Add your HDR file
Drop one or more .hdr files onto the converter above, or browse for them. They load into browser memory only — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size-based pricing and no server queue.
HDR to APNG
Converting a .hdr image to .apng re-encodes the pixels for a different balance of size, quality, and support. Free, private, and validated — the file never leaves your browser.
Private for supported formats — processed in your browser
Runs on your deviceConvert supported files
Drop HDR files here
Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.
Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.About converting Radiance HDR image to Animated PNG
Converting a .hdr image to .apng re-encodes the pixels for a different balance of size, quality, and support. An .hdr file is a Radiance RGBE image, the original high-dynamic-range raster format. Each pixel stores three 8-bit mantissas and one shared 8-bit exponent, so 32 bits per pixel cover a luminance range no ordinary 8-bit format can express. It is still the everyday container for the HDRI environment maps used to light 3D scenes.
An .apng file is an animated extension of PNG: full 24-bit color with 8-bit alpha per frame, in a stream that plain PNG decoders read as a normal still image. It delivers the smooth, semi-transparent animation that GIF's 256-color palette never could, and it is the format behind many messaging-app sticker packs. For this route the practical draw is 16.7 million colors and real alpha per frame, versus GIF's 256 and binary transparency and backward compatible: old decoders still render the first frame — balanced against files grow quickly for long or high-motion animations, where animated WebP/AVIF or video compress far better, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert HDR to APNG?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .hdr, only about 1 percent precision per channel, and the shared exponent hurts saturated colours. Switching to .apng buys you 16.7 million colors and real alpha per frame, versus GIF's 256 and binary transparency, which is why it is the better fit for animated stickers (Apple's iMessage and LINE both build on APNG). Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
HDR vs APNG at a glance
| Aspect | Radiance HDR image (.hdr) | Animated PNG (.apng) |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Lossy — discards detail it judges invisible to shrink files | Lossless — every pixel or sample is preserved exactly |
| How it stores data | rGBE encoding: three 8-bit mantissas plus one shared 8-bit exponent, 32 bits per pixel | adds three chunk types to PNG: acTL (animation control), fcTL (frame control), and fdAT (frame data) |
| Strongest at | hDRI environment maps and sky domes for image-based lighting in Blender, Unreal, Unity and V-Ray | animated stickers (Apple's iMessage and LINE both build on APNG) |
| Weak spot | only about 1 percent precision per channel, and the shared exponent hurts saturated colours | files grow quickly for long or high-motion animations, where animated WebP/AVIF or video compress far better |
Pick APNG as the output
Select .apng in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if APNG is selectable, the route is real and validated.
Convert on your device
Press Convert. Decoding and re-encoding happen on your device using the browser's native image pipeline and hand-tuned encoders.
Verify and download
Each result is signature-checked before the download unlocks, so a failed encode can never masquerade as a valid APNG file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .apng extension.
HDR to APNG questions, answered
Will converting HDR to APNG lose quality?
No new loss is introduced — since hdr is lossy-oriented and apng is lossless-oriented, everything the .hdr file still contains is carried over exactly. What was already discarded by the original lossy encode cannot be recovered, though; converting to .apng does not "restore" quality.
Is it private to convert HDR files here?
Yes — the .hdr file is processed inside your browser tab and never uploaded. Decoding and re-encoding happen on your device using the browser's native image pipeline and hand-tuned encoders. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory.
Where will the APNG file work?
Chrome 59+, Firefox 3+, Safari 8+, and Edge 79+ all animate .apng natively, so browser coverage is complete. Desktop support is patchier — most image editors open only the first frame — and social platforms frequently flatten or re-encode uploads, so test the target platform before committing to it.
Will the APNG file be bigger or smaller than my HDR?
Larger, sometimes much larger. A lossless .apng must store every pixel or sample the decoder produced, without the perceptual shortcuts .hdr used. Use this route for editing headroom, not for saving space.
What happens to the metadata in my HDR file?
In .hdr, the text header carries EXPOSURE, GAMMA, PRIMARIES, SOFTWARE and free-form comment lines. There is no EXIF, XMP or ICC profile block, and this converter's raster outputs do not carry the header lines across. Re-encoding through the browser pipeline does not carry embedded metadata into the output, which doubles as a privacy scrub — check the exported file if you specifically need tags preserved.