Dynamic Range
The ratio between the darkest and brightest luminance levels an image or device can represent. A wider dynamic range captures high-contrast scenes without clipping highlights or crushing shadows.
Dynamic range is the ratio between the minimum and maximum luminance a system can simultaneously reproduce. In photography and video, it defines how much brightness variation a single image can capture without highlight clipping or shadow crushing. It is measured in stops, where each stop represents a factor-of-two luminance change.
- Camera sensors: Modern full-frame sensors achieve 12-15 stops. Recording in 14-bit RAW preserves this range for post-processing. JPEG's 8-bit encoding compresses usable range to approximately 8 stops
- Displays: Standard SDR monitors reproduce roughly 6-8 stops. HDR displays with peak brightness exceeding 1000 nits and black levels below 0.05 nits deliver 14+ stops
- HDR imaging: Exposure bracketing merges multiple frames into a single high-dynamic-range image stored in 32-bit float. Tone mapping then compresses this for display
The human visual system perceives approximately 14 stops instantaneously and up to 20 stops with adaptation. In video production, HDR standards such as PQ (Perceptual Quantizer, used in HDR10 and Dolby Vision) and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) encode luminance far beyond SDR's 100-nit ceiling, enabling lifelike reproduction of specular highlights and deep shadows within a single frame.