How to Upload HDR Video to YouTube in 2025 [Detailed Guide]

What is HDR for YouTube?

YouTube supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos, offering richer contrast, brighter highlights, and more vibrant colors for a more lifelike viewing experience. Creators can upload HDR videos to YouTube, and viewers with HDR-compatible devices—like certain smartphones and HDR TVs—can enjoy them in full quality. These videos will show a resolution tag such as "1080p HDR" or "4K HDR" in the settings menu.

If you're using a non-HDR device, YouTube will automatically play the SDR version, so the video remains viewable but without HDR effects. Up next, we’ll walk you through the requirements and steps to upload HDR videos to YouTube, and how to easily convert your footage to HDR format if needed.

How to Upload HDR Video on YouTube

High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos show more excellent color contrast than standard digital videos, giving the YouTube audience a more immersive visual experience. You can upload an HDR video to YouTube using the YouTube Settings. Just ensure your resolution is set to 1080p and check the YouTube HDRbox. In addition, you can change your frame rate from 60 fps to any fps.  Make sure you have an SDR and an HDR version of the same video. YouTube will auto-swap between the two according to your device’s brightness. However, this technique may not always work. 

YouTube prefers videos uploaded in ProRes 422 HQ or Hiro format. HDR videos might need to be converted into gamma color. Ensure encoding it in HEVC quality. At the top of the page, you will find the Upload button. Click it to upload your video file. 

Note: When you upload an HDR video to YouTube, we recommend using a 16-bit ProRes HQ codec. 

• Open the options menu and set the post-processing of your camera. 
• Register the required instructions sent by each channel - denoted by a specific color for each channel. 

Note: Currently, YouTube does not support broadcasting HDR content. So, even if you have an HDR video to stream live, it will appear in a standard format with limited color space. 

Set your streaming frame rate to 25 fps or 30 fps. The faster the frame rates, the smoother the videos, especially in clips involving lots of movement. 

Let us see the detailed process of how to upload HDR video on YouTube. 

Step 1: Open YouTube and upload your video. 

Step 2: Tap Advanced in the upload window and ensure the Enable HDR option is checked. 

Step 3: Add your uploaded HDR video to a playlist with the default 320 resolution. 

Step 4: Tap it once uploaded. 

Step 5: Touch the three dots in the upper-right corner. Select Make available for TV. 

Step 6: Click anywhere in the YouTube player or click Enter and save your playlist.

Step 7: You will find the open stereo mode under the playlist menu item. Click the Save button on the screen that appears. 

Step 8: Wait until YouTube uploads your video in a single 360p/480p file per episode in the original resolution. 

Note: You must know that HDR content can be obtained by using video shooting equipment supporting HDR or by upgrading the footage to HDR in post-production. For upscaling SDR video to HDR, try UniFab HDR Upconverter AI.

Requirements for YouTube HDR Video

Once you upload your video content to YouTube, it will support the resolution and auto-convert HDR videos to SDR if necessary. However, HDR requires special specs and requirements to sync with the platform. The best quality and frame rate for compatibility with YouTube HDR video is 2160p with up to 60 frame rate and H.264 video encoded bit rate.

1. YouTube HDR Upload Requirements

Before uploading HDR video to YouTube, make sure your video meets these specs:

💡 Tip: Use 3840x2160 (UHD) instead of DCI widths like 4096x2160 for better YouTube compatibility.

2. HDR Encoding Formats Supported by YouTube

Here are the MP4 container, MOV container, and MKV requirements.

Let us look at the recommended codecs that support 10-bit encoding with HDR metadata and provide high quality at reasonable bitrates. The other codecs are also supported, but they require high bit rates to achieve high quality, which results in longer upload and processing times. 

Preferred codecs for HDR YouTube upload:

Avoid standard 8-bit H.264 unless the content is SDR.

3. How to Add HDR Metadata with YouTube HDR Metadata Tool

To ensure HDR playback, your video must have proper HDR metadata:

You can utilize the YouTube HDR metadata tool to add HDR metadata to your video. What’s important is that the HDR metadata is in the codec or container so it can play back properly on YouTube. Ensure the HDR metadata is tagged with the correct color primaries (Rec. 2020) and color matrix (Rec. 2020 non-constant luminance).

The HDR metadata can quickly be processed with proper transfer functionality with HLG and PQ. The HDR videos using the PQ signaling must contain information about the display it was mastered on, i.e., SMPTE ST 2086 mastering metadata. 

The content brightness should be CEA 861-3 MaxFALL and MaxCLL. The most commonly used HDR mastering display is the Sony BVM-X300. If any of the values above are missing, you can use the values for the Sony BVM-X300 mastering display. 

Alternatively, HDR videos may have dynamic HDR10+ metadata as ITU-T T.35 terminal codes or SEI headers. 

You can use a workflow to grade colors. However, if it does not export standard HDR metadata, you can add HDR metadata to your video using the YouTube HDR metadata tool. But there’s a condition for this tool to work correctly, i.e., your video must be graded using an HDR transfer function. 

Convert SDR to HDR10/Dolby Vision with UniFab HDR Upconverter AI

If you don’t own an HDR camera or your video is SDR, you can easily convert SDR to HDR using UniFab HDR Upconverter AI.

UniFab HDR Upconverter AI helps upgrade SDR videos to HDR10 and Dolby Vision for a better viewing experience. With its two fantastic color spaces, you can easily set DCI-P3 or Rec. 2020 to meet your device’s specifications and enjoy bright and realistic images. 

Step By Step Guide to Upscale SDR Videos to HDR Via UniFab

Popular HDR Cameras for YouTube Creators

Looking to shoot in HDR video directly? Here’s a list of popular brands' products with cutting-edge cameras to deliver exceptional image quality. 

1. Sony Alpha a7 III / a7R III

2. Canon EOS 6D Mark II / XF605

3. Panasonic HC-X2

4. DJI Osmo Action 3

5. JVC GY-HM250

6. Lumix DMC-FZ2500

These support HDR formats like HLG or PQ, essential for HDR video recording.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you brief highlights on HDR for YouTube. HDR enables viewing high-quality content on YouTube Premium. However, to view YouTube HDR video, ensure you have a 4K TV with HDR, an HDR-compatible smartphone, or Chromecast Ultra. Also, ensure you have enough storage space to save the HDR video. 

Before uploading HDR to YouTube, set the necessary parameters and requirements using UniFab HDR Upconverter AI. In addition to upscaling your videos to HDR, it helps set the required color spaces, encoding method, frame rate, bit rate, and codec to meet your video’s demands.

FAQs about YouTube HDR

Does YouTube support HDR?

Yes, any creator can upload High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos to YouTube. YouTube supports all resolutions and auto-converts HDR videos to SDR videos when required. You can also use 10-bit to upload certain HDR to YouTube.

How can I find and watch YouTube videos in HDR?

If you see an HDR badge on your video, you can watch your HDR video on YouTube on an HDR playback device like a mobile, TV, or Gaming Console. Here’s how. 

• Mobile users: The Chromecast Ultra allows you to watch HDR videos on YouTube.
• TV users: You can watch YouTube HDR videos on Samsung, Hi-sense, LG, Panasonic, Vizio, TCL, and Sony.
• Gaming Console: Use Sony’s PS4 PRO to watch YouTube HDR videos.

How can I play YouTube videos in HDR? 

You can choose the quality under the YouTube player Settings and play any video in HDR. Here’s how. 

Step 1: Open the YouTube player Settings.

Step 2: Choose a video with outdated compatibility. 

Step 3: Move to the Quality section on your screen’s bottom-right corner.

Step 4: Choose Computer - MP4. 

Step 5: Select YouTube original quality.

Step 6: Move down to the Quality drop-down list and choose 1080p 60 fps > 360p 30 fps.

Step 7: Tap Play and wait until your video file loads on the YouTube player.