Open HDR File

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and is a standard used for capturing images with high dynamic range. The images are often created after combining several different exposures to give the correct levels of exposure to both well lit and dark areas. These may be created by the camera itself or in post-processing through programs like Photoshop.

Open HDR File on Windows OS

  • Look for an HDR file you need to open in Windows Explorer and double-click on it
  • If the file doesn’t open automatically and you see a “Windows can’t open a file” message then you should search for a program which can open HDR file
  • If you have a program which can open HDR file installed on your computer then launch that program and select “File” and then “Open” or similar options from its menu to open the HDR file
  • If you don’t have the program installed then you need to try searching for “HDR wiki”, “how to open HDR file” in the search engine.
  • Once you find the application, install it on your computer
  • After the program is installed double-click on the HDR file to open it

File extensions are used by Windows operating system to specify what kind of information is stored in the file. Every file in Windows OS needs to have file extension and file extensions are used by Windows to determine which application it should use to open the file. Every application installed on Windows OS places information about which extensions it could open into the Windows registry and Windows uses this information to determine which application it should launch when user double-clicks on the file. If application which can open HDR file is not installed, then Windows will show ‘Windows can’t open HDR file’ message and buttons to either select an application on the computer which can open the file or to search the web for the application which can open HDR file.