I promise, I am not trying to be dramatic, so just hear me out. If you don’t know what high dynamic range (HDR) is, it is basically a wider array of brightness and contrast levels on a TV, computer, or phone screen. You may notice that sometimes the screen beside certain photos or videos looks dim—that’s HDR in action. It’s not new technology; it slowly became the standard display for televisions in the 2010s to the 2020s.
When it first came out on mobile device software, not every device had hardware that could support an HDR display. Now, most people (myself included) have upgraded to devices with the right software and hardware, and they are just recently becoming familiar with this technology.
So, Why Do HDR Videos Cause Problems for Me?
As the #Strella video editor, I receive an array of videos shot on people’s phones, which have the not-necessarily-commonly-known-or-understood HDR capability. And the software I use for editing, Adobe Premiere, does not support HDR footage. Therefore, HDR videos I import into Premiere look way too bright and are unusable.
Before I upgraded my phone and had access to HDR, I had no clue why certain iPhone footage was washed out in Premiere. I tried every Reddit hack in the book; exporting workarounds, changing the rec color space, etc.—I will spare you from more technical lingo (I am sure I have done too much already!).
Apple Device Workarounds for the HDR Issue
Basically there are only two ways to overcome the issue on iOS devices. (Sorry, Windows and Android Users!)
Method 1 - QuickTime Player (if the video is already in HDR)
- Locate your HDR video in Finder and right-click.
- Scroll down and hit “Encode Selected Video Files.”
- Select your setting. (I usually choose H.264 and the highest resolution possible.)
- Hit “Continue.”
Method 2 - Just Stop Recording HDR Videos! (Preferred)
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Find and select “Camera.”
- Hit “Record Video.”
- Find the “HDR Video” toggle—and turn it off!
With the ongoing trend of HDR capabilities advancing quickly while other software applications and hardware struggle to catch up, I am pleading with creators to STOP RECORDING IN HDR! Or at least follow my above instructions for adapting HDR video files so they render properly. My fellow video editors worldwide and I thank you!
