Picview Now Supports HDR Photos

If your photo contains HDR data and your display supports HDR rendering (such as the built-in screens on iMac or MacBook), Picview will automatically load HDR when opening the photo — making highlights brighter and the image more lifelike.

Comparison

Automatic HDR Detection

By default, Picview decides automatically based on both the photo and the display:

  • Photo has no HDR → no HDR display.
  • Photo has HDR, but the display doesn’t → no HDR display.
  • Photo has HDR and the display supports HDR → HDR highlights enabled.

This adaptive behavior is seamless and requires no extra effort from the user.

Manual HDR Control

If you prefer more control, go to Preferences > Viewing > Appearance > HDR Photo Handling, where you can choose:

  • Auto (default)
  • Always On (HDR)
  • Always Off (SDR)

This is especially useful if you dislike HDR highlights. You can turn HDR off completely, or force it on — even on non-HDR screens, exported files will still retain HDR data.

Settings

HDR Editing & Export

Beyond viewing, Picview also supports rotating, flipping, cropping, and saving HDR photos. When exported as JPG/PNG after editing, the output will still include HDR data.


Further Reading

  1. FAQ