How to record HDR10+ video with your Samsung Galaxy phone

Smartphone cameras have come a long way over the last decade. Thanks to bigger and better sensors and computational photography, they can take stunning photos even in near-complete darkness. The improvements are not just limited to photos, though, as the video recording quality has also seen a dramatic improvement. Apart from better quality and 4K resolution, most smartphones nowadays can also shoot HDR videos. Samsung's latest mid-range and premium phones can record videos in HDR10+, offering a better dynamic range and colors.

However, since the feature is still in beta, the Korean giant has tucked it inside the Camera app settings, so most people are going to be oblivious of it. Follow the guide below to know how to shoot HDR10+ videos on your Samsung phone and take your videos to the next level.

What are the benefits of recording video in HDR10+?

First announced by Samsung and Amazon back in 2017, HDR10+ is an improved version of HDR10 that offers enhanced colors, contrast, and brightness. It builds on HDR by adding dynamic metadata to the video file to represent each scene more accurately on a frame-by-frame basis. In a nutshell, HDR10+ videos will offer better dynamic range and show up to a billion colors compared to regular videos.

While this sounds similar to Dolby Vision, the technologies are different. HDR10+ is supported by streaming services like Prime Video, Google Play Movies, and streaming devices like the Chromecast with Google TV and Roku Express 4K/4K+.

You need a certified TV or display and a device with HDR10+ playback support to watch the videos in all their glory. HDR videos could play with completely off or washed-out colors on incompatible devices.

How to record HDR10+ video on your Samsung Galaxy phone

Samsung has been offering the ability to record HDR10+ videos on its mid-range and premium Galaxy phones for a few years now, though you'll be limited to shooting in 30fps. The current crop of Samsung phones does not support shooting HDR10+ videos at 60fps or in 8K resolution. You also cannot record HDR10+ videos from the front camera.

Open the Camera app and tap the Settings icon in the top-left corner.
Under Videos, tap on Advanced recording options. Now, enable the HDR10+ videos option.

As the "Labs" icon itself indicates, the feature is still in beta, which perhaps explains why Samsung does not surface it in the main Camera app interface. An "HDR10+" icon on the camera viewfinder will confirm that the mode is enabled. Now, any video you shoot will be saved in HDR10+ format. If you switch to 8K resolution or an incompatible frame rate/camera, the mode will automatically disable itself.

You can directly transfer the HDR10+ video to any compatible device without any playback issues. However, for incompatible or older devices, it is best to share the video in SDR format. Thankfully, Samsung offers an option to convert HDR10+ videos to SDR in its Gallery app.

Open the Gallery app on your Galaxy phone, followed by the video.
Tap the Edit button (the one with the pencil icon). From the editor, tap the 3-dot overflow menu button in the bottom left corner and select Size and format.
Under Size and format, select the SDR (plays on any device) option.
You must also reduce the resolution of the video or switch the codec to H264 by toggling off the High efficiency video option. Otherwise, the editor will not let you save the video.
Confirm your selection by tapping Done. Depending on the length of the video and your device, the process to save the video can take a while.

You can then share the exported SDR videos with your friends or family or post them on social media without playback or compatibility issues.

YouTube supports HDR videos, so you can upload videos shot from your Galaxy phone without issues. On compatible devices, YouTube will offer an option to stream the video in HDR, while on non-HDR devices, it will be played back in standard dynamic range.

Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp do not support HDR10+, so any High Dynamic Range video you share will be severely under- or overexposed.

If you tend to shoot videos in places with a high dynamic range, you should definitely do so with HDR10+ enabled to take full advantage of your phone's recording capabilities. You can always convert the videos to SDR to avoid any compatibility issues.