New Pixel 9 feature: Google Photos retroactively converts pictures to Ultra HDR

Since the launch of Android 14, select Android smartphones have been able to save pictures in Google’s new Ultra HDR format JPEG_R. These pictures have a much higher contrast and also make use of the high peak HDR brightness of compatible AMOLED displays, such as the one found on the Google Pixel 9. The increased brightness can also make colors look more vibrant.

Thus far, users had to manually select an option in the camera app in order to take Ultra HDR pictures. However, Android Authority now reports that some users have been able to retroactively convert their photos from SDR to Ultra HDR after updating the Google Photos app to version 7.24.0.747539053. To be more exact, Ultra HDR has been added to the editing tools, which can now adjust the HDR intensity between 0 and 100. Since this feature needs to be enabled by Google first, it’s not available for all users who already have the latest version of the Google Photos app just yet.

The new option replaces the adjustable "HDR Effect" that was found in previous versions of Google Photos. Google is likely utilizing AI in order to recognize the brightness of different parts of the picture and optimize them for an HDR screen. Ultra HDR photos are backward compatible, so they can still be displayed properly on SDR displays. The file size only increases by about 25%, as Google merely adds brightness metadata to the SDR photo instead of saving an additional HDR version of the entire image.