OBS HDR Capture Image Calibration Settings Guide
Application Scenarios
When capturing HDR signal sources via a capture card, the preview image in OBS appears too dark or washed-out gray. Follow the settings below to enable HDR Tone Mapping, which properly converts HDR signals for SDR display and restores normal brightness and detail in the image.
Operating Guide
1, Launch OBS Studio, and add the video capture card, then set as below.
1.1, Video Format: P010 or NV12
P010 is preferred, and P010 is 10-bit for better image quality; select NV12 if P010 is unavailable.
1.2, Color Space: Rec. 2100 (PQ)
Complies with the HDR10 standard.
1.3, Color Range: Full
Preserves full brightness information.
2, Add the HDR Tone-Mapping Filter
2.1, Right click capture card icon under Source, and select Filters. And click + icon in the bottom left corner of the new window and select HDR Tone Mapping (Override). And click OK.
2.2, Tone Transform: SDR: Reinhard
Delivers higher overall brightness, suitable for correcting dark scenes.
2.3, SDR White Level: fill in 150 – 200 nits.
Controls overall brightness after tone mapping; fine-tune based on visual appearance.
2.4, Click Close to finish settings.
3, Check the OBS preview window after above settings:
3.1, Brightness returns to normal; highlights retain detail and shadows are not crushed black: Setup successful.
3.2, Image remains too dark → Gradually increase SDR White Level up to 300 nits and retest.
3.3, Over-exposed / washed-out white image → Decrease SDR White Level to around 100 nits.
4, Notes
4.1, These settings apply to OBS Studio version 28.0 and newer.
4.2, On the capture PC, it is recommended to turn off Windows system HDR (Settings → Display → disable Use HDR). This prevents double-mapping which causes washed-out gray visuals.
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