Converting Hif to Jpeg on computer

[BreegeEnglish]

I somehow today saved about 300 photos in HIF.  I've never done that before.  would anyone know how to convert HIF to Jpeg on a computer.  Very frustrated

[johnrmoyer]

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@CaptnBob wrote:

I've used this method (Batch save and Convert) to convert HDR photos to JPG, but they all end up much lighter than the original, both viewed in DPP. The exported JPG looks the same in DPP, ACDSee and Windows 11 Photo viewer. I have tried selecting the option to "Embed color profile" and not embedded it. Both results are the same.

To get the resulting JPG to look anything like the original on the same HDR monitor, I have to edit the JPG and reduce the brightness -30eV points.

I cannot find a way to fix this in DPP.

I can also not edit the HDR photo. All the brightness and colour settings are greyed out on the "Tool palette". I have DPP 4.19

Can anyone help please?

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I expect that the problem is the icc profile. A particular icc profile is required by the standards when making PQ HDR image files, but it appears to me that the profile is implicit and not explicitly included in the HIF files. Canon might improve DPP by adding a possibility of explicitly adding an ICC profile during conversion.

When I do batch conversion of image formats, I usually use graphicsmagick free software and use exiftool to copy metadata tags. Canon could improve DPP by adding support for standard IPTC metadata tags and standard Metadata Working Group tags. Usually Canon is very good about supporting standards, but has fallen behind in DPP.

I have built from source https://github.com/google/jpegli which is related to https://github.com/libjxl/libjxl/tree/main/lib/jpegli on both my Debian Linux machine and on my iMac.  I have used this to create an icc profile that works for converting HIF files to other formats. I expect that such an icc profile might be available elsewhere.

I replied to a similar question once before: https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Camera-Software/Ultra-HDR-formatted-JPEG-workflow-from-RAW/m-p/49... 

Information about the standard is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptual_quantizer  and at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rec._2100  

 https://manpages.debian.org/testing/libjxl-tools/cjpeg_hdr.1.en.html  

To attach a PQ profile to an image without a colour profile (or with a different colour profile), the following command can be used:

``` build/tools/decode_and_encode input RGB_D65_202_Rel_PeQ output_with_pq.png 16 ```

Similarly, to attach an HLG profile, the following command can be used

``` build/tools/decode_and_encode input RGB_D65_202_Rel_HLG output_with_pq.png 16 ```

This is what I did, but I have low confidence that it would work for others.

/home/jrm/src/LibRaw-0.21.2/bin/dcraw_emu -v -disinterp -T -6  IMG_9590.CR3 
gm convert IMG_9590.CR3.tiff  -depth 16 IMG_9590.png
/home/jrm/src/libjxl/build2/tools/cjpegli -v IMG_9590.png   IMG_9590.jpeg
exiftool IMG_9590.jpeg -ICC_Profile'<='pq.icc 
# 
#add icc profile to png file
/home/jrm/src/libjxl/build/tools/decode_and_encode  IMG_8539c_test.png24 RGB_D65_202_Rel_PeQ  junk.png 
#extract icc profile to separate file
gm convert junk.png pq.icc
#create 16 bit png from HIF that Canon DPP had saved
gm convert ../2024Jan20/IMG_8539c.HIF -depth 16 IMG_8539c_test2.png
#use cjpegli to create jpeg
/home/jrm/src/libjxl/build2/tools/cjpegli -v IMG_8539c_test2.png  IMG_8539cli3.jpeg
#add icc file
exiftool IMG_8539cli3.jpeg -ICC_Profile'<='pq.icc
# i cannot remember whether this next command line did what I had hoped
/home/jrm/src/libjxl/build2/tools/cjpegli -v -x icc_pathname=pq.icc -x color_space=RGB_D65_202_Rel_PeQ IMG_8539c_test2.png  IMG_8539cli3.jpeg 

[FloridaDrafter]

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@CaptnBob wrote:

I've used this method (Batch save and Convert) to convert HDR photos to JPG, but they all end up much lighter than the original, both viewed in DPP. The exported JPG looks the same in DPP, ACDSee and Windows 11 Photo viewer. I have tried selecting the option to "Embed color profile" and not embedded it. Both results are the same.

To get the resulting JPG to look anything like the original on the same HDR monitor, I have to edit the JPG and reduce the brightness -30eV points.

I cannot find a way to fix this in DPP.

I can also not edit the HDR photo. All the brightness and colour settings are greyed out on the "Tool palette". I have DPP 4.19

Can anyone help please?

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I'm not sure why you are having this problem. Mine convert fine with no need for editing other than what picture style applies ("Standard"), which I have made no changes to so it's "stock" and whatever Canon provides.

Here are a couple of screen shots strait from conversion with no post editing. Yes, there are some color variations, but that is a result of going from a 10bit HIF HDR to 8bit JPeG. Please click the thumbnails to expand or view full screen.

HDR HIF in DPP 4.

Converted HIF to JPeG in DPP 4.

Sorry I can't be of more help, other than to say I have a different experience with this process.

Newton

[FloridaDrafter]

I'll just add that this particular original shot was taken with an EOS R5 and RF 100-500L under a 60w lamp. 167mm, 180th, f/5, ISO 1600. But that shouldn't make a difference in the batch conversion, so it's just info some folks like to see 🙂

Newton

[johnrmoyer]

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@FloridaDrafter wrote:

I'll just add that this particular original shot was taken with an EOS R5 and RF 100-500L under a 60w lamp. 167mm, 180th, f/5, ISO 1600. But that shouldn't make a difference in the batch conversion, so it's just info some folks like to see 🙂

Newton

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Where I have seen the problem is when I have made a photo of a Northern Cardinal bird in bright sunlight.

Even with -2/3 exposure compensation the red channel is clipped in DPP unless I change to HDR PQ mode or increase the dynamic range. Then, if I save a JPG from a HIF in DPP it does not include the PQ ICC profile and the image is too dark. If I add an HDR PQ ICC profile to the JPG file, then the colors display as expected.

I expect that this will only need to be done if some of the values are clipped. If no values are clipped, the the HIF and JPG should be the same except for the ICC curve. If the red value for a pixel has a value of 600 in the HIF file, it must somehow be reduced to 256 when converting to JPG. The choices for reducing the red pixel value might include darkening the entire image or clipping all values greater than 256 to 256 or applying a different gamma curve to compress the dynamic range.

If Canon were to explicitly add a redundant ICC profile to the JPG made from a HIF file then other software would display it better. But I use only Debian Linux and macOS and never Windows and I might be wrong.

[CaptnBob]

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@johnrmoyer wrote:

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I expect that the problem is the icc profile. A particular icc profile is required by the standards when making PQ HDR image files, but it appears to me that the profile is implicit and not explicitly included in the HIF files. Canon might improve DPP by adding a possibility of explicitly adding an ICC profile during conversion.

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Thanks for the details. I agree with your summary, that the problem is the lack of an embedded icc profile in the HIF files. The profile is also not embedded in the JPGs. When viewing the files in other tools, e.g. ACDSee, one can set the default profile to use when it's missing from a photo, but only one. I'll try your method to embed the profile.

[CaptnBob]

Thanks Newton. Interesting that there is little brightness difference in your photos. The colour difference is expected, as you said.

[CaptnBob]

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@johnrmoyer wrote:

---

I expect that the problem is the icc profile. A particular icc profile is required by the standards when making PQ HDR image files, but it appears to me that the profile is implicit and not explicitly included in the HIF files. Canon might improve DPP by adding a possibility of explicitly adding an ICC profile during conversion.

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EDIT:

I thought I agree with your summary, that the problem is the lack of an embedded icc profile in the HIF files. However, looking at the file in GIMP (not converted), file properties show the colour profile as "RGB color: BT.2020 sRGB-TRC RGB".

GIMP doesn't display this well at all, even converted to sRGB. It's also washed out like in ACDSee.

I found an Full HDR ICC profile online "HDR UHDTV Wide Color Gamut Display Rec. 2020)". Applying that in ACDSee as the default input profile, makes the HDR PQ photos appear much closer to what I see in DPP. I probably need the right profile, using the method you tried.

This test suggests that the HIF file colour profile isn't being read by ACDSee.

I'll experiment with your method.

The JPG export is a separate problem. It's possibly the mapping from the HDR to SDR is a little different to what I expect.