How to Convert HDR Video to SDR Without Washed-Out Colours

Most phones record video in HDR. Open the file somewhere that doesn't support HDR and it looks grey and flat. In the clip above, the left half is the raw file shown as ordinary video and the right half is the same file after File Converter has converted it.

Why it happens

HDR video stores brightness differently from standard video, and the file carries tags saying so. Apps that read the tags adjust the picture for your screen. Anything that ignores them shows the raw signal, so blacks go grey and colours fade. Plenty of tools still do this, including File Converter until this week.

AI video models see the grey version

AI video platforms ignore those tags too. Give one an HDR clip as a reference and it works from the grey picture, so the video it makes comes back washed out. Convert the clip to SDR first and the colours come through.

The clip on the right was generated from the converted deer video. The one on the left shows how it would have come out from the original HDR file.

With the HDR washout

From the converted clip

Converting HDR to SDR in Raq.com

File Converter now turns HDR video into SDR automatically. We checked the results against Apple's own conversion and the colours come out very close.

AI Video Lab does the same with any video you add, before it reaches the model, so there's nothing to convert yourself. The converted copy also drops location and device details.