Windows HDR Calibration

This application allows you to calibrate HDR displays to optimize HDR games (including Auto HDR) and HDR content in Windows 11. It performs a series of steps to set minimum and maximum brightness levels, along with color saturation, generating a specific color profile for the display. HDR in Windows presents variations in configuration, where monitors capable of displaying HDR images correctly may receive incorrectly configured signals at the operating system level, resulting in inferior presentation. Windows HDR Calibration provides a tool to calibrate HDR monitors and optimize their general use.

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• Minimum brightness calibration. Sets the lowest luminosity level the display can produce while maintaining detail in dark areas. Adjust this parameter to ensure blacks are deep without losing visual information in shadows and dark scenes.
• Maximum brightness setting. Determines the maximum light intensity the monitor can achieve without clipping details in bright areas. This adjustment preserves textures and details in highlights and specular reflections.
• Color saturation adjustment. Controls chromatic intensity in HDR content to maintain vibrant colors without distortion. Modify this value to achieve accurate colorimetric representations based on the monitor's capabilities.
• Color profile generation. Creates custom ICC profiles that are automatically applied to HDR content. These profiles store all calibration settings for different viewing conditions.
• Step-by-step wizard interface. Sequentially guides you through all necessary adjustments in logical order. Presents clear instructions and individual setting screens for each parameter.
• Auto HDR compatibility. Optimizes settings for the Auto HDR feature that converts SDR content to HDR automatically. Ensures converted content displays enhanced dynamic ranges.
• Test pattern visualization. Displays specialized images to evaluate different aspects of calibration. Includes patterns for determining brightness clipping points and saturation levels.
• Monitor capability detection. Automatically identifies the HDR specifications of the connected display. Gathers information about brightness ranges and the panel's native color space.
• Per-display configuration. Allows creating separate profiles for each monitor in multi-display setups. Manages specific calibrations based on each display's characteristics.
• Automatic profile application. Activates generated profiles without requiring manual user intervention. Integrates settings directly into the Windows color management system.
• Calibration result validation. Provides tools to verify the accuracy of the adjustments made. Allows comparison of performance before and after calibration.
• Reset and default configuration options. Restores original system values or creates baseline configurations. Offers standard starting points for different panel types.

Windows HDR Calibration was developed by Microsoft Corporation as part of the Windows 11 display tools. Development began in 2021 to address HDR configuration challenges in Windows environments. The application was written using C++ and XAML for the user interface, leveraging Windows graphics and color management APIs. The development team included engineers from Microsoft's display experiences group, with contributions from the DirectX team. The initial release coincided with the Windows 11 update in 2022, integrating the tool into the Microsoft Store as a standalone application.

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