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HDR to SDR delivery

Use the Color Space & EOTF Converter node when an HDR branch needs an SDR deliverable. This is a color-managed transform and tone map; it is not a gamma-only conversion and it does not simply clip HDR highlights.

Quick workflow

  1. In the Comp graph, open Add Node and search for HDR, tone map, SDR delivery, or Color Space & EOTF Converter. Add that node after the HDR branch you want to deliver.
  2. Leave Source Primaries and Source EOTF at Auto / Incoming when the imported media has reliable metadata. Choose explicit source values for material whose interpretation is known but absent or incorrect.
  3. Click Use Rec.709 Gamma 2.4 SDR. This preserves automatic source interpretation, sets the standard SDR destination, and leaves tone mapping on Auto.
  4. Keep Tone Mapping on Auto when the graph has authoritative metadata. Auto maps only an incoming PQ or HLG branch into an SDR destination. Use the explicit HDR → SDR override for known HDR whose range metadata is absent; use Off to force an encoding-only conversion.
  5. Connect the converter to an Export node and select the intended SDR movie delivery in Output Color. Use scene-linear ACEScg OpenEXR for an interchange/master that must remain HDR rather than tone mapping it.

The converter works in the project’s scene-linear working space. Its HDR-to-SDR path applies a highlight shoulder, destination-gamut compression, and saturation preservation before the normal output encoding path. Alpha and high-precision values remain part of the qualified transform.

Controls

The normal controls are intentionally short:

  • Source Primaries / Source EOTF: incoming interpretation; Auto follows authoritative upstream media metadata.
  • Destination Primaries / Destination EOTF: the delivery color encoding.
  • Tone Mapping: Auto, Off, or explicit HDR → SDR.

Open Advanced Tone Mapping only when the default result needs artistic or delivery-specific adjustment. It contains source peak, paper white, SDR target peak, highlight rolloff, gamut compression, and saturation preservation.

Important checks

  • The inspector reports a Qualified transform when both source and destination can be resolved. Resolve any red validation message before rendering.
  • Auto deliberately fails closed for mixed or unknown HDR/SDR composite input where a safe interpretation cannot be established. Choose the intended source interpretation explicitly rather than accepting an ambiguous conversion.
  • For a final SDR movie, verify the Export node says an explicit SDR output; do not rely on a legacy automatic export setting.
  • For HDR masters, do not insert an HDR-to-SDR converter. Keep the intended HDR output color on Export instead.

Comp Export creates files. Process can render a published Comp branch and use the result in multi-step automation such as MASV, Vimeo, Email, and Discord. A frozen published branch carries separate delivery-color metadata and evidence that its enabled Comp converter actually applied HDR → SDR. The movie writer uses that evidence to avoid a second tone map. A Process Color Space & EOTF Converter changes the inherited output encoding, but its SDR destination alone does not claim that pixels were creatively mapped; the writer supplies the fallback HDR → SDR shoulder when no authored mapping evidence is present.

For output formats and reusable delivery branches, see Export and delivery.