This display isn't HDR — content shows at standard (SDR) brightness
How to post HDR photos and Reels on Instagram
Instagram displays true HDR, for photos and video — but your camera roll exports are usually SDR. Here's how to convert a photo so it glows in your feed, plus how to make an HDR Reel from a clip.
See the difference
SDR
HDR
This display isn't HDR — content shows at standard (SDR) brightness
1
Convert your photo to Ultra HDR
Drop your JPEG into MakeHDR and download the Ultra HDR version — the exact gain-map format Instagram renders in HDR. Got a clip instead? Convert it to HDR the same way and post it as a Reel.
2
Post it to Instagram as usual
Upload the Ultra HDR JPG from your phone. Keep it full quality; don't screenshot or re-export it, or the gain map is lost.
3
See it glow
On HDR phones your photo appears brighter than the SDR posts around it. Viewers without HDR screens see your normal photo, nothing broken.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Instagram renders Ultra HDR gain-map photos in HDR on recent iPhones.
You may be viewing on a non-HDR screen, or the file lost its gain map through screenshotting or re-export. Post the original Ultra HDR JPG.
No app for the photo converter — it runs in your phone's browser, nothing to install. To make an HDR Reel, use the MakeHDR app on your iPhone, or convert your clip on a computer with Chrome or Edge, then post from your phone.
That happens when a photo is pushed too hard. MakeHDR builds the gain map from your photo's own light and offers Subtle, Balanced and Maximum so highlights pop without looking blown out.
For HDR photos, feed posts are the most reliable — Stories and Reels re-encode uploads and can drop a photo's gain map. For Reels themselves you can make true HDR video instead: convert your clip with MakeHDR and post it as an HDR Reel.
