editor module that includes Crop, Effect, Subtitle, Watermark, Audio, Speed, etc. 

✅ Trim videos by cutting the unnecessary video segments from the start, end, or any part of the video.

Steps to Convert HDR to SDR with UniFab?

How to Convert HDR to SDR on Mac?

Final Cut Pro

Mac users can rely on non-linear video editor software like Final Cut Pro to convert HDR to SDR. The software helps with seamless conversion when you want to upload a video from your phone to YouTube. In addition, Final Cut Pro can convert MOV or MXF videos to SDR standard mode despite direct encoding with HLG or PQ standards.  

Price: Free version available for three months. Full license at $299.99

Compatible OS: macOS

Steps to Convert HDR Video to Normal Using Final Cut Pro?

Step 1: Run the Final Cut Pro video editing app on your Mac computer. Load your HDR video into it. 

Step 2: Open the Effects browser and choose the Color category on the left side. Click the HDR Tools twice to add the effect to the added clip in the timeline. 

Step 3: Tap the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 

Step 4: Tap the Video button on the Inspector's upper side. 

Step 5: Hit the Mode popup menu in the Inspector's HDR Tools section. 

Step 6: Select HDR to Rec. 709 SDR to Rec. 709 SDR luminance levels.

Note: If you are sure about your clips and know the exact HDR variant (i.e., HLG or PQ), you can choose a more specific conversion option. Such as:

• PQ Output Tone Map
• PQ to Rec. 709 SDR
• HLG to Rec. 709 SDR
• PQ to HLG (Rec. 2100)
• HLG to PQ (Rec. 2100)

Step 7: Now drag the Peak Brightness (nits) slider to set your video's max. luminance to the required level (say 1000 nits).

Step 8: Drag the Mix slider to optionally set the amount of original clip that you want to blend with your adjusted clip. 

How to Convert HDR to SDR Online?

Convertio

Convertio is an online HDR to SDR converter that can convert your HDR files to SDR and SDR files to HDR. Using this free software, you can change the color gamut of the image between HDR and SDR and efficiently achieve the image conversion of HDR to SDR. 

Price: Free version available. Light plan at $9.99/mo, Basic plan at $14.99/mo, and Unlimited plan at $25.99/mo

Compatible OS: Web-based app

Steps to Convert HDR to SDR Using Convertio

Step 1: Open the Convertio HDR Converter page on your web browser. 

Step 2: Tap the Choose Files button in the center to upload your HDR image. 

Step 3: Select the SDR color gamut.

Step 4: Hit the Convert option to convert HDR to SDR. 

How to Convert HDR to SDR on iPhone?

iMovie

iMovie is a built-in solution for your iPhone that helps you easilyconvert HDR to SDRand transform HDR files into standard SDR. With iMovie, you need not install any external software and compromise the storage space. Instead, it comes pre-installed on your iOS devices, where you can add the recorded HR videos to the iMovie project and edit them. 

Price: Free 

Compatible OS: iOS devices and Mac computers

How to Convert HDR video to Normal on iPhone Using iMovie?

Step 1: Find the iMovie app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Add HDR videos recorded on your phone to your iMovie projects. 

Step 3: Upon sharing a movie, click Options and then turn on HDR to output your video in HDR. 

Step 4: Now turn off the HDR button to share the movie's SDR version and get the SDR format. 

How to Convert HDR to SDR on Android?

Samsung Galaxy S22 phone

HDR to SDR conversion on Android is not easy. However, if you own a Samsung Galaxy S22 phone, you can easily convert your camera-recorded HDR10+ videos into SDR versions and share them on non-HDR-compliant screens.  For example, you can convert and share your SDR clips to PCs and older television sets and enjoy your favorite media files anywhere on all devices.

Price: Free

Compatible OS: Samsung Galaxy S22

Steps to Convert HDR video to Normal by Transcoding Video and Image Editing?

Step 1: Open the Gallery application on your phone and find the HDR10+ video clip to be converted. 

Step 2: Tap the triple-dot menu at the bottom right corner and select the Open in Video Player option from the popupmenu. 

Step 3: Once your video opens in the video player, tap on three dots in the top-right corner. Click Editor. 

Step 4: In the Editor pane, click the three dots in the bottom right and choose the Size and Format option. 

Step 5: Change the video resolution and format from the menu that appears. In the dropdown menu at the bottom, choose SDR (plays on any device) and smoothly convert HDR to SDR.

Step 6: Instead of clicking Save, tap the three-dot icon at the lower right and click Save as Copy. This way, your original HDR video will also be there, and a new file of SDR video will be created. 

Bonus: How to Convert SDR to HDR

UniFab HDR Upconverter AI is an excellent choice for SDR to HDR conversion, as it utilizes AI-driven technology to upgrade SDR videos to HDR10 and Dolby Vision. With its advanced algorithms, you can achieve SDR to HDR conversion with natural color enhancement and improved dynamic range. Whether you want to convert video to HDR for a cinematic experience or simply enhance your old SDR movies, UniFab provides an easy and effective solution.

Conclusion

HDR delivers richer colors, vivid details, and enhanced contrast for a lifelike viewing experience. However, it’s not compatible with older TVs and PCs, making HDR to SDR conversion essential. This article helped you understand why and how to convert HDR to SDR using the best tools. Now, you can enjoy HDR content on SDR displays effortlessly. For HDR video players, head on to this post.

FAQs about HDR to SDR Converter

Is SDR better than HDR?

SDR is not necessarily better than HDR; it depends on the viewing device and content. HDR offers superior brightness, contrast, and color depth, making it ideal for modern displays. However, SDR content is more widely compatible with older screens. If you want to enhance SDR to HDR conversion, tools like UniFab HDR Upconverter AI can help by intelligently upgrading SDR videos to HDR10 or Dolby Vision, ensuring richer colors and improved dynamic range for a more immersive viewing experience.

Does YouTube Convert HDR to SDR?

Yes, YouTube automatically performs HDR to SDR conversion when playing YouTube HDR videos on non-HDR displays. This ensures that SDR devices can still view the content, though some details may be lost.

Does Plex convert HDR to SDR?

Yes, Plex can convert HDR to SDR, but the quality of the conversion depends on your server's processing power and the transcoding settings. Some users prefer external HDR to SDR converters for better results.

How to Change HDR Video to Normal on My iPhone?

To convert HDR to normal video on your iPhone, there are two main ways. Before recording, open "Settings", go to "Camera" > "Record Video", and turn off "HDR Video". If you've already recorded an HDR video, open iMovie, click "Movie" under "Start New Project", choose the HDR video from your camera roll. After opening it, click "Done" in the top - left, then the save icon. In the pop - up, select "Options", uncheck "HDR", and click "Save Video". The converted video will be in your camera roll.

How Many Nits is HDR to SDR?

The conversion from HDR to SDR isn't strictly defined by a specific number of nits. HDR typically operates in the range of 1000 nits or more, while SDR is usually designed for displays with a peak brightness around 100 nits. However, during the conversion process, the brightness and color values are adjusted algorithmically to fit the SDR range, and it's not a one-to-one mapping of a specific nit value.

How Does HDR Differ from SDR?

SDR content has a maximum luminance of 100 cd/m2, while HDR has a wider contrast and color range, resulting in brighter images than SDR. You can see more incredible details and colors in scenes. HDR is superior in brightness (up to 1000 nits), color gamut (P3 and Rec. 2020), and color depth (8-bit to 12-bit) than SDR.