What's the difference between HDR and WebP?

Radiance HDR (.hdr) stores high-dynamic-range images using an RGBE encoding — a shared exponent per pixel that captures a far wider range of brightness than ordinary 8-bit formats. WebP is Google's modern image format.

What quality should I pick?

For WebP, quality 75-85 is the sweet spot — small files with no visible difference from the original. Lower than 60 starts to show artifacts. Higher than 90 mostly just makes the file bigger.

Why convert away from HDR?

Radiance HDR (.hdr) stores high-dynamic-range images using an RGBE encoding — a shared exponent per pixel that captures a far wider range of brightness than ordinary 8-bit formats. Where it falls down: direct display on the web (needs tone-mapping first); general-purpose photo sharing. WebP addresses that for most workflows.

When is WebP the right format?

WebP is a good choice for: web images of any kind — the modern default; replacing both JPG photos and PNG screenshots on a single site; animated images that would otherwise be GIFs (much smaller). It is a poor choice when print pipelines and pre-2020 software (use PNG/JPG for compatibility).

Anything surprising about HDR or WebP?

Converting HDR to an 8-bit format tone-maps it — the extreme highlights/shadows are compressed to fit. And on the WebP side: webP lossless is competitive with PNG and often smaller. Worth trying.

Does this work on mobile?

Yes. The drop zone falls back to your phone's file picker, and conversions run on-device just like desktop. Large files may be slower on mobile due to CPU and memory constraints, but the workflow is identical.

What's the maximum file size?

No hard limit — the browser handles it. Files under 50MB convert in a few seconds. Larger files work but may take longer as the browser allocates memory. If you hit issues, batch in smaller groups.

Convert HDR to WebP

Convert HDR to WebP for smaller files that every current browser displays. High dynamic range is tone-mapped down to standard range. Free, in your browser.

Drop images to convert

PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, BMP, GIF, SVG, HDR, ICO — any combination

Files stay on your device. Open DevTools' Network tab to verify.

Output format

WebP

Quality82%

Overview

Why convert HDR to WebP

WebP is a more practical choice than HDR for most modern workflows: web images of any kind — the modern default. Coming from HDR, the thing to know is that direct display on the web (needs tone-mapping first).

Comparison

HDR vs WebP: what actually differs

HDR compared with WebP across encoding, fidelity, file size and support.
Attribute	HDR	WebP
Compression	Lossless	Lossy or lossless
Transparency	No	Yes
Animation	No	Yes
Typical file size	Varies	Medium
Browser support	Not natively displayable in browsers — convert to PNG, JPG, or WebP to view or share.	Supported by every evergreen browser since 2020 (Chrome, Firefox, Safari 14+, Edge). Older systems and some editing tools still struggle.

How to

How to convert HDR to WebP

01
Drop your HDR files
Drag one or more HDR files onto the dropzone above, or click to browse. Files stay on your device — nothing uploads.
02
Convert in your browser
convert.now decodes each HDR and re-encodes it as WebP via WebAssembly. The conversion runs in a Web Worker so the page stays responsive.
03
Download the result
Download a single WebP file or, for batch conversions, a zip of all converted files. Filenames preserve the originals.

Why here

Why convert.now

Private
Files stay in your browser. No upload step. Nothing for anyone to see.
Fast
No queue, no upload wait. Conversion starts the moment you drop a file.
Free
No ads. No file-count limit. No sign-up wall. Just the converter.

FAQ

HDR to WebP: common questions

No. The conversion from HDR to WebP runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Files never leave your device. Open DevTools' Network tab if you'd like to verify — there are no network requests with file contents.

Related HDR converters

Last updated 27 August 2026

Why convert HDR to WebP

HDR vs WebP: what actually differs

How to convert HDR to WebP

Drop your HDR files

Convert in your browser

Download the result

Why convert.now

HDR to WebP: common questions

Related HDR converters