HDR Easy vs Layerlight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HDR Easy
Transform SDR photos and videos into HDR for compatible displays. This app offers a simple workflow with one-tap conversion and optional tuning. It supports various input formats and outputs high-quality HDR content.
- SDR to HDR conversion
- One-tap HDR for photos and videos
- Optional contrast/saturation tuning
- Supports various input formats (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, RAW, MP4, MOV)
- Batch processing (Pro version)
- 10-bit HEIC and HDR video output
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NEW HDR Easy V3! Turn SDR photos and videos into HDR for HDR-capable displays on recent iPhones, iPads, and Apple Silicon Macs. This is not a legacy HDR exposure-blending filter. Files use current HDR formats so highlights can go brighter on supported screens. Note: HDR content will not display when your iPhone is in Low Power Mode, as HDR is disabled. Key Benefits • Works well with SDR AI images, DSLR photos, and film scans, especially high-contrast scenes. • Simple workflow: pick media (or drag and drop on iPad/Mac) and convert. • Share a photo or video from the Photos app to open it in HDR Easy. • A preview lets you adjust the look before you save. • Tune Peak Brightness, Saturation, and Contrast on photos and videos. • Videos include highlight masking, with HDR Range and Softness, so HDR can stay in the bright parts. • Full and Highlights looks for video. Trial can switch them. • Batch processing and a bitrate slider are available in Pro. • Includes a new pink color preset for the app. Device Requirements • HDR-capable display (for example iPhone 11 Pro or later, iPad Pro with XDR, Apple Silicon Mac with XDR). • iOS 18.1 or later. How It Works • Input: JPEG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, PSD, RAW, MP4/MOV/M4V (H.264/HEVC) • Photos: 10-bit HEIC with HDR metadata, or JPEG Ultra HDR • Video: 10-bit HEVC, HLG HDR (BT.2020). Default target 100 Mbps. Pro can set 10 to 200 Mbps. • Standards: BT.2020 color, HLG for video Important • HDR appearance varies by device, display, OS, and viewing app. Specific results are not guaranteed. • Some apps show HDR thumbnails over-bright. On non-HDR screens the viewing app tone-maps the video, so it can look different from the source. • Video Peak Brightness above 2.00 can flatten or darken the picture on some screens and on Instagram. Feature Highlights by Version • Free Trial: Watermark. Convert one photo or video at a time. Switch Full and Highlights video looks. • Starter: No watermark. Unlimited single-file conversions. Highlight masking, Peak, Range, Softness, contrast, and saturation. Paste from clipboard. • Pro: Everything in Starter, plus bitrate control (10-200 Mbps), batch processing, drag and drop on macOS (designed for iPad), and mixed photos and videos.
Layerlight
This app enhances photos by focusing on luminous highlights, allowing users to style the light layer for a cinematic look without overexposing images. It offers precise control for natural or artistic effects and ensures Apple-ready HEIC HDR export.
- HDR Light Styling
- Highlight layer manipulation
- Precise control over HDR intensity
- Natural and artistic looks
- Clean HEIC HDR export
- Apple device compatibility
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HDR and Photographic Styles, together. Adjust the light in Layerlight, export HEIC, then choose a Photographic Style in Photos. Photos from phones and other cameras can keep evolving on supported devices. Shape HDR highlights Adjust light, contrast, softness and highlight enhancement with straightforward sliders and presets. Find the balance that suits your photo. Edit Photographic Styles in Photos HEIC exports support editable Photographic Styles, including in the free version. On supported devices and systems, choose a style and adjust its colors. iOS 27 also supports Texture, Grain and Soft Skin adjustments for still photos with detectable faces. Save your changes, then return to Photos to adjust them again or revert to the exported photo. From one photo to a collection Pro offers higher export quality, batch export, cropping, frames and watermarks, and removes promotional branding. Batch export keeps photos that need adjustments in your editing list so you can finish them later. Built for your device Supports iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, with a workspace that adapts to the available space. Your photos stay on your device Photo processing happens locally. No account is required, and your photos are not uploaded. Missing person information for Soft Skin is generated on device, with no additional model download. Compatibility Photographic Styles editing requires supported devices and systems; Texture, Grain and Soft Skin require iOS 27. Soft Skin depends on face detection and does not require Portrait mode. Occlusion, small faces and extreme poses may prevent detection. Some photos with native Photographic Styles data do not yet support subsequent edits in Photos or framing changes. See the in-app guide for details. Privacy Policy: https://akinal5765-byte.github.io/Layerlight/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Layerlight at 5.0 against HDR Easy's 4.5. Layerlight also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. HDR Easy sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Layerlight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Layerlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
HDR Easy ships an update every 5 weeks, Layerlight every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | HDR Easy | Layerlight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kasimir Szekeres Photography B.V. | 余坤 李 |
Customer experience
HDR Easy
Layerlight
In-app purchases
HDR Easy
- Starter$3.99
- Pro Upgrade$12.99
- Pro$17.99
Layerlight
- Layerlight Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
- Layerlight Pro Lifetime$9.99







