How to know if HDR is working or not?

[Peaceful Joe]

I recently got a aw3423dwf ultrawide monitor, and one of the games I was most excited to test out was this. I got the resolution amd aspect ratio working, but I'm having trouble understanding if what I'm seeing is hdr or not. I have the hdr on 1000 in game settings. I can tell that there is a change of image when switching over, but nothing seems to pop out like hdr on youtube. I'm wondering if there is a place in game where I can test out if it is actually working. Maybe I'm seeing it already?

[hydra]

First check if your firmware has been updated - use the little joystick on the bottom of the monitor to open the menu and go down to the Others section. You want the firmware to be M3B104 or higher as the latest updates fixed some issues with the HDR.

Next, go to the Display section of the menu and check Smart HDR - this should either be HDR Peak 1000 or DisplayHDR True Black.

Once you launch the game, go into the monitor menu again and check the upper right corner - mine shows an HDR+ icon.

[Peaceful Joe]

Originally posted by hydradestroyer10:

First check if your firmware has been updated - use the little joystick on the bottom of the monitor to open the menu and go down to the Others section. You want the firmware to be M3B104 or higher as the latest updates fixed some issues with the HDR.

Next, go to the Display section of the menu and check Smart HDR - this should either be HDR Peak 1000 or DisplayHDR True Black.

Once you launch the game, go into the monitor menu again and check the upper right corner - mine shows an HDR+ icon.

All of that is good already. My problem is that I'm having trouble determining if the hdr is actually doing anything. For example, I look at a rising sun, and while bright, doesn't seem different than sdr. The colors look good though (no undersaturation). I'm just not seeing the highlights typical with hdr, where they pop out of the screen. Hdr on youtube is great on my monitor, so I know it works elsewhere. Maybe my standards for in game hdr is too high?

[SPEEDRUNNER041]

hdr seem not work since the 2016 according hdr forum on internet

[hydra]

I see, sounds like this may be a game specific issue of HDR implementation then.

After I first got this monitor and obsessed over the difference between SDR and HDR content, I suppose I've stopped paying close attention.

Some games pop noticeably, like electrical arcing in Dead Space or light sources in Elden Ring, but I can't say I've noticed that in No Man's Sky.