HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is an abbreviation that we are starting to see everywhere. Almost all smartphones have an HDR mode in their cameras, and especially the new generation televisions released in recent years are offered as HDR compatible. So, what is HDR?
It is possible to explain the question of what is HDR both in general and in detail. In answer to the question of what HDR is, saying that it is a landscape technique is not enough to fully explain the change it reflects in televisions and photographs. To detail this technique, we answered the questions of what HDR is, what it is used for, and examined what changes it creates in images.
What is HDR?
HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is an exposure technique applied in photographs and a broadcast format on televisions. The high dynamic range mentioned is the most accurate range between the brightest and darkest points of an image. This range aims to reach the truest colors and depth seen by the human eye. HDR has different application formulas in photography and television.
How does HDR work, what is it for?
In a photo taken in HDR mode, the highest and lowest brightness points of the captured image are detected and the real light that should be there is revealed as a result. Likewise, an HDR-compatible television presents different shades of colors in the image to the viewer by choosing the best brightness from the wide brightness range it offers.
What is HDR for televisions, computers, game consoles, what does it mean?
If a television or monitor is HDR compatible, it means that you see an overtone of the colors in the image you see on the screen. Thanks to these many different color tones, the landscape you watch gains depth and, as a result, reality.
In a nature documentary you watch on an HDR-compatible television, you will see small color differences in the general green color of each leaf of the tree you see in real life. Likewise, when you see different shades of gray and black in a bombed-out building while watching a movie, you get the depth perception that provides reality.
The most valuable feature of an HDR compatible television is the brightness range it offers. A television that can offer higher and lower brightness than conventional televisions or monitors allows you to see all the colors and light changes in the scene.
To see depth perception on the screen, it is not enough for your television to be HDR compatible. The image quality of the movie you watch or the game you play must be 4K or higher. In this way, you have the chance to see the entire color palette offered by the director or developer.
Broadcast platforms such as Netflix offer movies in 4K quality. At the same time, if you connect with an HDMI 2.1 or above cable, you can achieve HDR quality. In other words, it is extremely important that the content you watch is compatible with HDR quality as well as the device you use. It is thought that all broadcasts will be of this quality in the near future.
What is HDR for phones and other cameras, what does it mean?
We said that HDR is an exposure technique for photos. Before automatic HDR mode came out, photographers would take three different photos of the same image with three different exposures. These darkest, normal and brightest photos would then be combined to create an HDR photo.
Automatic HDR mode has been available on all smartphone cameras and cameras for a while now. This mode works just like the classical technique, the only difference is that it does this process automatically, thanks to the software it has, without bothering the person taking the photo.
It is not possible to use HDR mode when shooting a moving object. It is even recommended to use a tripod when taking photos of a stationary object. If the camera is fixed, the changing light is captured more easily by the HDR software and thus the photo will have the truest brightness.
The photo taken by a camera or smartphone is usually compressed in JPEG format, which causes the image to be distorted. That’s why HDR photos are compressed in RAW format as a higher-sized document. Many smartphones create two documents as JPEG and RAW after taking a photo in HDR mode, or delete the JPEG document as soon as it is created. If you want to keep both documents, you must edit this option in the camera settings.
You can find automatic HDR mode on your smartphones with both iOS operating systems and Android operating systems. The most preferred way is to set this mode to automatic, that is, leave it to be detected by the phone camera. If you wish, you can take photos by manually turning this mode on or off.
It is also possible to take an HDR image, but this image is not created by combining three different shots, as in photography. The camera tries to capture high dynamic range with a single exposure, and this is usually not possible. Professional cinema cameras such as RED, which has advanced HDR software and new generation camera sensors, can do this.
We answered questions for you about what HDR is, what it is for and how it works, and explained the details you need to know about this technique. HDR, which currently offers the most real image quality, is becoming increasingly common in all devices and broadcasts.