HDR photo 1.1: highlights no longer glare, and edges no longer step
After HDR photo came out, some of you told us that with HDR on, highlights came out badly blown and with jagged edges. We tracked down the cause with photos from a camera, and HDR photo 1.1 fixes it.
What changed
- Areas already blown out at capture (sky, lamps, bright screens) used to be lifted by the full 2.5 stops on HDR screens, which looked like a glaring white patch. Now they are lifted only by the brightness they really have.
- Highlight edges now fade smoothly: text, thin lines and the rims of bright areas no longer show square steps.
- Small glints keep a little sparkle, and highlights that are not blown keep their gradation.
What HDR photo is
- A single shot: each JPEG carries a gain map that lets HDR screens such as iPhone, Mac, Android 14 or later and Chrome show the highlights brighter; ordinary screens show the photo as before.
- It is not HDR merged from several exposures: it does not darken highlights or lift shadows, and areas already blown out with no detail at capture are not recovered.
- It works on the film bay’s film slots only, and the film’s colours and tones stay the same.
Getting started
- Generate a new firmware in the firmware store (with GRLife Pro and HDR photo ticked) and install it as before.
- The switch is where it was, in Still Image Settings → D-Range Correction → HDR Photo; the film library file on your SD card stays as it is.
Good to know
- Supports GR IIIx 1.60 / 1.70 and GR III 2.10 / 2.20; confirmed on a GR IIIx with 1.70.
- Installing unofficial firmware carries risk: keep the stock firmware so you can go back.
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