HDR Tone Mapping not exporting correctly

[filmshootr]

After loading 5 Tiff files into an HDR merge and tweaking the image looks great. I apply the changes and the image is loaded into the standard photo persona. 

However, when I export the image as either a .jpg or .tiff file, the highlights are completely messed up (see screen shots). 

Also, something weird I discovered while making this post: taking a screen shot of the open file in Affinity photo also renders the same issue. I had to snap a photo of the screen with my iPhone to show how the image should look like (it only affects the clouds in the photo). 

Affinity Photo 1.10.4

IMG_5833.HEICmacOS Monterey version 12.1

iMac Retina 4k, 21.5 inch 2019

3 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i5

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

An HDR Merge will, I believe, be an RGB-32 image file. 

JPG images are only RGB-8, and can't show the full range.

TIFF can support RGB-32, but the question then is what you're using to view the image once you export.

Your screenshot is also going to be an 8-bit format, and would have the same issue.

[NotMyFault]

Please activate 32 bit preview and check that “icc managed” is active.

next, check that no color values above 1.0 exists. You can raise the limit in histogram.

If both conditions are met, export to rgb/8 or rgb/16 will be almost matching.

If you have use “unmanaged”, you need to gamma correct the image with help of procedural texture filter.

In case of excess brightness, use tone map persona or levels to map excess brightness in the sdr range.

Affinity does not correctly support tiff/32. Don’t use it for export of RGB/32. 
There is actually no format to export RGB/32, and it is normally not required. Instead, export as RGB/16, using tiff or png.

[filmshootr]

21 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

An HDR Merge will, I believe, be an RGB-32 image file. 

JPG images are only RGB-8, and can't show the full range.

TIFF can support RGB-32, but the question then is what you're using to view the image once you export.

Your screenshot is also going to be an 8-bit format, and would have the same issue.

I have tried both Jpeg and tiff exports, 8bit and 16 bit. It should at least represent what I am seeing being previewed in the photo persona, but it's not even close. It looks like the highlight tonal compression is simply not rendering properly in the final export. More oddly is the fact that taking a screen shot does the same thing. 

[filmshootr]

9 minutes ago, NotMyFault said:

Please activate 32 bit preview and check that “icc managed” is active.

next, check that no color values above 1.0 exists. You can raise the limit in histogram.

If both conditions are met, export to rgb/8 or rgb/16 will be almost matching.

if not, use tone map persona or levels to map excess brightness in the sdr range.

Affinity does not correctly support tiff/32. 

Could you explain the second sentence? I am not sure where that is

[NotMyFault]

https://affinity.help/photo/English.lproj/pages/Panels/histogramPanel.html
 

raise the “max” value to 2 or 4, and check if there are any pixels above 1.0

[filmshootr]

3 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

https://affinity.help/photo/English.lproj/pages/Panels/histogramPanel.html
 

raise the “max” value to 2 or 4, and check if there are any pixels above 1.0

I think so, the hazard icon appears in the corner 

[filmshootr]

I think I found the issue: this issue only occurs when I save my settings as a preset in the tone mapping persona. I noticed this because the preview thumbnail for my preset shows the exact blown highlights that I am experiencing in the exports. 

If I chose a default preset or simply manually adjust some of the parameters then the export is fine ... I just can't save a usable preset 

Edit: 

Actually, any changes I make to the preset will result in this issue

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by filmshootr
update

[filmshootr]

FIXED!

I had to change the display setting from Metal to OpenGL (Basic) and the clipping issue was immediately visible after restarting the program.