Free tool

HDR to SDR converter Your iPhone's HDR video, right on every screen.

iPhones record HDR by default, and the video looks flat, grey or over-bright on other screens, in editors and after an upload. Drop it here: the picture is converted to standard video the way a colourist would,, and comes back as an MP4 that looks the same everywhere.

HDR to SDR converter at a glance

Most converters re-encode the whole file on a server with a queue and a size limit, or hand you a tone mapping menu. This one reads what the file was shot in and does the right conversion for it, in the browser.

Works with
HLG and PQ (Dolby Vision profile 8.4 and HDR10) recordings from iPhone and Android, in MP4, MOV or WebM.
Comes back as
A standard (BT.709) MP4 at the size you shot, sound copied as it was.
Runs
In your browser.
Also
The same pass can enhance the picture; switch it off to convert only.
Price
Free, no watermark. Downloads up to 480p without an account, full size with a free one.

How to convert HDR video to SDR

  1. Drop the video in. The file is read for what it was shot in. An HDR recording is shown converted at once.
  2. Check it. Press Original to see the raw frame the way most screens would show it, and Enhanced to see it converted. Turn the extra enhancement off if you want the conversion alone.
  3. Download. Pick the size and the MP4 is written, in standard colour that every screen and website shows the same way.

When you need it

Uploading to a site that flattens HDR
Some sites and players show the raw HDR picture, so it arrives washed out. Convert first and it looks as it did on the phone.
Editing on a computer
Editors that expect standard video show an HDR clip grey and dull. Converted, it drops in like any other clip.
Sending to someone on Windows or an older Mac
Their screen has no HDR mode, so the picture looks off. The converted file looks right there.
Mixing with other footage
HDR and standard clips side by side never match. Convert the HDR ones and they cut together.
Keeping the phone's look
The conversion maps the light the way the phone's own screen shows it, so what you saw when you shot it is what comes out.

What you get

  • No account for videos up to 480p, no watermark, no email address. A free account downloads at the size you shot.

Questions people ask

Why does my iPhone video look washed out on other screens?

iPhones record in HDR (HLG or Dolby Vision, in the BT.2020 colour space) by default. A phone screen shows that as intended; most other screens, players and websites do not, and the picture comes out flat, grey and over-bright. This tool reads what the file was shot in and converts the picture to standard video (BT.709), which every screen shows the same way.

Which HDR formats does it convert?

HLG (what iPhone records in the HDR setting, Dolby Vision profile 8.4) and PQ (HDR10). Both are converted to standard BT.709 video.

Do I lose quality?

The picture is converted once, on the device, and written at a high quality setting at the size you shot. What goes is only the extra brightness range, which most screens cannot show anyway.

Can I convert without changing the look?

Yes. Turn Enhanced off before downloading and the file is the converted picture only, nothing else changed.

Is it free, and is there a watermark?

Free, and nothing is added to the video. Without an account, downloads go up to 480p. A free account downloads at the size you shot.

Which files work?

MP4, MOV and WebM, including HEVC from an iPhone, in any browser that can play them. The download is an MP4 with the sound copied as it was.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes, in a current browser on a phone, tablet or computer. The work runs on the device's own graphics, so a long video takes a while on an older phone.