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Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) videos often suffer from limited contrast and muted colors, making your footage look dull or lifeless. Why not transform your viewing experience by converting SDR to High Dynamic Range (HDR) video? Thanks to AI-powered HDR software, you can revive your videos with stunning brightness, richer colors, and deeper shadows.
In this article, we present the best HDR software for 2025 — carefully tested for quality and performance — including the best free HDR software options. Whether you're a beginner or a professional video creator, this guide will help you pick the right HDR program.
We've tested the leading HDR programs on the market. Here's our top 3 pick that balance power, ease of use, and value for video creators at all levels.
UniFab HDR Upconverter AI leads the market as the best HDR software for 2025, pioneering AI-powered SDR-to-HDR conversion. Supporting HDR10 and Dolby Vision, it enhances brightness, contrast, and color depth with cinematic precision. With support for DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 color spaces, and output resolutions including Full HD, QHD, and 4K UHD, UniFab ensures true-to-life HDR across all your devices.
Platform: Windows & macOS
Price: 30-day free trial with full features and no watermark!
UniFab's SDR to HDR conversion delivers a gentle boost in contrast while maintaining a natural and balanced look, closely resembling native HDR. Color accuracy is well-controlled, with moderate saturation enhancement that preserves the original color distribution. Shadow and midtone details are well-retained, resulting in a smooth, true-to-source HDR effect.
UniFab HDR Upconverter AI delivers industry-leading fast processing speeds, outperforming most other HDR software.
Test Video Details:
| Software | Conversion Time | Conversion Speed |
|---|---|---|
| UniFab HDR Upconverter AI | 9min 45s | 24.49 fps/s |
Result: UniFab processes at over 24 frames per second, providing efficient and smooth SDR to HDR conversion for timely video projects.
Topaz Video AI is also a go-to HDR softwarefor most professionals and novices to fulfill their SDR to HDR conversion needs. Its newly released Hyperion SDR to HDR feature leverages the inverse tone mapping process (or up-mapping) for seamless conversion.
Platform: Windows & macOS
Price: $299 (Lifetime License)
Topaz Hyperion’s SDR to HDR conversion delivers a visibly brighter and more contrast-rich image, with enhanced shadow visibility and striking highlights. However, this aggressive tone mapping often leads to overexposure in bright areas and loss of both highlight and shadow details. The color reproduction is vivid—especially warm tones—which can sometimes appear oversaturated or overcorrected compared to the more balanced look of native HDR.
Source Video Data
| Mode | Conversion Time | Conversion Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperion | 14min 11s | 16.72 fps/s |
HitPaw VikPea (formerly known as HitPaw Video Enhancer) is also a reliable HDR software that allows you to easily convert SDR to HDR. It offers an adjustable Dynamic Range setting from 1 to 5, giving you control over the brightness and contrast levels to achieve your desired HDR effect.
Platform: Windows & macOS
Price: $349.99 (Lifetime License)
For HitPaw, as the Dynamic Range (DR) value increases, the overall brightness of the video also rises. Compared to true HDR, this adjustment results in an overly bright image with higher color saturation. Especially at higher DR levels, the visuals tend to resemble SDR more than HDR, which may negatively affect the overall viewing experience.
HitPaw's processing speed is quite slow, often taking several hours even for short video clips.
Source Video Data
| Mode | Conversion Time | Conversion Speed |
|---|---|---|
| HitPaw D2 | 2h 37min 10s | 1.52 fps/s |
| HitPaw D5 | Approx. 3h | 1.33 fps/s |
Let us dive into the detailed comparison of the 3 HDR softwareto get a fair overview across common categories.
| Key Factors | UniFab HDR Upconverter AI | Topaz Hyperion SDR to HDR | HitPaw SDR to HDR |
| Ease of Use | Easy, user-friendly interfac | Steep Learning Curve | Simple, beginner-friendly interface |
Price (Lifetime) Price may vary; please refer to the official website for the most up-to-date pricing. | US$119.99 UniFab All-In-One: US$279.99 (including HDR Upconverter AI) | US$299 (Topaz Video AI) | US$349.99 (HitPaw Video Enhancer) |
| HDR Info in MediaInfo | ✅ Present | ❌ Not Present | ❌ Not Present |
We tested all the 3 HDR software to test their performance and speed. Here’s how the results turned out when we upconverted a 9min 57s SDR video to HDR.
Test Machine:
Source Video Data:
| Performance and Speed | UniFab HDR Upconverter AI | Topaz Hyperion SDR to HDR | HitPaw SDR to HDR |
| Output Quality | Natural colors, balanced highlights, and rich shadows | Bright and vivid, it loses details in highlights and shadows | Oversaturated and high contrast with highlight loss |
| Preserves HDR Depth | Yes. Preserves true HDR depth | Weakens HDR effect | Resembles SDR more than HDR |
| Conversion Speed | 24.49 fps/s | 16.72 fps/s | 1.52 fps/s |
| Conversion Time | 9min 45s | 14min 11s | 2h 37min 10s |
To explore how these tools compare in other features, check out: UniFab vs Topaz and Hitpaw vs Topaz.
Before choosing the best HDR software, consider these key factors that impact performance and output quality:
1. HDR Quality and Accuracy — true HDR output with precise color reproduction and balanced highlights and shadows.
2. AI Enhancement & Machine Learning — scene detection, noise reduction, and intelligent upscaling to improve results.
3. Customization & Control — manual adjustments, presets, and color grading options.
4. Performance and Speed — hardware acceleration and rendering time for efficient processing.
5. User Interface & Ease of Use — intuitive navigation for beginners and advanced controls for pros.
6. Format Support & Compatibility — broad format and HDR standard support across platforms.
7. Extra Features — built-in editor, audio tools, export presets.
8. Price & User Reviews — fits your budget and has positive feedback from real users.
Among HDR software options, UniFab HDR Upconverter AI excels by delivering accurate HDR output with AI-powered enhancements, fast processing, and easy-to-use controls. It supports multiple formats, offers useful extra features, and fits various budgets with strong user feedback.
Next, let’s see how to use UniFab to convert your SDR videos to HDR.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to quickly convert your SDR videos to HDR using this intuitive software.
30-day Free Trial for full features, without watermark!
Launch UniFab, go to All Features, and select HDR Upconverter under Video AI. Click the + icon or drag and drop your SDR video to import it.
Choose HDR 10 or Dolby Vision based on your needs, and adjust the color space, format, quality, audio settings, and other parameters as required.
Once you are satisfied, tap Start. UniFab HDR Upconverter will utilize its AI models and automatically upscale your SDR video clips to HDR10 or Dolby Vision.
For more detailed information about UniFab HDR Software, you can watch this informative YouTube video.
Don't let your cherished videos remain flat and dull. With the best HDR software, you can transform your footage into vibrant, cinematic-quality HDR videos. UniFab HDR Upconverter AI stands out for its quality, speed, user-friendliness, and affordability. Whether you are a beginner or professional, it offers tailored results. Topaz Hyperion and HitPaw provide alternatives depending on your needs and budget.
Depending on your system requirements and preferences, you may choose the best free HDR software online or desktop tool for your usage. However, we suggest using the UniFab SDR to HDR Converter AI as it offers high-quality conversion with ultimate video editing and customization features. Its ‘30-day free trial without a watermark’ policy lets even new users gain insights into its paid version.
No. Nowadays, most HDR software uses AI enhancement technology. It upscales your low-quality video content to more stunning, vibrant, and realistic details with visible brightness, contrast, and saturation. So, the data does not get lost; instead, it improves more realistically.
For reliable HDR software for Mac, UniFab HDR Upconverter AI is a top choice. It supports macOS, offers fast and accurate SDR to HDR10 conversion, and provides easy-to-use AI enhancements for great HDR results.
Reviews assess image quality, processing speed, ease of use, and features like AI enhancement. Trusted reviews combine lab tests, user feedback, and expert opinions.