Convert HDR photo to SDR
Drop an HDR photo from an iPhone or a Pixel and get a plain SDR JPEG that looks the same in apps with and without HDR support. Everything happens in your browser: your photo is never uploaded.
How to convert an HDR photo to SDR
- Keep the default output, 4096 px on the long side, which stays inside the canvas limit of Safari on iPhone; pick the full-size option on a computer or for smaller photos.
- Choose or drop the HDR photos — JPEG or HEIC straight from the camera roll, several at once.
- Wait for “standard SDR JPEG ✓” under each photo. Nothing is cropped, and nothing is resized unless the long side is over the limit.
- Download the JPG, or use “Save / share” on a phone, and post it where the HDR version looked wrong.
Remove HDR from photo online: what changes and what does not
A photo with a gain map is really two images in one file: the conventional SDR photo and a small map of extra brightness. The Android Ultra HDR format describes it exactly that way — legacy readers “read and display the conventional low dynamic range image from the image file”, while readers that support the format “combine the primary image with the gain map and render a high dynamic range image on compatible displays”. Apple stores the same kind of data with iPhone photos (“Since 2020, iPhone cameras have been capturing images with embedded gain maps”, says its WWDC24 session): its HDR gain map is “an 8-bit, single-channel luminance map that’s stored with an image”, and the headroom it unlocks is “the ratio of the luminance of the image’s brightest white to the luminance of standard dynamic range (SDR) white”. Both documents refer to the same standard, ISO 21496-1, published in July 2025 — Apple’s note calls its technique “proposed for standardization” there, as of April 2023.
This tool behaves like a legacy reader on purpose. The browser decodes the conventional image, applies the orientation, and writes a fresh JPEG at 92 % quality. The gain map, the metadata that carries it (MPF and XMP in an Ultra HDR JPEG, auxiliary image data in an Apple photo), and the EXIF block are not part of that export, so the result is a plain SDR photo that readers with and without gain-map support display alike. What it does not do: it does not fold the HDR highlights into the SDR version — the result is the picture that non-HDR apps were already showing — and it does not touch colours, exposure or framing. If the HDR version looked better to you, keep the original; convert only the copy you share.
About HDR photos, gain maps and the output size
iPhone takes photos in HDR by default “when it’s most effective”, blending several exposures, and since Android 14 supported devices can capture Ultra HDR JPEGs with a gain map (Google’s Pixel 8 announcement speaks of “your Ultra HDR images”), so a recent phone photo can carry HDR data whether you asked for it or not. On an HDR-capable screen the brightest parts are pushed above SDR white; on a standard screen or in an app that ignores the map, the same file shows its SDR image. That is why one photo can look glowing on the phone, flat in a chat and brighter than you expected on an HDR monitor.
The default output limits the long side to 4096 px so that the export stays inside the canvas limit of Safari on iPhone — 4096 × 4096 px until WebKit doubled it to 8192 × 8192 px in March 2024: a 4032 × 3024 photo (about 12 megapixels) keeps its full size, a 5712 × 4284 photo (about 24 megapixels) becomes 4096 × 3072. The full-size option raises the limit to 8192 px and keeps 24- and 48-megapixel 4:3 photos at their original size on a computer, but very large photos can fail to encode in a phone browser; if that happens, switch back to the default. JPEG and HEIC are decoded directly, HEIC through a converter served from this site when the browser cannot open it; PNG and WebP are accepted too and come out as JPEG. The file carries no EXIF, so location data is gone as well — useful when you post a photo publicly, unwanted if you archive it, so keep the original in the second case.
Format facts checked on 24 September 2026 against official sources: Android Developers — Ultra HDR image format, Android Developers — Android 14 features (Ultra HDR for images), Google — Meet Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro (Ultra HDR images), Apple Developer — Applying Apple HDR effect to your photos, Apple Developer — WWDC24 session 10177, Use HDR for dynamic image experiences in your app, Apple Support — Adjust HDR camera settings on iPhone, ISO 21496-1:2025 (as archived September 2026), WebKit commit d1f63c06 — iOS canvas size limit raised from 4096×4096 to 8192×8192 (March 2024). ToolGale is an independent tool, not affiliated with Apple, Google or any government agency.
FAQ
How do I remove HDR from a photo online?
Drop the HDR photo on this page, keep the default output and download the file: you get a standard SDR JPEG with the same framing — and the same pixel size, unless the long side is over 4096 px — saved at 92 % JPEG quality, without the HDR gain map, the metadata that points to it or the EXIF block. The photo never leaves your device, so it also works for private pictures. JPEG and HEIC from an iPhone or a Pixel are accepted directly; PNG and WebP simply come out as JPEG.
Why do my iPhone photos look too bright or washed out when I share them?
Because the same file is shown in two ways. A photo with a gain map contains a conventional SDR image plus a map of extra brightness; apps that support the format combine the two and render an HDR image on compatible displays, while apps that do not simply show the SDR image. iPhone takes photos in HDR by default when it is most effective, so the picture that glows on your phone can look flat elsewhere, and on an HDR screen it can look brighter than you intended. Converting it to SDR keeps only the conventional image, so apps with and without HDR support show the same picture.
How do I remove HDR from an iPhone photo I already took?
Choose the photo here and download the SDR JPEG: that is the whole job for a photo that already exists. For future photos Apple’s guide says that on iPhone 11 models, iPhone SE (2nd generation) and iPhone 12 you can go to Settings → Camera and turn off Smart HDR, then tap HDR on the camera screen; on other models iPhone uses HDR automatically when it is most effective.
Does converting HDR to SDR change the size or quality of my photo?
The framing and the pixel size stay the same up to the limit of the option you pick: 4096 px on the long side by default, which keeps a 4032 × 3024 photo (about 12 megapixels) unchanged, or 8192 px with the full-size option. A 5712 × 4284 photo (about 24 megapixels) is scaled to 4096 × 3072 with the default option. The file is re-encoded as JPEG at quality 92 %, so it is not a bit-for-bit copy, and colours and exposure are not adjusted.
Is this an HDR to JPG converter for .hdr or .exr files?
No. This tool converts HDR photos — JPEG or HEIC files that carry a gain map, the kind an iPhone or Pixel camera saves — into standard SDR JPEGs. Radiance .hdr and OpenEXR .exr files are a different kind of file and are not supported.
Does the SDR file keep EXIF and location data?
No. The JPEG is written fresh from the decoded pixels, so EXIF data, including GPS location, camera details and the Apple HDR tags, is not copied; the orientation is applied to the pixels first, so the photo is not sideways. If you need the metadata, keep the original file as well.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The photo is decoded and re-saved entirely inside your browser. It never leaves your device and nothing is stored.