This display isn't HDR — content shows at standard (SDR) brightness
How to make a photo HDR — convert any JPEG
Converting a photo to HDR takes one drop: no editing skills, no plugins, no AI, about ten seconds. The converter writes a real gain map from your photo's own light, so on an HDR screen the bright parts shine while the photo stays exactly your photo everywhere else. Here's how to make any JPEG a real Ultra HDR photo — and if you have a clip, you can convert video to HDR the same way.
This display isn't HDR — content shows at standard (SDR) brightness
See the difference
SDR
HDR
This display isn't HDR — content shows at standard (SDR) brightness
1
Open MakeHDR and drop your photo
Go to the converter and drag in any JPEG or PNG — from your phone, camera or computer. Nothing uploads; it's processed in your browser.
2
Pick your HDR strength
Choose Subtle, Balanced or Maximum. MakeHDR builds a real per-pixel gain map from your photo's own light — no AI, no invented detail.
3
Download your Ultra HDR JPG
Save the file. It glows on HDR phones, Instagram and Google Photos, and falls back to your normal photo everywhere else.
No AI and nothing uploaded: the HDR is computed on your device, from your own pixels.
Frequently asked questions
Drop a finished JPEG, PNG or HEIC into the converter, pick Subtle, Balanced or Maximum, and download the Ultra HDR file. It runs in your browser, so the photo never leaves your device.
You don't need to. Merging bracketed exposures is the old tone-mapping workflow, which still ends up as an SDR file. MakeHDR builds the HDR from one finished photo, adding real display brightness instead of a look.
Your camera's HDR setting decides how a new shot is captured. To make photos you already have display in HDR, convert them: the gain map travels with the JPEG, so they glow in Photos, Instagram and Google Photos.
A true HDR photo carries a gain map that lets bright areas display brighter on HDR screens. MakeHDR computes that gain map (Ultra HDR / ISO 21496-1) from your existing photo.
No. The photo converter runs in your browser — no app, no plugin, no Photoshop. There's also the MakeHDR app (iPhone, iPad and Mac) if you want to convert video or work in 4K.
Yes. Any finished JPEG or PNG works, including phone photos.
To see the glow, yes — most modern phones and laptops have HDR screens. The file works everywhere and falls back to a normal photo on older screens.
