What does YouTube expect from an HDR upload?
YouTube's HDR page asks for 720p to 2160p, 10- or 12-bit colour, Rec. 2020 primaries and PQ or HLG, and converts HDR to SDR for viewers without HDR screens. Three vendors on the sheet state HDR output. From 1 source page, read 2026-09-25; no maker pays to be listed.
| Source | Figure | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube HDR upload requirements | HDR uploads in 720p, 1080p, 1440p or 2160p, with UHD widths preferred to DCI | Upload requirements, resolution |
| YouTube HDR upload requirements | HDR uploads carry 10-bit or 12-bit colour depth and Rec. 2020 primaries | Upload requirements, colour |
| YouTube HDR upload requirements | YouTube converts HDR to SDR for viewers on non-HDR devices | Playback |
Inclusion rule. Vendor pages and references whose printed figures bear on this delivery target. Order. Alphabetical by source name.
1As printed
Resolution 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p
YouTube Help, upload HDR videos
Color depth 10 bits or 12 bits Color primaries Rec. 2020
YouTube Help, upload HDR videos
2What it means for delivery
The vendors that state HDR print different parts of that list: Runway names HDR10 and HLG in BT.2020, Luma names 16-bit HDR and EXR, LTX names HDR with EXR. A YouTube upload needs the video form, not EXR frames.
No figure on HDR and bit depth from 26 vendors: Adobe Firefly, Alibaba Cloud Wan, Amazon Nova Reel, BytePlus Seedance, Crreo, DomoAI, DramaSo, Dreamina, Filmora, Flixly, Google Veo, Grok Imagine, HeyGen, Higgsfield, Kling AI, M Studio, MagicLight, MiniMax, OpenAI Sora, Pexo, Pika, PixVerse, Revid AI, SceneMixer, Topview and Vidu.
- Upload requirementsHDR uploads in 720p, 1080p, 1440p or 2160p, with UHD widths preferred to DCIresolution
- Upload requirementsHDR uploads carry 10-bit or 12-bit colour depth and Rec. 2020 primariescolour
- PlaybackYouTube converts HDR to SDR for viewers on non-HDR devices