Do You Use HDR?

[MrBitstFlyer 3,896]

The GFE detail filter and HDR are different things, surely!

On 9/30/2023 at 2:52 PM, jrw4 said:

HDR looks simply outstanding on a Dell monitor

HDR, as well as giving more dynamic range, makes colours deeper and more realistic.  SDR in comparison looks quite dull in contrast and colour. 

Of course, if you are only used to SDR,  the display will look great, but once you have seen HDR (correctly calibrated for your display using the Windows HDR calibration tool), you will will never go back!

[regis9 4,038]

I use HDR and am quite happy with it.  Only downside is the colours are a mess in screenshots so I don’t bother taking many of those anymore.

[Stoopy 1,595]

44 minutes ago, regis9 said:

I use HDR and am quite happy with it.  Only downside is the colours are a mess in screenshots so I don’t bother taking many of those anymore.

Have you tried using the XBox Game Bar application and pressing Windows-ALT-PRTSCN.  The app may be running in the background already with MSFS anyway.  The results are great.  I took these from a recent session with HDR enabled (it was a dawn flight so the colors should be a bit on the darker side):

 

 

 

 

[regis9 4,038]

Thanks I didn’t know about that, I’ll give it a shot.

[Mets737 201]

Yup, I use HDR and the xbox game bar for my screenshots, fantastic!

[RJC68 823]

HDR for me also,

I did use the free Windows HDR calibration tool and created a profile, the sim looks stunning on my 55 Inch Sony X90K

[RJC68 823]

2 hours ago, Stoopy said:

Have you tried using the XBox Game Bar application and pressing Windows-ALT-PRTSCN

I just tried this and it actually creates 2 files, what looks to be an HDR version & non HDR version. This is great because I can now view on a non HDR display 

Thanks for sharing 

[Waldo Pepper 1,953]

 

On 9/29/2023 at 9:31 PM, FlierHawk said:

I saw a video somewhere that showed msfs is targeting unattainable nit levels for the sun of like 10,000 nits.  I have a 4k hdr setup but it's not certified to a nit level and i think it's closer to 300 pathetic nits.  as a result HDR always seems off even though the dynamic range is better and color saturation is nicer.  I compromised and used nvidia filters to get some of that pop back while leaving HDR off. 

 

 

That is solved to a large degree by using the Windows HDR Calibration tool.  https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/windows-hdr-calibration/9N7F2SM5D1LR?hl=en-us&gl=us&rtc=1

I've run an 48" LG CX oled since a few months before the sim was released.   I also have a 48" LG C3.

Filmmaker mode offers the best picture quality,  imo.    I used the windows calibration tool and set it's slider for more saturation,   and I also set digital vibrance to 55 in the Nvidia Cp.

Game Mode,   Standard mode,  vivid,   by default all set the color balance to an unnatural blue.    It destroyed the mid-tones in MSFS,  imo.

The blue does look brighter,   which some may prefer.    But filmmaker looks so much better after getting used to it.

[mikegrr 109]

Does HDR make Msf look more saturated? I think it’s too colorful now. On the one hand very pretty but not realistic  

In the small planes I’ve flown in there is much more haze and subdued colors. Even true when on airliners while traveling. 

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,799]

12 minutes ago, mikegrr said:

In the small planes I’ve flown in there is much more haze and subdued colors.

I think there was more realistic haze when MSFS first came out and it was toned down because it did not look good in screenshots.

The Disney Fairy Land night lighting is the same, totally unrealistic with street lamps on every backwoods dirt track - but it makes for good screen shots.

A big part of the issue is what people view as "realistic" is based on oversaturated, over sharpened wallpaper landscape photos, not real life.

 

With regard to HDR being over saturated there are config file settings you can edit to change sharpening and saturation that might help.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Glenn Fitzpatrick

[V1ROTA7E 718]

1 hour ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

The Disney Fairy Land night lighting

LMAO. I love that description 

[mikegrr 109]

I remember FSX had a distance slider that really seemed to be useful. What ever happened to that request for a feature in MSFS?

[mikegrr 109]

Maybe that was xplane with the viewing distance slider.

[AnkH 2,282]

HDR off for me, tried it several times and just never found a setup that looked ok on my screen, sticking with GFE filters for now. 

[MrBitstFlyer 3,896]

37 minutes ago, AnkH said:

HDR off for me, tried it several times and just never found a setup that looked ok on my screen, sticking with GFE filters for now. 

I'm not sure what you mean by 'setup' concerning HDR. GE filters are a different thing to HDR.

The only setup after turning on HDR is to use the Windows HDR calibration tool to tune the HDR output to your screen. This tuning is very simple to do and is completed in less than a minute.  HDR increases the dynamic range of the image you are viewing, as well as increasing colour accuracy.

MSFS in SDR looks great, but if you have an HDR display, you can get MSFS a little closer to what you see out your window.