Adobe Lightroom for Android has received a major update, adding support for HDR images. This means that users can now edit and export their HDR images directly from the app, without having to use a separate program.
The news was shared directly by Adobe through its help site while praising high dynamic range (HDR) and its impact on photos. However, there are some limitations to the app’s support for this format.
Although you can now capture, edit, and export HDR photos in the Lightroom Android
app (v9.0.0), you will only be able to do so on supported devices running Android 14. Currently, the list of devices is pretty. limited, including only the Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7a and Pixel 7
Pro.
Currently, there is no mention of the new Pixel 8
series on Adobe’s help page or in the Play Store release notes, but that probably won’t be the case for long. Google’s newest phones will be the first to support the new Ultra HDR feature for
Android 14, which will allow users to capture and edit HDR images with an even wider dynamic range. Surprisingly, however, the
Google Pixel Fold, just four months old, is unsupported, as confirmed by its omission from the device support list and my own testing with the device.
For supported devices, using the new HDR feature in Lightroom is simple. Simply open an HDR image in the app, switch to “Edit” mode and select the “Light” tool. Next, scroll down and enable the “Edit in HDR mode” option. You will then see an HDR logo at the top right that you can tap to view the histogram and adjust your image. Don’t forget to check the “HDR Output” box when you’re ready to export!
The addition of HDR support to Lightroom for Android and Google’s upcoming Ultra HDR feature is great news for Android users who love taking and editing HDR photos, but don’t want to switch between apps for the TO DO. Hopefully support for this format will expand to more devices and third-party image editing apps.
