Transform your standard dynamic range (SDR) videos into true high dynamic range (HDR) with Runway's native color grading model.
Whether your footage comes from a Runway generation, a third-party model, or your own video library, you can now upgrade its brightness and color range for professional-grade output.
What is SDR to HDR conversion?
SDR to HDR is a Runway-native video color grading model that takes any SDR input video and updates its brightness and color range to produce true HDR outputs. It works with:
- Videos generated in Runway (from any model)
- Videos generated by third-party models
- Existing video files you upload
The result is a richer, deeper, more cinematic image suitable for professional film and VFX pipelines.
Spec details
| Plan/Platform availability | Max plan or higher, all Runway Dev accounts | |
|---|---|---|
| Creation mode support | Sessions, Workflows | |
| Credit cost | 20 credits per second of video | |
| Supported output formats | Output format | Bit depth |
| EXR Sequences | 16-bit | |
| ProRes 4444 | 12-bit | |
| ProRes 422 & 422 HQ | 10-bit | |
| HDR10 & HLG | 10-bit | |
If you're on a lower tier and want access, upgrade to the Max plan from your workspace settings.
Converting SDR video to HDR
Before generating in a Session
Automatically start a conversion upon a generation's completion by following these steps:
- In Tool mode, select your model of choice and enter your inputs.
- Beneath your output, click the HDR button
- Select the desired format to immediately start the conversion once the generation completes
After generating in a Session
After generating a video within a Session, follow these steps to conveniently convert to HDR:
- Beneath your output, click the HDR button
- Select the desired format to instantly start the conversion
In a Workflow
- Right click on the canvas
- Search for the Convert to HDR node and add the node
- Connect your video output to the Convert to HDR input
- Run the Convert to HDR node
Viewing HDR content
HDR looks stunning when it's displayed on hardware that can render it properly, but many external monitors and standard displays cannot show HDR content accurately.
If your screen can't render HDR, Runway will show a warning in the app. You may still generate and download the file, but the preview won't reflect the true HDR quality.
Tips for the best viewing experience
- Use a recent MacBook — the built-in display renders HDR well.
- Download the asset and view it in a professional player rather than in the browser.
- Confirm your monitor supports HDR10 or HLG before evaluating results externally.
Tips for best results
For the highest fidelity, start with the cleanest SDR source available. Higher-quality inputs produce more accurate HDR conversions with better color and depth.