OBS Studio SDR White Level Setting Explained
When capturing or streaming High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, OBS Studio must often convert that signal into Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) so viewers on traditional screens can watch it without colors looking washed out. The “SDR White Level” setting is the critical anchor point for this conversion process, determining how bright “standard white” should be when HDR content is tone-mapped down to SDR. This article explains the purpose of the SDR White Level setting, how it affects your video feed, and how to choose the right value for your stream or recording.
What is SDR White Level?
To understand SDR White Level, you must first understand how HDR and SDR handle brightness. Brightness in video is measured in “nits” (cd/m²). Standard SDR displays are calibrated to a peak brightness of around 100 nits, whereas HDR displays can easily reach 1,000 nits or more.
When OBS Studio translates an HDR source (like an HDR game or camera) into an SDR output, it cannot simply map 1,000 nits to 100 nits linearly, or the entire image would become incredibly dark. Instead, it uses tone mapping.
The SDR White Level setting tells OBS Studio what specific brightness level in the HDR source represents “reference white” (or paper white) in the SDR output. This reference white is the baseline brightness for standard objects like text, user interfaces, and diffuse surfaces, leaving the remaining brightness range for specular highlights like explosions, sunlight, and reflections.
The Purpose of the Setting in OBS Studio
The primary purpose of the SDR White Level setting is to ensure that your HDR-to-SDR tone-mapped video looks natural, balanced, and visually consistent with native SDR content.
If this setting is configured incorrectly, your video will suffer from one of two issues: * Setting the value too high: If you set the SDR White Level too high, the overall SDR image will appear dim, dark, and muddy. This is because OBS is reserving too much headroom for highlights and crushing the brightness of normal objects. * Setting the value too low: If you set the SDR White Level too low, the image will look overly bright, washed out, or “blown out.” Details in bright areas (like clouds or white shirts) will be lost because they exceed the maximum SDR threshold and clip to pure white.
By adjusting this setting, you define the perfect balance between average scene brightness and highlight detail for your viewers who are watching in SDR.
Recommended Values for OBS Studio
OBS Studio typically offers a slider or input box for SDR White Level, measured in nits. The ideal setting depends on your content, but there are standard baselines you should follow:
- 300 Nits (OBS Default): This is the default setting in OBS Studio. It provides a brighter, more vibrant overall image that is well-suited for fast-paced video games and general streaming, where a brighter image is often preferred over perfect color accuracy.
- 203 Nits (ITU-R BT.2408 Standard): This is the official industry standard recommended for HDR-to-SDR broadcasting. Setting your SDR White Level to 203 nits provides the most color-accurate conversion, ensuring that skin tones and normal white objects look exactly as they would in a native SDR production.
- 100 Nits: This is the absolute baseline for traditional SDR calibration. It is rarely used for modern streaming because it can make the converted image look too dim on modern consumer displays, which are typically brighter than mastering monitors.
To find the best look, capture a static scene from your HDR source that contains both average-lit areas (like a character’s face or a brick wall) and bright highlights (like the sky). Adjust the SDR White Level slider between 200 and 300 nits until the overall scene brightness matches the look of a standard SDR broadcast while still preserving details in the brightest areas.