Six Tips for Simpler HDR Workflows posted: 12/02/2020
Working in HDR is quickly becoming a requirement for many creative professionals from production through to post, even if content will be delivered in SDR. However, HDR is still an emerging approach for creating moving imagery with the most dynamic range and richest color delivery possible and can pose challenges for pros throughout the production chain if unfamiliar with key concepts to keep in mind. To help cut through some of the confusion, we've compiled a list of six things to consider when building an HDR workflow that will make your job that much easier.
1. Determine your intended audience and delivery destination
Are you producing or editing content that will be viewed on large-scale in-venue displays, mobile devices, living room TV-sets or cinema screens? How and where your content will play should dictate the production approaches you choose as well as nit level expectations, color spaces and transformations between formats. There are four main format choices: HLG and PQ HDR formats and standard SDR for both broadcast and cinema purposes, plus associated color gamut delivery. HLG is well suited to live production and broadcast pipelines throughout the production chain, as HDR metadata does not need to be attached to the signal, and both HDR and SDR can be accommodated within a single baseband pipeline. For other delivery methods where PQ may be preferred for transmission across SDI, the forthcoming SMPTE ST 2094 spec will assist. In the meantime, you can adhere to PQ delivery with file-based metadata or use analysis and transform tools at various points in your chain until delivering a final with your chosen format, whether HDR10, DV, or HDR10+. The key to a successful delivery is to ensure that you work within the color gamut requirements of the delivery platform as below. As always, starting with the widest ranges possible from source is key, whether RAW materials for file-based workflows or Log for live baseband feeds into HDR transform tools like AJA's FS-HDR.
2. Consider your color space bucket
Your color space bucket will impact the tools you use and what you want to look for in terms of your final look, as well as how you will monitor throughout the process. Many studios and platforms require a full ACES workflow and an ACES final master with a conform to P3 for a delivery master, It's therefore not uncommon to do a master for BT.2020 for future proofing and then produce a trim for P3 delivery needs with colors clamped to the P3 space.
3. Find the right camera system
Like any production, all HDR projects start at capture, which means the HDR delivery method and color space you select will help play a role in your camera choice. For instance, when working on a live production, a Grass Valley camera outputting HLG might be a good option, as would a Sony camera outputting HLG or S-Log. For a traditional episodic or proAV project, a camera with as wide a dynamic range as possible is always advantageous. In this case, it's ideal to have a system that can deliver Log formats and convert to HDR color and dynamic range specifications that match your production and color space needs in real time as with AJA's FS-HDR. In other cases, a file-based workflow that uses original RAW files might benefit from an application like Colorfront's Transkoder to convert files into Log and other formats for further manipulation or straight RAW to uncompressed video or codecs with color gamut and nit levels for PQ or HLG included.
4. Dont forget monitoring and analysis
The key to great quality control (QC) throughout the production process is getting an accurate idea of what your final product will look like from production through to editing, VFX and color grading - especially since HDR makes so much more detail available within luminous range and color gamut. The picture you see when monitoring will be a guiding factor in the areas that you choose to emphasize or deemphasize, which is why an HDR-equipped on-set monitoring and analysis system is a worthwhile investment; it can help guide these decisions and others, even when you don't have access to an HDR capable display. Technology like AJA's HDR Image Analyzer - available in both a 3G configuration for up to 4K workflows and a 12G version with up to full 8K support - can provide a huge assist on-set, allowing you to take an SDI monitor or output tap from your camera and accurately monitor its color gamut output and nit levels. For the most flexibility and assurance that your creative decisions are going to work for your final product, adding an FS-HDR for transformations from the camera signal into a color space and format setting that you intend to deliver down the road, and feeding its output into the HDR Image Analyzer will provide an accurate view of the result of your decisions. This is vital in ensuring the exposure is set correctly, your lighting choices, especially for backgrounds, are balanced as intended, and makeup and props are accounted for when delivering to multiple HDR and SDR platforms. If you find an error, the HDR Image Analyzer makes it easy to identify areas of concern where the color gamut or nit level may be exceeded prior to post, QC and before delivery.
5. Be prepared to monitor in HDR and SDR
It's not all that uncommon today to monitor content in both SDR and HDR, which may seem complex but is quite easy when using simple devices like AJA's Mini-Converters for monitoring. The small devices support monitoring of SDI outputs from various devices, offering a path from SDI camera or recorder outputs for instance to HDMI monitors where various HDR formats can be set. This way, you know whether or not you're correctly exposing the level of background detail that is likely to be seen in HDR and you can quickly
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
Six Tips for Simpler HDR Workflows posted: 12/02/2020 
