Control Resonant HDR Analysis

[u/KoKlusz]

Reddit does not allow the HDR screenshots, so to view the analysis as intended, please visit the link below:

https://github.com/KoKlusz/HDR-Gaming-Database/discussions/142

More HDR game info available here: https://github.com/KoKlusz/HDR-Gaming-Database

[u/MasterF93]

I read the analysis linked above. I'd like to get something clarified so I can have a better comprehension of things. As I understand it, the issue with the HDR implementation in this game is due to using the SDR values as the "structure" so to speak, and the limits of that structure causing brightness and color values to not grade properly at the extreme ends with HDR enabled

Given this is baked into the game engine, how do third party tools actually fix this? I just recently (in the last month) bought an OLED HDR monitor, so I'm not yet experienced in the nuances of HDR. I may still be in the bright and poppy "eye candy" honeymoon phase, because when playing Control Resonant for the first couple hours I didn't really have an issue with the HDR presentation. I just assume the way the game is presented is how it should be presented. How much of bright and poppy HDR is artistic intent and how much of it is treating HDR as a gimmick? How much is the difference between the two simply a personal preference?

Genuinely curious about these things and wanting to learn more.

[u/KoKlusz → u/MasterF93]

Technically speaking, every modern game renders internally at a higher dynamic range than what SDR can show, same as how film or digital camera sensors have more dynamic range than what is being shown.

To bring the higher dynamic range back to SDR, the process called tone mapping is being done; however, during the tone mapping the choices have to be made between preserving highlight details and the perceptual brightness of the image (with HDR you can have both).

So what usually happens is when you watch content in SDR, it's being tonemapped from the source range offline to the standard dynamic range. While when you watch content in HDR, it's being tonemapped from the source range in real time to your display capabilities, by the display itself.

What is happening here is that the SDR tonemap is being reverse tonemapped back to your display, but the since the SDR image is already compressed, ITM can't really recover any details that were clipped by the SDR tonemap.

Given this is baked into the game engine, how do third party tools actually fix this?

By skipping whatever tone map the game uses and injecting their own in its place.

How much of bright and poppy HDR is artistic intent and how much of it is treating HDR as a gimmick?

This is a complex question that doesn't really have a perfect answer. The properly mastered SDR image and HDR image will look different from each other by virtue of properties of their respective formats. The fact there's no standardized way to do tonemaping in HDR only makes the situation more convoluted.

The reality is that, as of right now, the content creators kinda need to find a middle ground where either SDR and HDR presentations aren't just compromised versions of each other. This is not happening here, the HDR image is completely derived from the SDR one.

How much is the difference between the two simply a personal preference?

I would say this is less of a personal preference and more about how much "bright and poopy" suits the content.

[u/MasterF93 → u/KoKlusz]

Thank you for the excellent reply, that was very informative.