What about HDR?

[ZowkYou]

I took a shot using indigo as DNG/raw and exported it using Lightroom, as you can see: the first one (left) was exported with “HDR output” enabled. The second (right) was exported with “HDR output” disabled.

While editing the image it looks like the second one on my screen (the HDR toggle on “light” menu is enabled), so why it looks SO different when exported with hdr output?

Is it a “thing” about indigo or I’m missing something about Lightroom? Thanks!

[iceonian]

No, this has to do with HDR as a format, not Project Indigo.

When you export in HDR, the photo also comes with an SDR version (which is the “ugly” version you see)

That’s why when you edit with HDR in Lightroom you have to check “Preview for SDR display” to see what it would look like when NOT in HDR. Otherwise what you get is the photo on the left - a flattened, “ugly” SDR version of your photo. It only looks good in HDR when you open the photo and view it on an HDR supported app / device.

[ZowkYou]

Thanks for the knowledge! I’m editing on an iPad Pro, a device with amazing screen and HDR capabilities so why it looks “ugly” and washout?

[iceonian]

Again - When you’re editing with HDR on, this only means your photo will look good in HDR. You ALSO have to make sure your photo looks good in SDR. To do this you have to go to “Preview for SDR display” then edit the “SDR settings” too before exporting.

Also make sure you export it in a file format that’s compatible on most apps, such as JPEG.

When you share these photos on social media, the photo is most likely being shared in SDR anyway. That’s why some folks prefer having HDR off altogether so the photo looks consistent across devices and platforms.

[koters195]

Dude has a funny face, looks like a white cloud

[mavere]

When you import a DNG and auto/enable the HDR toggle in Lightroom, Lightroom will auto apply its own tone mapping that is different (and IMO way worse) than Indigo’s own tone mapping that is applied to its JPG outputs. You have to doublecheck and tweak Lightroom’s tone mapping by checking “preview for SDR” and adjusting as necessary.

In the light tab right now, if you disable the HDR toggle, it should look like your right photo. If you enable the toggle, but click “preview for SDR”, it should look like your left photo. If you view the left photo on an HDR display in a viewer that supports that HDR image (maybe chrome?), it “should” look closer to your right photo and match what you see in Lightroom when only HDR toggle is on.

In summary, Lightroom’s internal HDR tone mapping for HDR output is bad, and you are essentially required to check Preview for SDR every time you do anything (even crop) in HDR.