The Simple Reasons Why HDR Looks Terrible on Your PC

HDR on a PC is notoriously bad, but it doesn’t have to be. After the tumultuous few years since Microsoft introduced HDR to Windows, things have gotten a lot better. With the right monitor, apps, and key settings, you can get great HDR performance out of your PC, whether you’re watching video or playing games.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does very little to point users in the right direction. If your HDR If the image is missing, it is probably due to one of the four reasons below.

You have not performed HDR calibration

You've probably calibrated HDR before, whether it's in a game, on a new TV, or with a new media player. It doesn't seem like it though Windows 11 has one HDR calibration at first glance. For some reason, Microsoft buries this essential calibration step in the Microsoft Store.

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Microsoft maintains a separate HDR calibration app that you'll need to download alongside your regular HDR photos. Windows 11 install. This will help you to find the darkest and lightest point for HDRas well as the brightness for the entire frame. Additionally, you can adjust the color saturation, which helps you avoid the washed-out look you often get when turning on HDR.

The app collects these settings and saves them as a profile associated with your display. This profile is automatically enabled when you turn on the screen. HDR. You can also adjust the brightness for SDR content in your HDR settings that can make a big difference when using a PC where HDR and SDR content are often mixed.

While you should take this calibration step, it’s not perfect. Brightness levels can look weird in some apps, and the saturation slider is dangerous to take too far. Fortunately, you can recalibrate your display at any time. I recommend trying a different calibration after watching a few movies or playing a few games on your PC to see if you get better results.

Your apps are not running in HDR

To turn on HDR in Windows is simple enough: you can Windows key + Alt + B to turn it on or off. But look HDR content is not always that simple. You don't just have a HDR output via Windows, but also a HDR source.

The problem arises when your browser does not receive the correct flag from your operating system where it should work HDR mode. For example, with Chrome or Edge, you can HDR and find that you can't look HDR videos on YouTube. In most cases, it is sufficient to close and restart your browser after enabling HDR will solve the problem.

If that still doesn't work, you can force your browser to HDRIn Chrome, enter the following: Chrome://flags ito the address bar and press Enter. Search for Force color profile and select HDR10 (HDR where available) from the dropdown. This will override the flags and force Chrome to run in HDR mode whenever possible, regardless of whether you HDR enabled in Windows or not.

Outside of your browser, you're usually limited to apps available through the Microsoft Store. Popular video streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video support HDR video via the Microsoft Store. For this you need HDR enabled, and you must enable HDR video streaming in the HDR settings. This may not be available depending on your monitor. If you are sure that your monitor HDR If you are using streaming and you still cannot enable this option, make sure to update your graphics card drivers.

Just like your browser, HDR doesn't always work as it should in these apps, so it's best to stick to streaming videos through your browser if you're already forced to HDR on.

Finally, if you're playing local videos, you have a few options. The built-in media player in Windows 11 is not great at dealing with HDRbut the free VLC Media Player does. It also supports just about any codec you can throw at it, including the codecs that Microsoft charges for with its media player.

You are using a game's built-in HDR

Streaming HDR Videos are frustrating enough, but games are even worse. HDR support in games varies, and even if a game does offer support HDRThere is no guarantee that it will look good. Calibration settings are often limited and the HDR format is not consistent. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to HDR Games look better on PC.

The first and most powerful tool is Special K. This is an injection mod, which means that it automatically executes some code when you start a game. Special K can do a lot, but one of its most important features is HDR. You can add HDR to games that don't normally support it, and also overwrite HDR when it is available. That opens up a lot of possibilities.

The power of Special K is not only that it adds something HDR. It gives you a lot of control over the final image. You can adjust the brightest and darkest points, adjust the saturation, and preview the image through various overlays to guide your changes. Special K also supports various HDR formats so you can match the game HDR to your screen.

Unfortunately, Special K doesn't work everywhere. Since it's an injection mod, it will flag anti-cheat software in online games, which can result in a ban. Luckily, you do have other options. If you have an Nvidia RTX Graphics Cardyou can use RTX HDRThis uses an AI filter that simulates HDR in games where HDR is not supported.

If you don't have an RTX Graphics Cardyou can use Windows 11The car HDR function. It does something similar to RTX HDRonly without AI. Unfortunately, Auto HDR is not available in every game and you have no options to customize the final image.

Although RTX HDR and Car HDR can get the job done, I recommend using Special K for every game you can. It works great and you have a ton of options to customize the final look.

You need a new monitor

Unfortunately, if you can't find a good one, you may just need a new monitor. HDR image from your current display. While the DisplayHDR standard is great for guiding purchasing decisions, it is not always indicative of good HDR performance (although an update to DisplayHDR changes that). Just because a monitor HDR doesn't mean it will be good.

Our roundup of the best gaming monitors includes several great ones HDR options. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for yourself.

A good one HDR monitor has three things: wide color gamut, deep contrast, and high peak brightness. You can find all of these specs on the monitor's spec sheet, as well as in most reviews. Also, look for the DisplayHDR certification. I wouldn't buy anything lower than DisplayHDR 600.

In addition to these specifications, also pay attention to the type of monitor. For LED monitorincluding those with IPS and VA panels, look for a monitor with a mini-LED backlight. This splits the backlight into separate zones, allowing for local control over the brightness of different parts of the screen. This greatly increases contrast and generally allows the monitor to reach a higher peak brightness. More zones are better, as you'll find on the Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q.

If you have the money to spare, an OLED monitor will deliver even better results HDR. OLED allows each pixel to control its own brightness, including turning itself off. This results in perfect black levels and theoretically infinite contrast. OLED panels also tend to have excellent color coverage, which you can read more about in our MSI MPG321URX review.

If you can't upgrade, it's best to leave the option HDR disabled. You can still get a great SDR picture on a budget monitor. Enable HDR Using a monitor that does not have the necessary features will generally result in a poorer image.