HDR to GIF Converter
Convert HDR to GIF in your browser. HDR files usually come from HDRI environment maps, 360° panoramas and lighting simulation; GIF is the better fit for short animations and reactions that must play everywhere. You get a GIF with an optimised palette of up to 256 colours per frame, dithered. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
HDR expected · other image formats also work
How to use HDR to GIF
- 1
Add your HDR files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
There is nothing to tune: the GIF is written losslessly. Resizing and rotating are under More options if you need them.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .gif files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for hdr to gif
Where the GIF goes next
GIF opens in every browser, operating system, chat app and editor.
GIF next to HDR
Both sides are lossless, so the size depends on how well the GIF encoder handles this picture compared with the HDR's run-length encoded RGBE scanlines.
Written without a lossy pass
The GIF is written losslessly, so the pixels decoded from the HDR arrive unchanged, apart from precision beyond 8 bits per channel.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
HDR vs GIF
What changes from HDR to GIF
Encoding: the HDR uses run-length encoded RGBE scanlines; GIF uses lossless LZW over a palette of at most 256 colours, and the download is a GIF with an optimised palette of up to 256 colours per frame, dithered.
Bit depth: an 8-bit mantissa per channel sharing an 8-bit exponent (RGBE), 32 bits per pixel in the HDR; GIF allows 8 bits per pixel, as indexes into a palette, and the GIF written here has 8 bits per pixel (palette). The high dynamic range is mapped to 8 bits per channel, and values above white clip.
Colour: linear RGB (or XYZ in the XYZE variant) in the HDR; GIF supports an indexed palette of up to 256 colours per frame, written here as an indexed palette of up to 256 colours.
Metadata: the HDR can carry a text header with FORMAT, EXPOSURE and optional comments; GIF can carry comment and application extension blocks, but no EXIF, but nothing is copied across.
About HDR
Radiance .hdr stores high dynamic range light values, widely used for 3D environment maps and HDRI lighting.
A Radiance file starts with '#?RADIANCE' (or '#?RGBE'), text lines such as FORMAT=32-bit_rle_rgbe and EXPOSURE, a blank line, a resolution line like '-Y 2048 +X 4096', then the scanlines.
HDR files usually come from HDRI environment maps, 360° panoramas and lighting simulation.
About GIF
GIF is the classic animated image format. It is limited to 256 colours per frame and 1-bit transparency, so photos look grainy and files are large, but it plays everywhere.
A GIF starts with 'GIF89a' (or the older 87a), a logical screen descriptor and an optional global colour table, then image blocks, each preceded by a graphic control extension that sets its delay and transparent colour.
When converting HDR to GIF makes sense
GIF is the better choice for short animations and reactions that must play everywhere, while HDR suits 3D lighting and environment maps.
GIF strengths: Animation that works everywhere; Simple, universally supported; Good for small flat graphics. Drawbacks to weigh: Only 256 colours per frame; Hard-edged transparency only; Large files for photos or long clips.
Limitations
- Light values above 1.0 are clipped rather than tone-mapped, so the sun and bright sky turn flat white.
- Environment maps are 2:1 equirectangular panoramas, so the picture looks stretched near the top and bottom, as it should.
- Files in the XYZE variant cannot be read here; RGBE files, the common kind, can.
- GIF holds at most 256 colours per frame, so HDR colour is reduced and gradients are dithered.
- GIF stores at most 256 colours per frame, so photographs show dithering or banding.
- GIF transparency is all or nothing per pixel, so soft shadows and anti-aliased edges get a hard fringe.
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Frequently asked questions
Does converting HDR to GIF lose quality?
GIF is written losslessly, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. The high dynamic range is mapped to 8 bits per channel, and values above white clip.
Which apps open GIF files?
Every browser, operating system, chat app and editor.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.