
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 ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
28/05/2026
Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...
28/05/2026
Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...
28/05/2026
The 4 Nations Face-Off, an international competition that launched in February 2...
28/05/2026
Soccer is a truly global sport, and, to match the U.S. viewing audience's in...
28/05/2026
The NFL Today, CBS Sports' top-of-the-line NFL studio show, has a storied hi...
28/05/2026
Prime Video is no stranger to innovation, and, within the realm of live streamin...
28/05/2026
The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, and the cheer of the crowd: those are three prime examples of the glorious sounds fans hear on televised baseball ga...
28/05/2026
Every year, March Madness captivates the entire sports world. Nonstop action, un...
28/05/2026
NBA on NBC was an integral part to live sports production in the 1990s, and, when the league made these media rights available, NBC Sports saw an opportunity to...
28/05/2026
UmpCam is a technological wrinkle that has given fans unprecedented views of wha...
28/05/2026
T-Mobile and the United States Golf Association (USGA) announced a multi-year partnership, making T-Mobile the Official 5G Network Partner of the U.S. Women'...
28/05/2026
By Gina McIntyre
(L-R) Sara Dosa and Andri Sn r Magnason attend the Time and Water premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre ...
28/05/2026
A little refresh can go a long way. We've been making behind-the-scenes upda...
28/05/2026
Since early last year, our quarterly Creator Milestone Awards have celebrated podcasts from around the world that hit major streaming milestones on Spotify. Tod...
28/05/2026
New software-based MIDI multi-clock announced
Rapid Flow have just announced the launch of a new MIDI utility plug-in that aims to solve one of the most per...
28/05/2026
Company introduce most affordable interface yet
SSL's range of audio interfaces has just gained its latest, and smallest member, the SSL 1. Designed to ...
28/05/2026
New compact drum machine & sampler announced
The latest instrument from Sonicware sees the company kick off an all-new Deconstruct series with a compact dru...
28/05/2026
Get fit for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with new SBS On Demand features for the ult...
28/05/2026
Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority modernizes nationwide ATC voice communications...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonics award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to ...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expanded its backstage communications and te...
28/05/2026
Company's VP Government and International to Address How Broadcasters Can Operationalize Advanced Emergency Information for NextGen TV
Digital Alert Syst...
28/05/2026
Radio BGM (https://radiobgm.org.uk/), Llanellis multiple-award-winning community and hospital radio station, has invested in a DHD SX2 audio mixing console and ...
28/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters as they enter a new broadcast age, Calrec announces an expansion to its ImPulseV...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/05/2026
Green Hippo, an ACT Entertainment brand, will pull back the curtain on the Estuary Series, a next-generation media control platform engineered for the scale, sp...
28/05/2026
First Hands-On Opportunity at Universal Studios Lot, June 5-6
Oberkochen, Germany, May 27, 2026 ZEISS is launching their new Panoptes 65 primes at Cine Gear ...
28/05/2026
Irvine, CA May 20, 2026 Wooden Camera today announced the release of new accessories for the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive. The new lineup includes a redes...
28/05/2026
Six films, one unmissable collection. First Facts documentaries debut on 10 Stre...
28/05/2026
Emma Watkins brings all-new Emma's Dance Club to ABC Kids 28 May 2026
Emmas Dance Club. Image credit: Sarah Wilson.
The ABC, Screen Australia and Screen N...
28/05/2026
Cool Concentric Text for Cavalry
Simon Ubsdell May 27, 2026
0 Comments
In this tutorial I'll show you how to make this popular text effect that is...
28/05/2026
Wuppertal May 28, 2026
Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With Riedel Stage SystemsRiedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemb...