Inside CaptureX · macOS 15+

CaptureX HDR annotations: setup, formats and requirements

Turn on HDR, add a mark and export in a format your receiving app supports.

CaptureX teamPublished Updated

HDR for screenshots

Brighter emphasis. Details intact.

Give highlights, arrows and text up to 4× luminance gain. Mark what matters and save an HDR image, all in the same CaptureX editor.

Explore HDR editing and requirements
HDR originalBrighter emphasis (SDR illustration)
Fictional design review in English, with an emphasized area and arrows

SDR copyStandard brightness (SDR illustration)
Standard version of the same fictional design review in English

An output sample made with fictional content, edited and natively encoded by CaptureX. Text in the sample is in English.SDR illustrations with brightness adjusted to show the difference in emphasis; they do not reproduce a real HDR screen. The content is fictional, with text in English.

A browser’s HDR capability report does not verify the screen’s actual physical brightness. Appearance depends on display headroom, the browser and the receiving app. Check saved images in the app they will be viewed in.

Add an HDR annotation

  1. With Screen Recording permission granted, press Control + Shift + A and select a window or area. Turn on HDR in the screenshot toolbar, then add an arrow, text or highlight.
  2. Adjust brightness in the tool options, up to 4×. Select an existing mark to return it to 1×. The switch affects new annotations; it does not change all existing marks.

Export a format that keeps HDR

Open Export, choose a format and save. Documents with HDR annotations default to HEIC. Whole-image Copy, Pin and drag-out use SDR without the extra brightness.

Export a format that keeps HDR
FormatSaved content
HEICHDR with a gain map; the default choice.
PNG16-bit PQ PNG for tools that support PQ.
JPEGAdaptive HDR JPEG with a gain map; requires receiving-app support.

Check your system and display

HDR editing and saving require macOS 15+. Live HDR preview also needs macOS 26+, WebGPU HDR and a compatible screen.

An SDR preview can still export HDR. Transparency is saved on white; visible brightness depends on the display and receiving app.

Sources and further reading

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