Ever snapped a photo and thought that this looked better in real life? Well, I have. Lighting, colors, and those subtle details don’t always translate perfectly on camera, especially when you’re using your phone in less-than-ideal conditions. Well, Google knows this, which is why it’s now letting you convert your regular photos to Ultra HDR.
Google Photos can now Ultra HDR-ify your old photos
Google Photos is now rolling out a feature that lets you convert your regular photos to Ultra HDR, as reported by Android Authority. Yep, even your old shots can get the glow-up. The option lives in the “Adjust” tab inside the Google Photos editor and is starting to show up in v7.24.0.747539053. There’s also a slider to control how strong the Ultra HDR effect is, just like with other editing tools in the app.
Credits: Android Authority
Google introduced the Ultra HDR format with Android 14, allowing for images that pack in a wider range of color and brightness. Photos enhanced with Ultra HDR tend to look more vivid on displays that support HDR, but they also remain backward-compatible with non-HDR screens. That’s because the format includes both SDR and HDR versions of the image in a single file.
Interestingly, these images don’t take up more space. In fact, they can be smaller. Ultra HDR uses a gain map, a smaller file that stores brightness information separately. This helps devices recreate those bright, punchy visuals without a big jump in file size.
If you want to see if Ultra HDR is live for you, try editing a photo and check the Adjust tab. After applying it, swipe up on the image to see the “Ultra HDR” label in the details. If it’s there, your gallery just got a serious upgrade. If you don’t see it yet, don’t worry. It’s a server-side update, so Google has to flip the switch for you.
