HDR Help

[Chud-Slayer]

Hey, so I recently picked up a monitor that I absolutely love so far, but my one gripe is that I can't get it's HDR down.

The weird thing is, in games like Resi 7 with the HDR option turned on, and oddly enough the UI and everything else about windows after PC restart (but before I launch a game), the HDR looks amazing.

However, HDR looks grey and washed out after I launch my first game. It doesn't in the actual steam overlay or in the game that's using HDR, but the rest of windows has an almost grey film on it.

Does anyone know how to reset HDR or change it so that it uses the same HDR settings all the time? Or any other fix that might work?

My New Monitor: MSI Optix mag342cqr

Monitor Link: https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Optix-MAG342CQR-1500R-Curvature/dp/B08S8W3MMM

My Current (Other) Specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor

Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX (rev. 1.0) ATX AM5 Motherboard

RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5600 64GB CL40

GPU: Merc Speedster 7900 XT (AMD)

Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive

PSU: Corsair RM850x (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Case: Cooler Master MasterCase H500 ARGB ATX Mid Tower Case

Windows Version: Windows 11 Pro

Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler

[Alice Liddell]

Word of advice is never use Auto HDR on the Windows settings because this forces HDR on always which is not great first of all and secondly, Win10 and Win11 has issues arising from this feature and what I personally do is not mess with any game HDR settings, if applicable, and simply use the monitor OBD to turn HDR on manually.

I also had to go through the Windows Color Management Wizard to sort out the proper coloration, contrast, etc...

Personally, I would keep using Nvidia Control Panel which is still valid through Windows Store even when using Nvidia App because that old Nvidia Control Panel (NCP) is more solid and precise than their new app and its settings.

And another word of advice, OP, is watch out for updates because some can break your OS and only when things will not work, that is when an update is needed, therefore, being updated is not always the proper path but staying un-updated could land more solidly in the long run, as per my experiences.

Another issue that can arise however, is when you do not load an app for a long time, these can crash as well so sometimes staying updated is proper (looking at you Razer Synapse).

With that above issue, if this happens, you are in a world of hurt because: 1) you cannot update at all; 2) you cannot reinstall at all; 3) you cannot uninstall; 4) the software breaks inline; 5) a hope and a prayer will not save you this time; 6) OS reinstallation may, or may not, work; 7) you run into a vertical corruption path and this is worse than any BSoD you would ever face; and finally, 8) you had wished you used the software more in the past to not have this issue in the first place.

With all this said, I personally recommend to at least load all of your software apps at least once every 3 months, or sooner, to circumvent any updating issues.

But like I said, OP, use HDR manually using your monitors OBD (On-board Display) settings as it is much easier on the monitor, the eyes, and the OS and forgo the game HDR settings as this is a fallcy for most games, newer games would have more of an impact in tiny ways but HDR is generally about lighting and that is all.

One game that has a broken HDR settings value is GTA: Vice City Definitive Edition, it is broken so bad on UE4 that even the developers had to take it away as a setting for many systems, if not all (I think they disabled it entirely).

The recommendation is not to use Auto HDR which is a Windows setting.

If you read the Win11 Update 23H2 errors, this Auto-HDR was one that was so bad, even MS had issues fixing it over 8 months, so that should tell you something.

When I got this HDR monitor, I could not stand the desktop forcing HDR for absolutely no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reason, such a waste because HDR should only be limited to movies, creative suites, and gaming not OS.

So the way I did the color corrections was to turn on HDR on the monitor and go through all those things about brightness, contrast, and sharpness but I did it again without HDR to get it all proper, you may have to switch it over back and forth to get the best outcome.

HDR does not need a game setting to turn on as it is simply an extreme backlighting feature which is controlled by the monitor (or OS) and not a proper game setting at all.

Sure, some games will attempt to give HDR a facelift but this is very experimental and only done proper on certain game engines that can utilize the data adverse runtime environment (aka Windows Auto HDR).

I only use HDR in games and movies, manually.

What Auto HDR is supposed to do, yet it fails to do so, is use HDR when needed but not all the time and only when games or movies are warranting.

Microsoft failed on the code which coexists a corruption where HDR is used at system startup, which is a rookie mistake.

To make this short, Auto HDR is no better than manual HDR but at least manual OBD HDR won't trash your monitor 24/7 with the peak brightness layering that HDR brings to the table.

Only use HDR mode as needed, only when applicable.

[Pocahawtness]

There are no standards for HDR.

One of the first things you need is to download Windows HDR Calibation from Microsoft. This allows you to set up HDR mode so it looks good with SDR content.

But, in general, Windows 11 is NOT HDR, so the best results are to leave HDR off all the time and to just switch it on when you need it.

Some games do not support HDR and thost that do handle it in different ways. It's game specific. Many games there's no improvement with HDR.

Some games will switch on HDR by themselves, some will not. The best way to handle the ones that don't is to use a utility called AutoActions, which can automatically switch HDR mode on when needed.

So, the choice is yours. Use AutoActions or the calibration tool. No harm in using both.

[matt]

I have an MSI Artymis MPG343CQR. I guess that's the next step up from your monitor. It's a nice monitor, but it's only got HDR400, so I leave HDR off. On this monitor, my desktop looks a bit washed out with HDR on. One trick you can do is use windows-alt-b to toggle HDR support on/off in Windows when you need it.

In Windows 11, if you go into System -> Display -> HDR -> HDR Display Calibration, it will prompt you to download an app from the Microsoft Store called Windows HDR Calibration. I've never tried it, but it seems relevant to your issues.

I bought a second monitor, an Acer mini-LED with HDR1000 support, for HDR content. My HDR photographs look noticeably better on it. Monitor manufacturers all lie about how beautiful HDR looks on their entry-level and mid-range models.

[WarBucks]

I just started seeing the same behavior. it may be a windows or driver update. NMS which has HDR natively, shows HDR10 emblem on my tv.

But when it gets dim and i switch the 400/600/1000 setting in game to get it back it shows Dolby Vision emblem which its not supposed to.

Probably some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ with the windows desktop HDR setting.

HDR itself is fine. The principle issue with HDR is the tv/Monitor doesnt send their specs to the GPU/console/stb. Its up to the user to set manually. In another 30-40 years im sure theyll fix it

[wing0zero]

HDR will never look great because you have a monitor that is HDR compatible meaning it will take a HDR signal and make it look "ok" but really it's not a HDR monitor.

It's a back lit panel so can never do high dynamic range because it always needs the back light on to some degree so you can't get from black to light on the same scene.

You need OLED or LED with a lot of back light zones vs just back lit.

Originally posted by Pocahawtness:

There are no standards for HDR.

Not really true, PQ (Perceptual Quantizer) curve is a transfer function used in High Dynamic Range imaging, in standards like HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+

The PQ curve is defined in SMPTE ST 2084 and ITU-R BT.2100, ensuring consistency across different HDR formats and devices.

There are standards it's that they are not followed every time and it's made to look worse when they can advertise a HDR monitor that just isn't really HDR like the one OP bought.

[_I_]

hdr is just a fix for a problem that shouldnt exist
if you cant see bright and dark effects at the same time its a junk display

hdr just limits the min/max brightness so the full range is visible
you can get the exact same effect by adjusting the displays brightness/contrast

[emoticorpse]

Originally posted by Toadicus:

...However, HDR looks grey and washed out after I launch my first game. It doesn't in the actual steam overlay or in the game that's using HDR, but the rest of windows has an almost grey film on it.

Is this not be design? You mean like the portion of the screen is HDR and the other portion is gray? Are you trying to HDR game in windowed mode? I'm having a hard time imagining what's going on.

Originally posted by Toadicus:

...Does anyone know how to reset HDR or change it so that it uses the same HDR settings all the time? Or any other fix that might work?...

Is the issue that the settings keep changing or is this issue constantly the same and repeating?

[Arbiter of mediocrity]

You got a va panel. Even with 1000 local dimming zones it wouldn't be capable of delivering a decent hdr experience. Either go oled or better yet forget about hdr? There are no standards for videogame and movie hdr. The producers are winging it. It's not like photography